New sights. New smells. New life. 

This was New England.

And this was my last-ditch attempt at making something of my life, something that would be better than my past. So, I hitched up my shoulder bag and bent my knees to pick up the two suitcases that held everything I wanted to bring with me into this new life venture. I felt brave and slightly empowered with the knowledge that I had actually done it. I had boarded that plane and let it bring me here to start over. Yes, this was going to be a good thing.   

I looked up, nodded to myself and started to walk with confidence that lasted all of half a second. I made it two steps when one of the other herded passengers bumped into me from behind, knocking my bag from my shoulder and making me stumble a step.  

“Good start, Keira,” I muttered to myself. Of course, now instead of walking through to the arrivals gate at Portland’s International airport looking ready to take on the world, I was dragging a bag along the floor and walking along being pushed and shoved like the rest of the cattle. But none of this mattered, not when I saw her waiting for me. 

“Libs!” I shouted as I jumped up and down, taking my bags with me and looking like an overweight bird struggling to take off.  

“Kaz?” My sister said trying to look over the tops of heads, and as soon as I saw an opening, I went for it. I ran with my cases rocking behind me as though they couldn’t keep up on their pathetic little wheels. ‘Sod it’ I thought dropping them not far from my sister and her husband who were both waiting for me. I ran into my sister’s arms as she ran into mine. We embraced as though we hadn’t seen each other for years when, in actual fact, it had been about nine months. 

“Kazzy!” She shouted in my ear, making me smile at hearing my nickname once again. I looked over her shoulder at her husband Frank to see him wink at me before going to save my bags from the human stampede. He was a good man and one, luckily for me, who was built to handle the masses. I smiled as I saw everyone getting out of his way.  

“Hey Libs, I guess you missed me then,” I said laughing as I felt the air being squeezed from my lungs.  

“Oh, I don’t know, maybe a little.” I laughed and nudged her on the arm after she finally let me breathe freely.  

“Yeah right,” I commented, making her smile.