Chapter 1
Who could have known that the year would end in such a trainwreck? Maybe Abby should have taken this into consideration as a possible outcome when she had left her family, her friends and even her relationship behind for a job several hundred miles away from her hometown.
But the chance had just been to good when she was offered an internship at a big consulting firm that would give her an excellent opportunity to finish her master thesis. And after she had submitted her thesis and passed it with a fantastic grade, the company had offered her a permanent job at their headquarters, of course with a paycheck that most people in their mid-20s could only dream of, even if they were top graduates.
Saying goodbye to her family and friends had been hard enough already, but it got really nasty when she spoke to her boyfriend, who was not willing to move away. What had started as a civilized discussion between adults had turned into a devastating word battle within minutes. And less than an hour later, their relationship of three years was history.
At least Abby still had her work to distract her from personal drama. She put all of her efforts into her job. Overtime at the office was the rule instead of an exception. And even then she took more work home. It was hard, but it also was exciting and she quickly made herself an irreplaceable employer. That was what she had thought, though.
When December came and the company went under new management, rumors of restructuring and layoffs dampened the holiday mood. And exactly one week before Christmas, Abby held the sad certainty in her hand: a letter from her company, informing her about her immediate sacking. To make it even worse, it also announced the termination of the rental contract for her apartment, which was tied to her employment (she lived in a company-owned residential building), by the end of January.
And so she found herself here on the morning of December 24, single, without a job and soon-to-be homeless, in the lobby of the local airport. Her parents had invited her over for Christmas, and that was exactly what Abby needed right now. In less than three hours, she would be sitting in the dining room at her parents' house, eating her mom's legendary holiday roast while slurping red wine and joking around with her younger sister. The holidays would be a perfect timeout for her, a chance to forget about the drama of the last few days, putting the imminent hunt for a new job and a new place to stay on hold, albeit just for a moment.
But the anticipation for this short relief fell to pieces when the departure boards at the airport changed and an announcement was made over the loudspeakers, informing the travellers that due to an incoming snow storm, the airport of Abby's hometown had closed and all flights to this destination and been cancelled until further notice.
"Is there nothing else you can do?", Abby asked, holding back the tears pressing against her eyes from the inside. Her flight being cancelled last-minute was just her luck.
"I am very sorry, ma'am", the pig-faced little man behind the information desk replied politely. "The train connection is the best I can offer you at the moment. Of course, the flight company is going to pay for your ticket."
"But the connection is shit! It's only local trains. I have to switch trains seven times and won't arrive until tomorrow in the morning!"
"Again, I am very sorry, but this is the best that is possible. The high speed trains are not operating because snow and ice have already brought down several overhead lines. The local trains running on diesel englines are the only ones available at the moment."
"Fuck!", Abby shouted in frustration, slamming her flat hand on the desk.
"Ma'am, I do not want to be rude, but if you do not accept the solution we suggested, I have to ask you to move on, since there are other customers waiting in line."
Saying that, the desk manager gestured towards the people behind Abby while also giving a subtle, but unmistakable nod towards the two grim looking policemen patrolling the airport lobby. She understood, collected her papers from the desk and turned around to leave, just in time that the man did not see the tears running down her face.
After going outside and spending a few moments in the cold winter air, Abby managed to regain control about herself and headed back inside for the airport café. Moments later, she sat on one of the many tables with a steaming cup of coffee in front of her. A large glass of wine would have been a more suitable drink for the situation. 'Driving Home for Christmas' playing from a radio in the background felt like irony cruelly taunting her.
She could not even call or text her parents to tell them what was going on, since she had forgotten to charge her phone and the battery had died while she had been in the taxi on her way to the airport. Searching her rucksack for the charger, Abby noticed someone walking towards her from the side, stopping right next to her table.
"Hi", the man said kindly.
"Leave me alone!", Abby barked back, sounding a lot more rude that she had intened to.
Only after the harsh rejection, she lifted her face to look at the person who had adressed her. It was a young man, probably a couple of years older than her. He had a friendly face, cleanly shaven, framed by meticulously combed dark blonde hair. His tall and slim (but not skinny) statue was hidden under a long dark grey coat. At the first impression, Abby thought that he was one of those people collecting donations for charitable organizations, but she failed to spot the obligatory donation box.
"Sorry for being so disrespectful to just talk to you from the side", he picked up the conversation, not at all seeming to be irritated by the rebuff he just had received. "I heard you talking to that sap at the info desk. In fact, my friends and I are in exactly the same dilemma. We were going to be on the same plane as you."
"Yeah, that sucks, right?", Abby replied, feeling sorry and even a little embarassed for being so rude earlier. "But what do you want from me?"
"Well, my two firends are currently getting us a rental car. We have one seat to spare. Would you like to come with us? We could split the rent by four."
Abby was baffled. She had certainly not expected an invitation like this. But should she really get into a car with three people she did not know at all?
"I... I don't know", she muttered insecurely.
"Come on, you don't want to spent Christmas Eve at the airport, do you? If we are lucky with the traffic on the interstate, we'll be there in less than seven hours."
"Okay", Abby sighed. She was not entirely comfortable about the offer, but what could she do? Go back to her apartment and spend the holidays alone? That was not an option.
"Great!", the man smiled. "By the way, I'm Rodney, but you can call me Rod."
"I'm Abigail, but you can call me Abby."
To be continued.
