Sameera texted back that she was fine, and promised a long phone call when she landed. Bee responded with a heart emoji. She settled back in her seat and tried to banish her sadness. Sameera knew that even if she never returned to Wolf Run and never saw Barb, Rob, or Calvin again, she would never forget this trip. She felt fundamentally changed by the journey, with a clearer sense of who she was and what she wanted: a closer, more open relationship with her family; the abilityto open her heart to new experiences and possibilities ... and Tom. She squeezed his hand back.
“You’ll text me when you land?” Tom asked, his voice low and intimate in her ear. “And answer the dozen texts I send every day?”
“I’ll respond to one in four,” she teased.
“I miss you already,” he said quietly.
Their mothers were silent in the driver and passenger seats, but she spotted them exchanging indulgent smiles.We’re not together,she wanted to remind them.Long-distance never works. Not for two workaholics like Tom and me.
Except Barb and Rob had started off long-distance, too, Sameera remembered. But Barb had moved to Wolf Run, which Sameera couldn’t do. Her life, her family, her job—for now, at least—were all in Atlanta.
At the airport, the Maliks and the Cookes hugged and exchanged promises to stay in touch. At Tahsin’s side, Naveed cleared his throat. “We have a confession of our own to make,” he said, glancing at his wife.
Esa gasped. “Your marriage is a sham, too? A long con to inherit a castle in Hyderabad?”
Tahsin tsked at Esa. “Don’t be silly,beta.Your father and I might have started out that way, but we decided to stay together after year three.”
Everyone paused to look at her, and Tom laughed. Sameera followed a beat later—her mother had made a joke, and it was actually funny.
“The truth is, we agreed to come to Alaska with our daughter not simply to help her but also to protect her. We were unsure what she was getting herself into,” Tahsin said.
Naveed turned to Rob. “I am sorry to have deceived you all. The truth is, we have never, not once, celebrated Christmas. I’m sure you could not tell, but I wanted to be honest.”
Rob cleared his throat and, with a glance at his wife, accepted Naveed’s apology. “Quite all right. The chocolate cross might have given you away, delicious though it was.”
“Perhaps you can visit us in Atlanta sometime,” Tahsin offered. “We celebrate Eid again in the fall.”
“The hungry one or the other one?” Tom asked with a smile for Sameera, a callback to their first conversation. Had it really been less than two weeks ago?
“The hungry one,” Tahsin answered, confusion on her face. “Eid al-Fitr marks the end of Ramadan. We would love to host you all.”
“I’ll be sure to bring a chocolate-covered star and crescent,” Rob said. And then there was nothing more to do but walk toward the security line. The family group moved ahead of Tom and Sameera, giving them a chance to say a private goodbye.
“You’ve got everything you need?” Tom asked, his voice gruff. He was playing with the edge of her sweater.
No,she resisted the urge to say.Because I don’t have you. Because you didn’t ask me to wait for you.The moment heated as their eyes locked, but Tom didn’t make a move, and she had a flight to catch, a job and a life to return to. Sameera turned to go.
“Wait,” Tom said.
“Yes?”
He stared at her as if memorizing every atom on her face. “Have a safe trip.”
With a tight nod, she returned to her family. At the security gate, Esa stopped abruptly, brow furrowed. “I forgot something!” he announced.
Sameera tugged on his arm. “It’s too late, buddy. We’ve got a plane to catch.”
Esa didn’t budge. “I really need to go back for this one thing,” he said.
“Beta, we will miss our flight,” Naveed said gently. “Whatever it is you forgot, we can ask Rob to mail it, okay?”
Esa shook his head, his mouth in a mutinous, stubborn line. “It’s not something you can mail. We can drive back and return in time for the flight. You know Mom always lies about the departure time so we’re five hours early.”
They all looked at Tahsin, who shrugged. “If I told you when our flights really left, we would always be late.”
Back at the house, Esa jumped out of the truck and ran inside. Mystified, Sameera and Nadiya hurried to catch up.
Inside, Esa handed the Elf on a Shelf to Calvin, who had stayed home. “This is for you,” Esa said. “Keep our Christmas pranking tradition alive, all right?”
