I wandered around for another few moments, dodging and weaving around all the other people waiting for their own loved ones or friends or whatever, then sat down next to Rob. He put his arm around me and leaned toward me, apparently to say something into my ear, but suddenly I heard a huge noise coming from outside and I looked and there was his plane.
It was moving slowly toward the window, it’s round nose pointed straight at me, and it was so close I could see the pilot and co-pilot in the cockpit. I jumped up, accidentally bumping Rob with my shoulder, and squealed.”He’s here!” I said way too loud. Once again I couldn’t resist bouncing up and down on my toes, and suddenly there was a group of guys watching my boobs bouncing up and down. I didn’t care, though, My baby was home!
Rob stood up too and we, along with a crush of other people, moved over to the door Ryan would be coming through. My heart was beating hard in my chest as I wrung my hands, suddenly feeling silly now for the way I’d been acting. Sure, it was okay to be excited, but Ryan was my son, not my lover. Besides, I was twenty years older than Ryan, a mature woman, and it wouldn’t do to have him see me acting like a child. So I took a few deep breaths, calmed myself down, and waited as maturely as I could.
After an eternity, the door opened and the passengers started coming out. There were all sorts of them, men, women, kids, young and old, even several soldiers that smiled and looked approvingly at me as they passed by.
Suddenly there he was, Ryan, Smiling as he waded through the throng of milling people.
I didn’t scream. I just stood there, my hands clasped together in front of me, as Rob stepped forward, both of us making excited greeting noises as we held our arms out to him. I went first, hugging him fiercely and kissing his cheek, then Rob, a more restrained, manly hug, no kiss, just pats on the back.
Oh my God, he was so handsome, with his light brown hair, his bright blue eyes and his strong masculine features. He was wearing his school rugby jersey, just as I had imagined so many times, and while his smile probably wasn’t the one from my daydream, it was genuine. He was still smiling at me; obviously happy to see me.
I felt like backing up and running to him just like in my fantasy, but like a statue I just stood there, motionless, my heart pounding in my chest, my own dopey grin plastered across my face. I couldn’t even speak.
“Your mother has missed you terribly!” Rob intimated toward his son, nodding in my direction. I felt myself blush.
“I’ve missed you too, mom!” Ryan said. He came to me in two strides, took me in his strong arms, and hugged me hard as he said something like, “Mom, I’m so glad to see you, I’ve missed you so much.” At which point I did something totally unpredictable: I burst into tears. I pressed my face against his chest and held him lightly as I wept, not understanding what I was doing or why. Ryan, bless him, just shushed me and stroked my hair and softly told me, “You’re alright, you’re alright now.” I didn’t cry for long, less than a minute, really, and when I was done I looked up at him, embarrassed by my inexplicable behavior. But Ryan just smiled down at me and even laughed a little.