The flight

 For two days Melissa spent everytime she had with her son, and helping her aunt reopen the flower shop. The shop had closed for some months but they still got clients ordering flowers for functions and a few hotels around town got their centerpieces.

 Having worked in corporate, as a professional accountant, Betty went back to what she loved doing when she lost her family. 

 When her husband and son died, she couldn't live in the city anymore. She lost her home and job making it too hard for her to cope, opting for a new life in the province. 

 Though she never talked about her family, Melissa knew she had never forgotten the hurt and humiliation she suffered back then. Her mother had told her stories about her aunt and when she came to get her, Melissa in her heart promised to always take care of her and Tommy since they where the only family she had.

"What time are you traveling tomorrow?" Aunt Betty inquired when they sat down to watch cartoon with Tommy after having dinner.

"Before noon, we have a meeting in the afternoon."

"What? Won't you be late for the meeting, it's a five hours journey."

"Aunt they are taking care of all the travel and accommodation. I have a plane ticket booked already and Lisa agreed to drive me to the airport." She held Tommy who had fallen a sleep in her arms, tired from playing all day with other kids at the kindergarten.

 "I'll take Tommy to kindergarten tomorrow aunt, you don't have to wake-up early." Melissa wanted to spend every little time with her son hoping it will make up for the days they would be a part.

"Okay dear, take him to sleep now I'll Lock up. You should sleep early to." Betty got up taking the key's to lock the front door.

"Goodnight." She said to her aunt with a heavy heart carrying the sleeping child to his bedroom.

 This was the last night they were spending together, and it was not easy to leave her son behind. Though she didn't know how she would cope without the two people who always motivated her, she had to go and somehow survive the few weeks.

"Goodnight too dear." Betty responded going to her room after locking the doors and switching the lights off.

 She understood the gravity of the matter for both mother and son. Being away from each other would be tough but in her heart she believed all would be well.

 The next morning after Melissa dropped off Tommy at the kindergarten with tears lingering in her eyes, she went home to pick her suitcase. Without anyone around, she broke down in tears wishing she didn't take the job.

 Leaving her son was harder than she had thought, and though Tommy acted strong, she saw him silently wipe his eyes as he followed the teacher to class. "This is for the best Melissa, stay strong it's only for a few weeks." For a while she sat on the couch trying to calm her nerves before heading over to the flower shop were Lisa was picking her up.

"Hey Melissa, hope you didn't wait for long." Lisa shouted when she entered the shop. 

 "Hello aunt, these Rose's smell so good." She said sniffing the rose's Betty was arranging for her customer.

 The business was picking up well with her old customers streaming in.

"Good to see you too Lisa, how have you been? How is work?" Betty inquired with her hands full she could only let Lisa hug her.

 She liked Lisa and was happy that she and Melissa got along well. Lisa's mother helped her a lot since she moved to town, and even got her a shop to set up her business, and since then they became close friends. 

"Lisa, we have to go, I don't want to be late for my flight." Melissa approached them dragging her heavy suitcase.

"We have more than half an hour to your flight Melissa, let me chat with aunt for a while." Lisa murmured helping Betty arrange the flower. 

"No, what if we get traffic on the way?" Melissa questioned turning to address her aunt. 

 "Aunt, I'll call you when I get to the city." Giving her aunt a hug and a kiss on her cheek, she swallowed the tears filling her eyes as she dragged Lisa out of the shop.

"Bye aunt, Melissa my God, stop dragging me." Lamented Lisa, quickening her pace trying to keep up.

Knowing her friend would make an excuse to dash back, Melissa stood behind her at the door as she got in the car. 

 Though it was a fifteen minutes drive to the airport, she was nervous, and afraid of missing her flight or failing to make her appointment. If she could, she would have gone to the city a day before but her flight was booked by the company.

  "Melissa since your going to the city, will you look for Tommy's father?" Eyes on the road, Lisa asked the very thing Melissa was dreding.

"I don't think I'll get time to look for him." She replied while checking her phone for the tenth time.

 Melissa was really nervous and afraid of the changes that came with moving to the city, and now thinking about meeting Mark made her a little scared. How was she supposed to tell him that there accident night together gave them a son?

 Biting her inner lip, she thought of different ways to break the news to him, but she kept reminding herself that the city was big, there was no way of bumping into eachother. 

"Melissa are you okay?" Lisa called her several time but she was deep in thought. Stopping the car, she shook her softly startling her.

"Huh....I'm fine." As she shook her head to clear her mind, she look out the window at the numerous vehicles parked around.

"We are at the airport, I won't go in with you which I would have loved to, since mum set me a text with a list of stuff she needs me to pick for the bakery."

"Its okay Lisa, thanks for the ride and please watch over aunt and Tommy for me."

 "You know I will, you don't even have to ask."

 "You're the best, Lisa. I'll call when I get there." She hugged Lisa for a while tears welling in her eyes.

 "Oh, you'll make me cry." Lisa murmured on Melissa's shoulder sniffing back the tears. 

 "Please don't or we will flood the car." Melissa smiled hugging her tighter.

"Ha ha, you're right. Let save the fire fighters energy. Bye Melissa."

 "Bye Lisa, see you in a few weeks." Finely pulling from the hug, Melissa got out of the car taking her suitcase a long.

 "Yeah, a few weeks." She felt Melissa would not come back. She was not made for the province anyway. "Have a safe flight." Waving goodbye, she sat back watching Melissa walk into the airport before driving off.

After clearing at the check in point they waited for a few minutes to board the flight. It was a forty five minutes flight yet it gave Melissa goosebumps. This was the first flight alone with out her parent and she couldn't help missing them. 

 As the plane took off, she closed her eye's as memories of the happy times she went on vacations with her parent crossed her mind. Her mom and dad loved her so much, being an only child she was pampered a lot. Her father always told her she would take over the company when she was done with her studies. Part of why it was hard for her to cope without them.

"Miss please fasten your safety belt we are about to land." Opening her eye's, she smiled at the flight attendant fastening her seat belt. The flight was shorter than she imagined, they had arrived in no time.

 Walking out of the airport she looked at the yellow passenger vehicles lined up. The beauty of landing in an international airport was you never lack transport.

 As she hailed a cub to the city center she remembered how she once begged her dad to let her take a cub instead of their chauffeured car. 

 "Excuse me Mr, please drop me off to this place." Getting into the cub, she gave the driver the address.

 In the four years the city had changed she couldn't easily find her way.

"Star lite building 68 avenue street?" 

"Yes, thank you sir." Looking at the people rushing in all direction in the busy street, Melissa had forgotten how chaotic the city was.

 Leaving the highway into the heart of the city, there was heavy traffic and with every tick of the clock, she got more afraid of reporting late and possibly missing the meeting. 

"Sir, is there another route we can take?" Inquiring, she checked her wristwatch again. 

 First impression mattered a lot, and Melissa didn't want her new boss to think she was arrogant coming into work late. 

"Sorry miss, this is the easiest route we can use. There is an accident at the intersection ahead but the police are clearing it, in a matter of minutes the road will be clear." 

"Okay. I really hope it clears soon, don't want to be late." Holding her phone, she looked at her son's picture. 

 This was for him she couldn't afford to mess it up, but atleast she had fifteen minutes to report to the office. Hopefuly the traffic jam would clear before her new boss realises hiring her was a mistake.