23 hours of flights later......

Eating Thai Pad the night before was a total mistake. "Ma'am, here’s a moist towelette," the flight attendant said, leaning over me with concern. I had warned my roommate, Heather, that trying new foods right before a marathon of flights wasn’t the best idea. Normally, I’d heed my own advice, but this time I didn’t. So, as I ended up throwing up all over my shirt, the airline blanket, and pretty much everywhere except the bag that was supposed to catch it, I really regretted that decision.

I was headed to Istanbul, Türkiye, with layovers in Dallas Fort Worth and then the iconic Heathrow Airport in London. I was pumped about going to Istanbul, but I was also thrilled to finally visit England. As a kid, I always dreamed of seeing the Big Ben and meeting the Queen. In fact, in my teenage years, I often imagined myself as a roving reporter for the Houston Chronicle, interviewing Her Royal Highness, Queen Elizabeth II.

So here I was in the bathroom at the Dallas airport, trying to clean up my stained satin shirt before heading to London. I had a five-hour layover, but thanks to passport rules, I couldn’t step outside the airport. Not exactly the childhood fantasy I had in mind, but the real prize was Istanbul, where my heart truly belonged. And said heart belonged to Nilufer, a stunning Turkish girl with long raven hair and deep brown eyes. Just thinking about her made me smile. I could get lost in those eyes. And her smile? Those perfect pink lips had been kissed a thousand times in my imagination, even though I hadn’t done it for real yet. She’d be waiting for me in Istanbul, and I tried to picture our first meeting, but no matter how hard I focused, I just couldn’t see it. One thing was clear, though: this was going to be a trip of a lifetime.

The flight from Dallas to Istanbul felt like it lasted forever. It was about ten hours, actually. If I hadn’t needed a wheelchair, I would have definitely gotten lost in that massive airport. The attendants were all lined up, ready to help those of us who needed it. My guy was a cheerful fellow with a thick accent, but he spoke English like a pro. Once we hit the main concourse, he took my phone and called Nilufer. She was just around the corner at Burger King. My heart raced and felt like it was stuck in my throat.

I've seen Nilufer before. We do video chats every month, so I've gazed into those beautiful brown eyes and enjoyed her radiant smile countless times over the past year. But what I had been missing was that long-awaited hug. I wanted to feel her arms around me and, more importantly, and as strange as it may sound, I wanted to smell her. I'd spent a whole year of friendship without the simple joys of touch and scent...

My heart raced as we rounded the corner. And then I spotted her. All five foot six of her. She looked even more stunning than I had pictured. She wore a white shirt adorned with tiny blue and red flower buds. It was like she was blooming right in front of me. Her smile was infectious. We both had huge grins as she shouted, "Merhaba Canim!" which means "Hello Dear!" in Turkish. I jumped out of my chair, and honestly, it barely hurt because the adrenaline of that moment was beyond words.

The attendant helped me all the way out of the terminal to the waiting taksi (how they spell it in Turkiye). As I got into the taksi, I looked at her and found myself speechless. No words could truly capture how excited I was for the next two weeks with her.

The End for now...