Only a World Away (solo)

Zoe was nervous as she sat in the airport terminal. Nervous, but at the same time, very excited. This was something she had been hoping for, dreaming of, for years. But as time passed and the years had gone on, she had slowly grown to accept that it would never happen.

And then she had gotten the phone call, followed by an email with all of the details. It had been very sudden, she’d had less than a week to make her plans and arrangements before this day, this time had arrived. Though, other than vaccinations and other medications she needed to get, the preparation really hadn’t been as difficult as Zoe would have expected. Maybe because she had been forced to do it all in such a short time.

Work had been great about it. Well, they kind of had to be, she really hadn’t taken much vacation time over the years that she had worked there. Plus, this kind of thing looked good for them, and there likely would have been questions asked if they hadn’t given Zoe the time off to go.

But it did feel weird, the idea of leaving New York. Other than visits home, Zoe hadn’t left the city since she had moved there for college. Though, Zoe realized as she looked around the terminal, at other travelers who were saying goodbye to friends and family, what was there to really keep her in the city? She had a couple friends, but most of them were so busy with their own lives that they were rarely able to hang out. And guys…

Zoe was starting to think she simply had horrible taste in men. First Jay, taking advantage of her attraction to him when she’d been drinking, and then lying to her about breaking up with his girlfriend for a month. Then Dante, who promised to call her on two separate occasions and then never did…

Which pretty much left her zebras, as well as comfort and familiarity as her only reasons to stay.

Maybe leaving New York City and going to Africa for a few months was a good thing for all aspects of her life. If nothing else, she would get to see more zebras, in their natural environment. Plus countless other African animals.

”Flight 6237 to Frankfurt, Germany, now boarding.”

Hearing her flight called, Zoe stood up, slinging her backpack over her shoulder as she made her way to the gate. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the kind of trip you tended to find non-stop tickets for, and so Zoe had a few layovers ahead of her.

As she stood in line waiting to board the plane, Zoe pulled her phone out of her pocket, typing out a quick message to her mother. “Boarding now, I’ll let you know when we land. Love you.”