The useless blog of James "wides" Espinoza

              The flight must have taken ages. Hour to hour, waiting. Flying. Reaching what must be the most dreaded moment of my life. It was all to re-connect with the family, they say. Renew bonds from a long time ago. And in the city of sin, no less. Still. All could go swimmingly. Or all could turn to shit. As I contemplated just what could go wrong…

              “To all passengers, the plane will be landing shortly.” The speaker spoke in what must have been a practiced re-assuring tone. “Return to your seats. Once we have landed, please gather all of your carry-on’s and exit the plane.”

              Touch down. Landing gear making a horrid noise as it jostled the plane, stopping the plane gradually. One deep breath later, and we were on our way to a blistering display of neon lights and chain restaurants. And this was just the concourse, no less. Thankfully, our time- or at least my time- within this area came to pass. I must have been the first to the baggage claim, with my family arriving some time later.

              “Relax.” I could hear my brother whisper to me. “It’s just a few days with them. Lighten up.”

              Bags came through. We all had specified luggage. Parents had only a modest bag each, with one for the smaller brother. Sister had a heavy roll-away, possibly filled with tech. Brother had a high-class bag, accompanied with similar clothing and cologne. And then my duffel bag spilled out. It just had a small tag which bore my initials. From there, we trudged onward to the pick-up area. Tourists were staring at us as we started packing our bags into the trunk. And it was a limousine, no less.

              “Are you sure you want to put your bag with ours?” My father said. “If I recall, your cousin got a separate ride for you and her.”

              They were driven away in their limousine, as I stood there with my luggage. Waiting. Grumbling. Just then, a second limousine came by, with the driver casually holding up a small poster board with my last name on it. All I could do was sigh. At least we were going to be alone. Quietly, I loaded up my luggage, watching as the driver closed the-

              “Hey cousin!” I could hear her yell. “Get in here! Got some friends from the studio I want ya to meet!”