Midnight Montage

[emma spencer]

Emma was exhausted. She was tired from the flight, and fed up with all of the hassles that went along with flying. Checking her luggage, going through security, and waiting to board the massive blue and white airplane was enough to exhaust even the most energetic individuals. The flight itself hadn't been terrible. It was long of course but she managed to spend a few hours sleeping soundly in her plush bucket seat. Because she had selected such a late night flight, the plane was virtually empty. Fortunately for the few passengers who were on the plane, there were no fussy children to contend with. But breathing in massive amounts of recycled air for hours on end left Emma feeling icky and tired. When the plane finally released its wheels to greet the sleek black pavement, she was struck with an overwhelming feeling of concern.

This move to Romania hadn't been planned as carefully as she would have liked, and though she had stashed away a fair amount of money, she knew it wouldn't last her very long. She didn't know anyone in the country and was beginning her adventure virtually blind. She didn't have a place to stay, and didn't have any means for transportation. The young woman fretted over her predicament for several moments and finally relaxed, knowing that she would deal with one thing at a time. She had been saving every dime she made for months, and was confident that she would not only find a way to make her money last, but find a job where she would earn more.

When the plane completely descended, Emma peered out of her small circular window and watched as several yellow lights flashed in the distance. Because it was so late at night, aside from the lights, she couldn't see much else. Leaning back in her seat, she fiddled with her silver belt buckle and waited for the captain to instruct the passengers. Her eyes moved from the flight attendant to the flashing red seat belt sign that warned her not to release the clasp. After several drawn out minutes, the light went off and the captain finally instructed the passengers to unbuckle their belts and prepare to exit the aircraft. Emitting a sigh of relief, Emma unhooked the buckle and pulled it apart. As the other passengers stood to retrieve their carry-on bags, Emma stood patiently and waited for them to gather their belongings and exit the plane's think open door.

The woman waited until everyone had taken their leave before she finally slipped from between the seats and made a quiet exit of her own. She hadn't brought any carry-on luggage aside from her small gray and white purse so she didn't have to worry about dragging heavy belongings along with her. The moment the young woman stepped out of the aircraft and entered one of the waiting areas, her nose was assaulted by numerous food aromas. Her stomach growled in anguish, needing an ample amount of nourishment. Placing her right palm on her roaring belly, she glanced around, looking for something that sounded appealing. Emma probably looked quite lost standing in the center of the airport looking small and very famished. She was clothed casually in a pair of light gray sweat pants that were a bit too large, and a fitted plain white tee shirt. On her feet she wore her most comfortable pair of fuzzy white boots, and hanging over the thick strap of her purse was a black hooded sweatshirt. Her long dark hair was pulled back in a low hanging sloppy ponytail.

She was an attractive young woman, but she didn't stand out in in a showy or glamorous manner. She was very laid back and out comfort above all else. Emma wouldn't be caught dead in high heels or tights, especially in an airport. It always fascinated her when she went to a market or department store and saw women dressed up as though they were going to a club or dance. Emma couldn't understand the logic behind it, but she couldn't fault anyone for it either. They probably thought she looked rather silly in sweats and tee shirts. As she has expected, all of the signs were in Romanian, and Emma of course, couldn't speak a word of it. This had been a concern of hers, but she wasn't going to let something as insignificant as a language barrier stop her from getting where she needed to go. But she did need food and she did need to collect her luggage, and how was she going to go about getting both of these things? The airport appeared neat and well organized, and the young woman was surprised when she saw not only restaurants and bars in the lobby, but bookshops as well. Though the bookshops and most of the restaurants were closed, there were two that were still open as well as one of the bars.

Despite the time of night, she noted several patrons in the dining areas who were presumably, waiting for someone to arrive, or had just arrived themselves. Inhaling quietly. She crossed an arm over her stomach and held onto the black strap of her purse. There were two sit down restaurants nearby and one walk-through. Em couldn't understand the names, and had no idea what each of them served. She supposed she could just look at a menu and order a random item. There weren't too many options. And all of the quiet conversations around her were being held in a language that was completely unfamiliar to her. Finally, the young woman walked over to the (presumably) fast-food restaurant and selected a small paper menu from one of the stands. Making her way to a very large open table, she studied the lettering and hoped there would be something on the menu she would recognize. "Oh gosh."

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