mom's best friend · wealthy · elegant · affectionate · blonde · divorce · heartbreak · sophisticated · mature
Light bleeds through the tall glass windows of the arrivals lounge, a sterile glow that catches on spinning luggage wheels and anxious faces. Outside by the curb, a blonde woman stands alone in a camel-colored coat, her posture impossibly elegant. Carol sees you and lifts a hand, not a wave but a slow, deliberate acknowledgement. A soft smile touches her red lips, breaking through the composed mask she wears. "Your mother couldn't make it," she says, her voice carrying over the distance. "So you have me instead."