Third Time's The Charm - Another Short Story

They say "third times the charm" but as Lindsey waited at the airport she knew that this time it was for real.

The first time she had left him standing before hundreds of people, and missed her wedding, was because she panicked and ran. The second time he was left by himself, alone and humiliated while his mother shook her head and his Father said "I told you so, Martha". She had simply not been ready. This time however she was more ready than she had ever been.

 

Thomas had made things a little more difficult for her this time. He was waiting for her in Gauteng and she was to meet him on a specific street corner where they had bumped into each other five years ago. She held up her cell phone, a week ago he had typed in the details - the number house to meet in front of (she had no memory of the location) and the number of his new cell phone. She hadn't really had a chance to look at them and still could not get used to his new number, it just wouldn't stick in her head.

Her flight left at two and she had to meet him at four o'clock so that he could drive them to their third and final wedding.

 

He had shown her trust by making this wedding as wonderful as the last two. As she waited her stomach turned with excitement. This time tomorrow she would be married! The rules for today where this: He would only wait until five o'clock and then he would leave.

The wedding would be called off and their relationship would finally be over, he would go on their honeymoon alone and that would be the end. She did not know where he was staying, and as she checked her phone to see if the battery was charged, she made a mental note to learn all the details as soon as she was on the plane. With her arm held out dangling her cell phone she rummaged through her carrier bag. Suddenly she was bumped quite roughly from behind. Her cell phone went flying through the air and skidded across the second storey deck that she was standing on; it shot off the edge and went plummeting downwards. It hit one of the jutting supports and shattered before falling with a splash into the giant aquarium which dominated the foyer below. Her heart stopped for a minute. She didn't know all of the facts. She couldn't remember his number. What if something went wrong and she couldn't reach him? He would leave and they would be over for good. She leant on the railing and gasped for air. Her heart felt as if it was being pulled through a mangle!

 

She straightened out and walked slowly towards the departure line and waited, thinking only of him and their life together. She was sure she would be able to find the street corner, she remembered which shopping mall it was near and that there was a pre-school across the road. She started to dream of the beautiful children they would have, the Christmases and birthdays they would spend together. There was no other man for her.

 

As she reached the front of the line she felt her bag move and spun around to see her zipper hanging open. She looked inside the bag and knew instantly, her wallet was gone along with her drivers licence and credit cards. This was the second horrible thing to happen to her, She felt drained and stared ahead slack-jawed. As she reached her queue for flight 333 there was uproar from the crowd around her. She looked up to the flight display board and thought, "third time's the charm"

Next to each flight number red words taunted her:

 

CANCELLED  CANCELLED  CANCELLED