Jasper walked silently beside me, his hand on the small of my back, rubbing, as though searching for something. I pretended a lack of interest in the first few airport cafes. "That one looks expensive," I said to the first. "Those sandwiches look too cold," I said, regarding the second. All the while, my head was scanning for what I really wanted. And there it was, around the corner and out of Alice's sharp sight: the three-level ladies' room.331
"Do you mind?" I asked Jasper as we passed.
He shrugged. "No."
As I turned to walk into the first-level entrance of the three-level ladies' room, I still felt Jasper's hand on the small of my back.
I coughed. "Jasper. This is a solo venture." He removed his hand.
As soon as the door shut behind me, I was running. I remembered the time I had gotten lost inside this bathroom, because it had twelve exits.
Outside the far door it was only a short sprint to the elevators, and if Jasper stayed where he said he would, I'd never be in his line of sight. I didn't even look behind me as I ran. I just ran.
People stared, but I ignored them; I just ran. Around the corner the elevators were waiting for me, opening up before I even approached them. I dashed forward, throwing my hand into the elevator before my body, desperate in my blind panic to get inside. People stared, but I ignored them, squeezing in beside the irritated passengers and checking to make sure that the button for level one had already been really pushed. It was already lit, and the doors closed. I pushed it again.
As soon as the door opened I was off again, running at the speed of light, at the speed of sound, the sound of annoyed murmurs behind me. If only they knew what I was really running from... I slowed myself as I passed the security guards by the luggage carousels, only to break into a run again as the exit doors came into view. I had no way of knowing if Jasper was looking for me yet, but I secretly hoped that he was, even though I hoped he wasn't.
331. The Phoenix International Airport is also home to the world's first and only three-story bathroom for ladies.