“Listen, I gotta go. I’m sorry about bailing on you at the last minute, but you’ll have a great time. I guarantee it. I’ll see you back at home.” Robin pretended to head back to her car as we’d discussed and left me with Samantha.
“Well, looks like it’s just the two of us. You ready?” I asked her, barely able to contain my grin.
“Uh, yeah. I am.” She still seemed skeptical, but she went along with it.
Emily was hiding out waiting for us to leave, and then she was going to be with Robin to turn all the lights on when they saw our plane coming back toward the field. Robin was going to take her back to her house to have one more sleepover with the girls before Christmas. I took Samantha over to the plane, showed her a few things so she’d know what to expect, and we got buckled in. It was an exceptionally clear night, perfect for seeing holiday lights all over the area. When we got up in the air, I looked over at her to find her smiling broadly as she gazed out the windows.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?” I asked into the microphone. We had on headsets so I could communicate with the local airports or other planes if need be. Our altitude was low, so I wasn’t required to file a flight plan. We were able to cruise around at our leisure, which was one of my favorite things to do.
“It really is breathtaking from up here,” she replied.
We flew around the county, checking out all of the holiday lights. I showed her all of the notable landmarks that you could see in the dark, and her enthusiasm was exactly what I’d hoped for. When it was time to head back and to show her the big surprise, I reached over and grabbed her hand gently.
“I have a surprise for you.”
“You do?” she asked.
“Yep. I want you to look out your window, and we’re going to fly by something really special.” I could already see in the distance that the lights we’d set up were glowing brightly, but if you didn’t know to look for it, you’d have no idea it was there.
As we approached, I lowered the plane so that she could get a clear view on her side before I flew back around. The moment she realized what was happening, I heard her gasp in my headset. “Oh my God,” she said.
It was as amazing as I’d thought it would be. Two hundred flamingos in the dead of winter were dressed up for the holidays, just for her.
“Jason! Did you do this?” she asked, practically breathless.
“I had some help from some little elves, but yeah. It’s for you. For your parents too.” I squeezed her hand. I glanced over and saw that she was crying. “Are you okay?” I asked. I hadn’t meant to make her cry, and worried that I’d upset her, I started to panic a bit.
“Oh, Jason, I don’t know what to say,” she replied.
“But you’re okay?” She hadn’t really answered my question, and the thought that my gesture had backfired was now creeping into my head.
She was silent for a moment, and then she squeezed my hand and brought it to her chest, clinging to it with both hands. “I’m more than okay.” She started to laugh a little, making me nervous. Maybe I made her snap instead of winning her over. “This is the most beautiful spectacle I’ve seen in my entire life. My parents are laughing and smiling right now. I can feel it. It’s amazing.”
What a relief. “I wanted to show you that we can make new memories and still honor the old ones. I want Christmas to be special and wonderful for you again, Samantha.”
“You’ve done just that. I’m speechless. I can’t believe you made this happen.”
We flew by a few more times, and she took some pictures from the sky before we landed. The girls had left, and I sent a quick text to Robin with a thumbs-up so she’d know the mission was indeed accomplished.
After we exited the airplane, I took Samantha over to my truck, where I had some hot chocolate in a thermos and poured us both a cup.
“Cheers,” I said, gently tapping my paper cup to hers.
“Cheers,” she replied before taking a small sip. “Why did you do all of this for me, Jason? We’ve practically just met.”
I had an idea this talk was coming, and I’d prepared myself. “Samantha, sometimes you meet someone and just know they’re meant to be with you somehow. Occasionally, it takes some nudging to get out of your box, for all of us. But the risk is worth it.”
“How can this ever work?” she asked, her eyes turning toward the floor.
“Take a risk with me, Samantha.” I pulled her chin back up so she’d meet my eyes.
“But I don’t even live here,” she said, a hint of sadness in her voice.
“I don’t care where you live. I’m not
letting you go. You’re meant to be in my life, Samantha. That’s just all there is to it. I think you know it too. Stay through the New Year, and we’ll figure it out. That’s the magic of Christmas, Sam. Anything is possible.”
Instead of replying, she kissed me.