Window Seat
When I booked our flights to Portland you say
“I want the window seat.”
And I say “okay.” And determine
that I will always have to sit in the middle now
II.
In the airport I drink a Bloody Mary and tell you it’s tradition
We share our overpriced food
and we kiss in the line to board the plane
III.
We put the rental car in my name
Because you’re not quite 25 yet
and you don’t like driving
unless it’s from the back seat
IV.
On the way to my brother’s wedding we stop everywhere—
all the places
my mother showed me
when I was little:
Multnomah Falls
Bonneville Hatchery
The scenic route through highway 30
We stop in The Dalles for eggs benedict
V.
In Arlington, my family crowds around you—
curious over who is engaged
to my mother’s crazy daughter
you take in stride, though you dislike people
you reassure them;
promise to take care of me
and remind whose wedding
it is.
VI.
After the ceremony we go to my uncle’s house
he wasn’t invited
My other Aunts and uncles are there you call them aunt and uncle too
And I love you so much more
VII.
We drive that same night to the coast because you’ve never seen
the ocean
And although I talk about Newport the entire time we head
toward Seaside
and the sky turns mean and black
I drive through flooded highways
for just a moment
we are worried
after a tree falls down
right behind us
VIII.
When we check into the hotel they are surprised
that we drove through this weather
When we check out you forget your headphones
IX.
We walk along the sandy beach salt from the sea, blowing
into our hair
The air smells like seaweed
and we run from the foam
when the waves crash into the malleable shore
You let me take a picture of us and you cherish it like a relic
X.
We drive back to Portland after stopping in Astoria
to eat
I tell you about I girl who lives here
who I used to work with when I answered 911 calls
but we don’t tell her we are in town
XI.
Back in Portland, we go to Ikea
we buy a coffee table
we eat BBQ near the airport
and you tell me I can have the window seat
XII.
Inside of PDX I stick to my tradition
and you say you will start your own
we kiss in the line to board the plane
I insist you take the window seat
you let me sleep in your lap the whole way home.
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JULIE BROUGHTON is a sophomore pursuing a Baccalaureate degree in [LANGUAGE: GERMAN AND SPANISH] with a minor in Creative Writing. Julie says she overindulges in the finer things in life.