Once I was all packed up, I called a cab to take me to the Raleigh-Durham International Airport, about an hour drive. When the taxi arrived I hopped in and politely said hello to the driver.

“Raleigh Airport, Right?” He said with a heavy southern drawl.

“Um, yeah, Raleigh Airport.” The poor guy must have been having a terrible day; he seemed quite flustered.

After the most awkwardly silent taxi ride of my life, I was dropped off at the airport. I have to admit, I was pretty nervous, this was my first time on an airplane.

The trip I was scheduled for was a one-way flight from Raleigh to Belo Horizonte and then a six-hour drive to Rio. After all the normal flight formalities were done for, and when I was about to board, I reached into my pocket, took out a picture of Abigail and I from Christmas last year and just stared at it.

“I’m coming for you, babe. This is all for you. I need you in my life, and I’m tired of just sitting at home without you.”

I shoved the picture back into my pocket, took a deep breath, and boarded the plane. My seat was right next to the window, I wasn’t particularly thrilled with being thirty-five thousand feet in the air, so the first thing I did once I sat down was shut the blind. Then once I was nice and comfortable I pulled out my copy of the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and started reading it for what felt like was the forty-seventh time. It is my favorite story of all time. I knew the story inside and out. I don’t know why, but I’ve always connected with Huck Finn.

Don’t ask me how I got so lucky, but I got an entire row on the flight all to myself. That was a good thing because nobody was able to see me freak on when the plane took off. When the message from the captain about the flight beginning came over the loud speaker, I fastened my seatbelt, put my book down, and braced myself. Then, the plane took off, and I almost peed my pants for nothing! It was the smoothest thing I’ve ever felt in my life, boy was I acting like a baby for nothing.

When we were allowed to walk around the plane, a Spanish looking man came up and sat next to me. I was pretty engrossed in my book when he approached me so I was caught a little off guard.

“Hello my friend! My name is Alejandro, I noticed that you had this entire row to yourself, and I was wondering if I could sit here with you for the rest of our flight!”

“Y-Yeah sure Alejandro, it’s nice to meet you. The name’s Nicki; have a seat, pal.”

“Thank you oh so much Nicki! It is very nice to meet you too!” He had such a heavy Brazilian accent and his English was a little broken, it was pretty hard to understand him, but I was able to get most of what he was saying.

“So Alejandro, why did you choose to move your seat? Didn’t you like it?” I didn’t mind that he was sitting next to me, I was just curious.

“I didn’t mind my seat except for the fact that I was with a mother and her infant son. The poor child must not enjoy flying yet and he kept crying right in my ear. The mother was quite apologetic and tried to get the little one to stop crying, but she is having some trouble, so I got up and left to find another seat. What is bringing you to Brazil, my friend?”

I was reluctant at first to tell him the true reason as to why I was on a flight to a country I have never been to, but he seemed like a nice enough guy, so I let him in on story.

“You must really be in love with this girl to be spending all of this time and money just to find her. I very much respect that.” I can tell he was being honest. He was a true genuine human being.

“Thanks man, it means a lot to me. Why are you going to Brazil?”

“It is where I was born and raised. Much like your story I came to the United States to follow a girl whom I was much in love with. Some three weeks ago I proposed to her, and she rejected it. The next day I caught her cheating on me with another man. I was devastated; I needed to get away, so I choose to come home, but if I tell my family what has happened to me, I will be so embarrassed and my father will shame me. Hey, I have an idea! Why don’t I join you on you mission to find your Abigail! I know we just met, but I promise I will be big help! I know all Brazil like back of my hand, and I am big world traveler! I have been to many countries in my thirty years!”

I wanted this to be more of a solo mission, but then again, I’m not an experienced traveler, so why not. After a couple minutes of thinking about it, I gave him the good news.

“You know, I guess I could use a friend. Why not Alejandro, it’d be a pleasure.”

Alejandro became elated, and happiness overpowered him as he shouted in excitement.

“Oh my friend! Thank you so much! This will be just what I need to refresh myself! I cannot thank you enough!”

After a few hours of laying out a game plan, we landed in to Belo Horizonte, Brazil.

Once we got off the plane and out of the airport, I took a breath of fresh air and thought to myself:

“This is step one. You’re somewhere on this Earth, Abigail. I will find you, and I will prove to you that we’re meant to be. Just you wait, babe. Just you wait."