Worlds Apart

Addison braced herself for the inevitable stomach-turning feeling of landing on the tarmac. She felt the plane begin its decent, and could see the exciting view beneath her. People, buildings, water, London was bustling with activity. It had been a long flight from the states, but she knew it would be worth it. Especially for Mamaw, she thought, glancing to her left. There sat her sweet grandmother. She’d saved for this girls’ trip for years. She wanted to find more out about her ancestry on her father’s side. He was an Englishman and had passed in WWII. Her mother had immigrated to the United States with her and her siblings shortly after that, in search of better opportunities and a greater distance between her family and Adolf Hitler’s reign of terror. Her family had never been able to bury her father, and had never gone back to see his memorial. Now, at the age of 80, Mamaw was finally going to see the country of her birth, and the grave of her father. They all were. It was an exciting, yet heavy, trip. Aside from Mamaw and Addison, Addison’s older sister, Shannon, younger sister, Maggie, cousins Sarah, Anne, and Tatum, her mother, Anita, and her aunt Grace were all joining in on this trip of trips. They’d be in England for around 6 weeks total. 6 weeks to eat, vacation, and forget about the responsibilities back home. They’d all had to pull a few strings in order to get off of work for so long, with several of the younger ladies making efforts to work while abroad. Addison was going to work most mornings if possible. Maybe even some early morning or late evening weekend hours, depending on the trip’s ever-changing itinerary. They had museum trips scheduled, tours booked, but had also left plenty of time for leisure enjoyment. After exiting the airport and finding a taxi, they were dropped at their adorable Air B&B that they had booked for the majority of their 6-week stay. Thankfully, there were plenty of beds and space. The town home was three stories. There was a loft type area as the third story, where Addison’s cousins had decided to stay so they could all catch up. They were all sisters who lived apart, and wanted the extra time to be with one another. The second floor had three bedrooms and a living room. Shannon had agreed to take the living room, as she got up early in the mornings and would want coffee. Her mother and aunt each chose a room, leaving a room for Addison herself. The first story contained a small room towards the back, where Mamaw had chosen to stay. No stairs for her. Maggie had recently sprained her ankle and also didn’t want stairs to contend with. She’d chosen to sleep on an air mattress in the main living area on the first floor. After the first three days of tours and museums, the ladies all had decided to split into different groups, and enjoy some separate free time. Addison had chosen to walk along the Thames River and enjoy shopping and site seeing. After they’d found an amazing lunch of fish and chips, they happened along a beautiful boutique coffee shop and bookstore. They wandered in, immediately falling in love with the ladders along the shelves, and the posh sofas just waiting for them to take a seat and get lost in a good book. They all scattered to each of their favorite genres, with Addison forcing herself to go by the business section first. She wanted to have her own company someday. She always liked the opportunity to find perspectives from successful entrepreneurs. She become so engrossed in the book she’d found, she didn’t check before she rounded the corner of a book shelf. Someone was rudely rushing by at an inappropriate speed and smacked right into her. “Ow!” She cried out, dropping the book from her hand in shock and feeling her hair become a frazzled mess at the impact. “I’m so sorry” said an American voice. “Please forgive me, I can be terribly rude when in a hurry. Let me grabbed that for you.” He retrieved the book from the floor, handing it back to her swiftly. He then straightened and made eye contact for the first time and seemed to forget what he was going to say. They stared at one another for an awkward moment, this man’s expression unintelligible, while Addison’s was annoyed. “It’s fine. Thanks.” She grumbled, as she looked past him for one of her companions. “Wait. Please, let me buy you a coffee. To make up for it.” He smiled genuinely at her, taking her off guard. She felt herself softening. It was an accident, after all. And she wasn’t paying any more attention than he was. She knew she was being unfair to be so quickly annoyed. The shock of the collision had just flustered and frustrated her. “It’s really not that big of a deal” she shrugged. “Well, are you hurt? I can’t leave here knowing I’ve injured someone so beautiful in the process” his eyes danced with humor, but there was still a sincerity in the set of his face. His forward remark caught her off guard. “Um. . No, just messed up my hair is all. It’s fine.” He flipped out a small piece of paper, a business card? Handing it over, he said, I’m Taylor, please let me know if you’d like to take me up on that coffee, or” he added with a smirk, “a date while you’re in town.” Her mouth hung open in shock as he turned and headed towards the exit. “Wait!” She called after him. He slowed and c****d his head, but didn’t stop. “How did you know I’m not from here?” “You’re accent” he chuckled, heading out the door and disappearing into the crowd. Addison turned to see Shannon staring at her in confusion. And maybe a bit of judgment. She’d never talk to a stranger in that way, and definitely wouldn’t have accepted his business card. Shannon had married her high school sweetheart and, other than him, didn’t enjoy the company of most men. That’s probably thanks to our dad Addison reminded herself with an eye roll. “He bumped into me and felt bad” she explained to her sister. “Hmm. Weirdo. I’m going to go check out. Are you about ready? The others are grabbing coffee and then wanted to head back and meet up with everyone else.” “I’m good. I’m sure we’ll be back to shop more while we are here.” Addison said, glancing down at the business card in her hands. Odd. Was that an England thing? He didn’t have an English accent, but seemed very comfortable here. Oh well. She shrugged and walked off, tucking the card into the pocket of her jeans as she headed for the street.