Free Are You Going to Kiss Me Now? by Sloane Tanen Page A

look at me. Thank God Cisco joined in the clapping; he must have thought I was politely applauding Joe for landing us safely on the African continent. Everyone glared at me as they reluctantly joined in the awkward round of applause. I got paranoid that Joe knew I had been watching the show. Oy. Then they all went back to their Blackberries and iPhones. I took the opportunity to check in with Jordan.
    J:
    Do you think Joe Baronstein might possibly leave his wife for me? Is a thirty-eight-year age difference too much?
    X, F.
    Eve Larkin had been applying makeup since Joe announced our initial descent into Tambo Airport. It was really, really early in the morning, and I couldn’t figure out who she thought would be looking at her in South Africa at 5:00 a.m. Fool that I was.
    Milan woke up after a series of vigorous shakes on Erin’s part. I really didn’t envy her job.
    “What?” Milan snapped, turning her back on Erin and burying her face in the seat she’d never bothered reclining.
    “We’re in Johannesburg, Ms. Amberson,” Erin said with a great amount of tact, considering the episode with the fried chicken.
    “Great,” Milan growled facetiously. She looked furious to have been woken up, despite the fact that she’d been asleep for almost fifteen hours. She fished through her purse and dug out a few pills that she swallowed dry. Then, ignoring the “fasten seat belt” sign and Erin’s protests, Milan got up to go to the bathroom while the plane taxied to the terminal. She came back with her face cleaned up a bit. Her hair was in that sloppy knot that only gorgeous girls can pull off, and her eyeliner was back where it was supposed to be. Her lips were naked, but they were lightly stained from whatever she had on the night before. I caught Eve looking at her enviously. Though Eve was exquisitely finished, her beauty was labored. Milan’s was natural.
    Cisco had all his stuff packed up except for The Fountainhead . He was still engrossed as the rest of us stood up to exit the plane. He had a highlighter and was painstakingly tracing passages. His lips moved a little as they followed his eyes slowly across the page. I was fascinated. Chaz and Milan were staring too. Chaz’s lips were upturned in a Cheshire cat–like grin. Milan looked dazed and bemused.
    Outside, the air was surprisingly cool. It felt great after the long flight. Joe led our motley crew reluctantly inside the gate, where we were met by an army of bodyguards and a UNESCO representative named Mogens Netzumi. He thanked us all for our participation in the Education for All program, which, thanks to people like us, he explained, had benefited more than ten thousand illiterate youths in less than two years. I was feeling awfully important.
    Once we got inside the terminal, I understood why Eve had been applying makeup. There was a throng of photographers. All I saw were huge cameras and blinding lights, and everyone was screaming and shouting. I felt much too tired for this again. Cisco gave the exact same speech he gave in New York, which went over really well, again. He even did the air quote thing, which made me realize it was rehearsed after all. Eve gave a short but intelligent statement, and Milan just smiled and answered questions about her personal life. I don’t know why, but I was surprised that people in South Africa would wake up this early to ask Milan Amberson if she was having a lesbian affair with her psychiatrist’s daughter. I somehow imagined they’d have better things to do. Then it occurred to me that most of the voices sounded American or British, which led me to believe that these people had actually flown here from other countries just to take a picture of Cisco, Milan, Joe, and Eve at the airport. I hoped they got paid well.
    “Did we honestly fly halfway across the world for this?” Eve whispered to Joe bitterly. Milan was getting a lot of attention, and I sensed Eve wasn’t happy about it. Joe had his arm around