The landing was unremarkable. Both Laurie and Jack felt a definite excitement as they exited the plane and walked through the terminal. There was no problem at passport control, nor did they have to wait for luggage since they hadn’t checked any. They were waved through customs without hesitation.

As Laurie and Jack came up the ramp outside the customs area, Jennifer began waving wildly and shouting their names. Her impatience was such that she ran down a few steps to meet them, enveloping Laurie in a hug. “Welcome to India,” Jennifer said gleefully. “Thank you, thank you for coming. You have no idea how much it means to me.”

“You’re welcome,” Laurie said, laughing, somewhat taken aback by Jennifer’s exuberance. Until Jennifer let go, she was unable to walk.

Jennifer then hugged Jack with equal enthusiasm. “You, too,” she said.

“Thank you,” Jack managed, trying to keep the Boston Red Sox baseball hat his sister had given him from falling off his head.

Jennifer transferred one arm back to Laurie’s shoulder so that she had one on Jack and one on Laurie. In that awkward configuration, they walked the rest of the way up the ramp to where Neil was standing. He had not run down when Jennifer had. Jennifer introduced them, and they all shook hands.

Laurie was instantly confused as to who Neil was, and said as much. She thought Jennifer was in India alone.

“Neil is a friend from L.A.,” Jennifer explained, still overexcited with Laurie and Jack’s arrival. “I met him my first year. He was the chief resident in the ER. Now he’s already one of the head guys. Kind of a meteoric rise, if I say so myself.”

Neil blushed.

Laurie smiled and nodded but was still in the dark.

“Listen, guys,” Jennifer said with great animation. “I’ve got to run and use the facilities. It takes maybe an hour to get to the hotel. Anybody else need to use the bathroom?”

“We used them on the plane,” Laurie said.

“Terrific. I’ll be right back,” Jennifer said. “Don’t go away! Stay right here! Otherwise, we might lose each other.”

Jennifer dashed off. The other three watched her go. “She’s really wound up,” Laurie said.

“You have no idea,” Neil said. “She’s been so excited you were coming. I’ve never seen her like that. Well, that’s not true. The last time her grandmother came to L.A. she was like that. I was with her at the airport then, too.”

“The people-watching is fantastic,” Jack said. “I’m just going to walk around this general area. Okay?”

“Okay, but don’t get yourself lost. We’ll stand here. But I don’t think Jennifer will be long.”

“Neither will I. Can I leave my carry-on with you?”