“Do you mind if I hitch a ride?  I was going to catch a cab but since you guys are here.”

“Sure.”  I shrug my shoulders agreeing.

The three of us walk over to baggage claim five and six.  I can see Gabe’s has already started moving with some bags coming down but ours is still quiet where I see the passengers from our flight waiting.

Gabe jogs over quickly grabbing a garment bag and walks back our way.  Although it’s only June, Gabe is already tan which I assume has to do with living in Florida instead of the Midwest.  Gabe moved down there after college.  He and a couple buddies went in together on some real estate deals and from what I heard he is doing pretty good for himself especially for only being twenty-eight.

My bag is the first to come off.  I hope that is a sign that this week won’t be so bad.  Ian is waiting next to his cart, he has pulled off two bags already and going for a third.  His matching plaid faux designer print luggage is a set of five and I assume he brought every piece.

“How much luggage did he bring?”  Gabe motions his head towards Ian.

“I have no idea but I bet he will come home with another suitcase on the way home.”  I smile.

“I guess he will be prepared for whatever comes up.  From what Doug told me it is quite the week of events planned.”

“Yeah, I haven’t heard much of anything.”  I raise my shoulders.  Looking down at my feet.

“Knowing Jack, I am sure he planned a fun time.”

“That’s my brother, party planner!”  I smile back at him.  His teeth are perfect and white.

“I am looking forward to it.  It has been killer this summer.  All of our houses are booked for the season and we have been working like crazy getting everything ready.  It was all I could do to get the time off.”  He exclaims.  “How about you Maddy?   What’s the decorating business like?”

“Hard to get into.  I do most of my work for free to try to get my foot in the door.  I tried to work for another decorator as their assistant but they just want to boss you around and do their personal errands.”  I confess.  I have actually thought about switching careers lately but I don’t want to go back to school.

“Yeah, I have heard that.  I had a friend who graduated in fashion design and she had a hard time too.”

“What happened?  Did she finally break through?”  I cross my fingers praying his answer is yes.  Give me some hope to continue with my dream.

“Unfortunately, no.  She ended up getting married to some investment banker she met and now she lives in Connecticut with two kids.”  He gives me a lopsided smile.

“Oh” I deflate.  I knew going into design that few people where able to really succeed in it but it is my passion.

“But” he nudges his shoulder with mine.  “She wasn’t half as talented as you Madeline Jennings.”  He smiles down at me.

“Thank you.”  I grin back.  “But you have never seen my work.”

“Yes I have” he answers.  Before I can ask where we see Ian coming over with his cart of luggage and five pieces of luggage.

“About time Ian, God.”  I turn around towing my suitcase behind me.  Then I feel my suitcase stop behind me and jolt back.

Gabe is there grabbing it “You might as well take advantage of the cart.”  He takes the suitcase from my hands and places it on the cart.  Ian huffs as though it is too much to push but Gabe and I both chuckle walking to the rental car.

The young boy motions to me as the next person and I walk over to him.  I am surprised to see Gabe right next to me.

“Can I help you?”  The young kid asks.

“Reservation for Madeline Jennings.”  I place my id and credit card on the counter.

“Ok, we have you down for a compact this week.”  The kid puts his hands on my id and credit card to take it but a hand goes over his startling the young man.

“Can we upgrade to an SUV?”  Gabe asks.

“What?”  I raise my eyebrows at Gabe.

“His luggage isn’t going to fit in a compact.”  He points to an exhausted Ian making his way over to the rental car place with all the luggage in tow.

“We will have to strap it to the roof.  I can’t afford to upgrade.”  I admit nodding to the young man to continue with the compact.

“First of all, I don’t think a compact has a rack you can strap luggage to.”  He laughs.  “Second, I would never make you pay.  Let me get an SUV, we can share the truck all week.  We will be going to the same places anyway.”  He says awaiting my answer.

It made sense in a way but I didn’t want to rely on him for a ride and I couldn’t let him pay for it.  I bite my bottom lip contemplating my options.  “I can’t let you do that Gabe.  Not to mention the reason for me getting a rental car was not to rely on anyone this week.”

He pulls out his wallet handing the young kid his id and credit card.  “Go ahead and book us an SUV and put us both on the truck.”  He grabs my credit card and hands it back to me.  “You can keep the truck and come get me when we are doing something.”

He puts finality to the conversation.  Did I miss something?  Since when is he in charge of me? The problem is I knew Ian’s luggage was a problem to begin with.  I figure I will just go ahead with Gabe’s plan and then drop the truck off later for him to use for the week.  I don’t need or want his charity.

We lug all of Ian’s bags onto the shuttle van to take us to the rental car lot, Gabe makes me pick out the SUV we are going to use.  Of course, Gabe can’t just get an SUV he has to get the full size SUV.  I pick a nice blue Chevy Tahoe but it is huge and I don’t really want to drive it.  Since living in New York for the last two years, I never drove and to go from taxi cabs to this monster of a truck is too much for me to take.  When Gabe tries to give me the keys I tell him to keep them.

Gabe raises his eyebrows to me after we load Ian’s last bag into the back.  I am astonished that it is jam packed with luggage.  Did he always have to be right?

We head down the freeway. Our town is about an hour outside of Chicago.  I can’t stop nibbling on my lower lip.  I don’t know what to expect when I get there, I have heard Gabe’s phone buzz a few times with text messages and I wonder who they are from.

By the time we pass the sign Welcome to Belcrest population 1,531, my lip is raw and I am starting to sweat.  I can’t believe I am back to the place I swore I would never revisit.

“Holy Shit.  You weren’t kidding when you said you came from a small town.”  Ian remarks from the backseat.

“Belcrest is small but mighty.  Right Madgirl?”  Gabe nudges me with his elbow.  That is how the football team has always been described as, small but mighty.  We never have as many guys as other teams but we were State Champs for five years in a row when my brother and Gabe played.  By the time I graduated the run ended.

“Hum…I like the sound of that.”  Ian teases in the back.

I remain quiet, nervous to see everyone.  We pull up to Gabe’s house, still the same white porch with the hanging flower baskets.   I get out to stretch my legs and Mrs. Basso comes walking out with a chocolate lab behind her.  Dixon passed away when we were in high school and they got their new pup Kisses, affectionately named by Mrs. Basso.  She said she was outnumbered for years and it was time she got a girl.  Since all the boys were pretty much out of the house there wasn’t really a fight.

“Gabe, it’s so good to have you home.”  She embraces him in a tight hug.

“It’s good to be home Mom.”  The hug from Gabe is just as strong.  I know he always had a close relationship to his family unlike me.  “Anyone else here yet?”  He asks.

I freeze, not wanting to know if Trent is here.

“Doug is outback with your dad.”  She says and then turns towards me doing a double take.  She looks from Gabe to me looking confused or upset I can’t really tell.

“Madeline?”  She asks curtly.