“I promise, I’ll call you. Here’s a copy of Gordon’s information he sent me, so you know you can get in touch with me if you need to.”
We hugged each other, and, of course, we both started to cry. It was a new life for the two of us, and I felt like I was getting left behind. We had done everything together for the last few years. Having her go off on her own certainly hadn’t been part of our plans. I really did need to get over to the United States so we could at least see each other again. Plus, I had always wanted to visit America. And at least after Ana went there, I would have a good reason to go visit.
I watched as she got into the line, and I realized there were an awful lot of young single women heading to Miami on that flight. Every horrible thought about sex trafficking started to rush through my head, and I couldn’t stop thinking about the possibility that Ana was being purchased by this guy in Miami.
“Ana!” I yelled out and ran over to her. “Are you one hundred percent sure about this?”
“Yes, Jordan. It’s going to be all right. Get on OK Love and find yourself a man in America, and we can see each other again soon.”
We hugged each other one last time, and she boarded her plane. I watched with tears in my eyes as she walked down the corridor. I didn’t know if I felt so extremely sad just because Ana was leaving, or if the combination of Ana and my mother both leaving was just too much for me. The transition into being an independent adult seemed inevitable for me now.
I cried. Not like a sweet, cute cry that happens to normal people. I cried like a baby as I stood there and looked at the empty corridor. My life felt so empty. In that one moment, I felt lonelier than I could ever remember feeling. It wasn’t as if I didn’t feel comfortable being alone, I actually really enjoyed my time alone. But I always knew that Ana and my mother were close by. Now, they would both be far away, and I would be officially alone, like a real adult.
I sat and watched as the other people got onto the plane. I counted at least a dozen girls that were around our age who were going to Miami with Ana. I really hoped they weren’t all going to the same guy. I couldn’t help but wonder if I had just sent my best friend off to some sort of international prostitution ring.
“Was that your sister you were saying goodbye to?” an older woman asked me.
She also had tears in her eyes and a look of concern, when she saw just how badly I was crying. I probably didn’t look like I was fit to drive, and I didn’t intend to leave the airport anytime soon. My chest was beating hard, and my vision still blurry from the tears. I had to sit tight in the airport near Liechtenstein for a while.
“My best friend. Were you saying goodbye to someone?”
“Yes, my daughter. She met a man in the United States, and he paid for a ticket for her to come and visit him.”
My stomach sank as I thought all my fears might be coming true right at that moment. I didn’t want to make the poor woman nervous, though. I really didn’t have any distinct information, only a lot of suspicions. It just seemed very suspicious to me that all these young, beautiful women were taking the flight to Miami together.
“Where was she going?” I asked as I held my breath a little and waited for her response.
“Seattle. He is a nice man and has plenty of money to support her. I just don’t have enough to feed her and her five siblings. I’m happy for her, but sad that she is leaving us.”
I didn’t have the heart to tell her that I thought her daughter and my best friend might be on their way to America because of some sort of sinister agenda. There was no actual proof, and I wasn’t about to put that kind of fear into a mother without knowing for sure. For all I knew, there really were rich men in America who wanted women from overseas to come and marry them. I didn’t know all that much about American men. Perhaps Liechtenstein women were just what they were looking for.
It was entirely possible that our little country just happened to be where men looked for their online brides. We were a novelty country, and I could see men might click on our profiles to just see what we looked like. Then, of course, the gorgeous women of Liechtenstein would win the men over.
“Is she staying for long?” I asked.
“Well, she is planning on a couple weeks, but she said she might just stay if things are
going well.”
“I hope things work out for her,” I said as I walked toward the glass window and watched Ana’s plane pull out of the gate.
“Your friend, too,” said the woman as she turned and left the gate area.
My stomach churned at the possibility that she wasn’t actually going to meet a nice, new boyfriend. I hoped I was wrong, and I couldn’t wait the eight hours it was going to take for her to land and call me. My brain swirled with all the ideas of what might happen when Ana and the other girls landed in the United States.
I sat down in a chair and watched until I saw her plane take off, and I couldn’t see it in the air any longer. Sadness filled my heart completely. It was the kind of sadness you felt when you were really happy for someone, like when a friend got married. I knew that I wasn’t going to get to see Ana as much, and I had fears about what might be going on when she arrived in America. But deep down, I was also sad because she had a happy future that she was moving on to, and I didn’t feel like I had any of that going on.
Finally, I was all alone. My mother and Ana were gone, and I was stuck to fend for myself. Part of me wanted to stay in Liechtenstein and build a quiet little life for myself. It would be easy to keep my little apartment and just work a couple jobs. I was sure, sooner or later, I would meet a local guy, and we could start a life together.
It didn’t have to be a big life. I knew I could be happy with a quiet life. The problem was I also knew I would be much happier if I lived in a big city and had the hustle and bustle of that kind of lifestyle. I had been to London and loved it. There was always something to do, always people around. It was an exciting life, and the possibility of having that was a big draw.
Reluctantly, I opened the OK Love app on my phone and scrolled through the people who had messaged me. None of them looked remotely like someone I would normally go on a date with. If I was going to meet a man from the United States, I wasn’t about to settle for some old, ugly guy. There had to be some sort of attraction with him.
I scrolled through the profiles to see if there were any men who caught my eye at all.
Tall farmer looking for a woman to help around the farm and keep me company at night. Must be willing to have at least four children. No way! I wasn’t going to be stuck on a farm in the middle of nowhere.
Executive man in search of my queen. I’ll treat you lovely and buy you gifts. Looking to find a woman to live with me and my wife. Double no way! I wanted a man who was actually looking for a partner.