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I smiled and hit Play.
The flight passed quickly and before I knew it, I was shaking the pilot’s hand, gathering the garment bags, and heading out to find our limo driver with Megan clinging to my arm.
It wasn’t hard to locate the uniformed driver. He was right where the company had told me he’d be. And if I’d missed him, Megan’s elbow in my ribs would have alerted me.
“He has your name on a sign!” Megan was practically squealing. “I didn’t think they really did that.”
“How else would you find your guy?” I guess in today’s world there could be an app or texts or something where you verified your ride like Uber, but limos were a little fancier than ride shares. I extended my hand. “Hi. I’m Cody.”
“Nice to meet you. I’m right out front. Would you like me to carry your bags?” The driver gestured toward the hanging bags.
“I’ve got them. Thanks.”
He nodded and we followed him out of the airport to the curb where his black stretch limo was parked.
Megan stopped, her mouth open, and turned to me. “You got a limo? Areallimo?”
“It seemed like it’d be fun. I’ve never actually ridden in one before. We talked about it at prom—me and some of the others I went with—but even sharing the cost, it was more than we wanted to spend. And they had a six-hour minimum and all kinds of requirements that were hard for us as high school students to roll with.”
Megan laughed. “I love it! I’ve never been in one, either, and I’ve always wanted to.” She leaned up and kissed my cheek. “This is the best day ever. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” Now I handed the bags to the driver so he could tuck them in the trunk. Then I waited while Megan climbed into the back and I followed. The driver closed the door with a quietthunk. I’d given our first destination when I booked the car, so that surprise should remain intact on the drive from the airstrip.
Megan was exploring the limo with a look of a giddy child. “This is so cool.”
I chuckled. “It is. I’m not going to lie. I think I might like having a driver for some things even at home.”
“You can afford it, if you wanted to.” Megan turned to look at me. “I don’t always understand why you guys don’t spend more of your money.”
It was a reasonable question. “I think most of it is that we don’t want the money to become our defining characteristic. We lived without it, you know? We’d be fine if it all went away tomorrow. And we want to make sure we’re honoring God with the money when we do use it.”
“That’s basically what Austin told me.” Megan bit her lower lip. “I’m not sure I’d be able to stop myself from going overboard occasionally, though.”
I gestured to the limo. “You mean like flying your girlfriend to New York and renting a limo.”
She grinned. “Yeah. Like that. It’s good, though, right? This is okay?”
“I think so.” I couldn’t deny there was a tiny niggle of concern in the back of my mind about the gang finding out. It seemed inevitable, at this point. Part of me, though, was ready for that. I didn’t like sneaking around, as if what was between Megan and me was wrong. So maybe there had been an element of that factoring in when I planned this excursion.
Looking out the window as we made our way through the streets of New York, I was grateful I hadn’t decided to rent a car. I was fairly certain everyone driving was certifiable. It made the DC traffic look like child’s play. And the pedestrians? They were fearless. More so than the office workers in Northwest DC who considered crosswalks and crossing lights suggestions for the tourists.
Finally, the limo slid to a stop at the curb in front of the Plaza. Flags hung over an awning protecting three doors in the tall stone building. The driver came around to open the door. I stepped out and offered Megan my hand. She beamed as she stepped out on the black and white checkered entry.
Her voice was an awed whisper. “This is the Plaza.”
“It is.”
Our bags were whisked away. The driver reminded me that he was at our disposal and I had his contact information. I think I made the right responses, but I was distracted watching Megan take it all in. Any doubt about the idea disappeared. This was something she’d remember.
It was something I’d remember.
Hopefully, it’d be something we could tell our kids about some day.
While Megan wandered around the lobby, I checked in and got our room key. I found her seated near the elevators.
“Ready to go up?”
She stood, blinking. “Up? Like to a room up?”
