Impact

Impact

Stephen Greenleaf

MYSTERIOUSPRESS.COM

For Frances and Warren

SurfAir 617 to SFO Control.

Roger, 617, this is Feeder South. I have you at one two thousand, heading zero one five. Descend to one zero thousand. Maintain zero one five, at one niner zero knots.

Six one seven to one zero zero, maintaining zero one five at one niner zero.

Transmitting ATIS, 617.

This is Automated Terminal Information Service, San Francisco International Airport, time: eighteen-twenty hours. Wind WSW at twenty, visibility one mile, light overcast, ceiling eight hundred feet, temperature five two degrees, low clouds, fog, drizzle, and haze. ATIS over.

Nice to see you again, Mr. Jastrow.

Hi, beautiful. We going to be on time? This is my third trip this week and I haven't touched down on schedule yet.

You know how it is—too many planes, not enough runways. You hear about that pilot in Detroit? He was sixteenth in line waiting take off clearance, and finally he just told the tower he'd had all he could stand, climbed out of the cockpit, and left his aircraft on the taxiway. If you ask me, they should build him a monument.

It can't be too bad, Nancy. From the looks of your tan, I'd say you haven't been spending
all
your time pushing a service cart.

I just got back from Hawaii.

Must be nice. Go over by yourself?

With my boyfriend. I guess he's my fiancé now. While we were there we sort of decided to get married.

Congratulations. I'm sure you'll be very happy. Me and the missus are going on thirty-eight years.

Hey. Wow. That's impressive, Mr. Jastrow.

All it takes is a little patience and a lot of vitamin E. I'm retiring next month; I tell you that?

Retiring. Wow. I'd retire tomorrow if I could.

You know what?

What?

The only thing I'll miss is watching you stuff coats in the overhead racks.

Now, Mr. Jastrow.

Well it's the truth, dagnabbit. You just perk the hell out of me, young lady. And I'm old enough to tell it to your face.

SurfAir 617, this is SFO Feeder. Descend and maintain eight thousand, heading zero one zero.

Six one seven to eight thousand at zero one zero. ILS?

Tune Instrument Landing System at one zero niner one.

Ladies and gentlemen, the pilot has turned on the no-smoking and fasten-seat-belt signs and we have begun our descent to San Francisco International Airport. Please extinguish all smoking materials and be sure your seat backs and tray tables are in their full upright positions.

SurfAir 617, this is SFO Feeder. Left turn ninety degrees to two eight zero, maintain eight thousand, speed one niner zero.

Six one seven left to two eight zero.

Traffic at six thousand at seven o'clock. Going to have to send you around the block one time, SurfAir. Sorry about that.

Just do the best you can, pal. I got reservations at Ernie's.

The first thing I hear is, no
way
a woman's going to get
that
account. Right? Well, you know how
that
crap jacks me up. So I go in the conference room, which is nothing more than a double-wide trailer with a pool table in it, and there they are. Seven of them. Muscles hanging off them like grapefruits; belt buckles the size of
Vogue;
chewing tobacco, cowboy boots, the whole Marlboro bit. So I go into my Barbie routine: I don't know
why
they sent
me
down here, guys. I'm only a woman, so I
know
I'll never understand the construction business the way
men
do, but I just hope you'll give me a few minutes of your time because we
do
have a wonderful product, and if you'll help me understand your needs and not hold it against me when I say something really dumb, I think I can persuade you that the Ajax Aluminum Framing Stud can save you time and money in any job from a bathroom remodel to a thirty-story high rise. Well, hell. They laughed and spit and coughed and farted, and by the time I was done, four of them had hard-ons, two of them had asked me out, and I had an order for a half-million linear feet of studs. I see a five-figure bonus at Christmas or I'm out of there, let me tell you.

So did you sleep with one of them or not?

Hell, no. I screwed a CPA I met on the plane. Man, did
he
explode some stereotypes.

Six one seven, this is Feeder South. Descend and maintain six thousand, left to one niner zero at one seven zero knots.

Six one seven to six thousand, left to one niner zero.

Contact Bay Approach at one five four point two.

Six one seven adios and thanks.

Why aren't we there yet, Mommy?

Because it's foggy so we're being extra careful, like when we go to the beach sometimes and I drive real slow? But I saw some lights a while ago, so we must be getting close.

Will Daddy be there when we land?

You know he will. He told you last night on the phone, remember?

What are you doing, Mommy?

Putting my knitting in my bag.

Why is your bag up there?

So it won't bounce around if we hit a bump.

There's no bumps in the
air
, Mommy.

I hope you're right. Did you have a good time in the city, Randy?

It was okay. Is Gramma real sick?

Well, she's kind of sick. Not real sick.

Is she going to die?

No. Not for a long time.

Longer than me?

Grandma Kate will die a long time before you do, honey. Almost everyone in the world will die before you do.

Even you and Dad?

Even me and Dad.

Cabin attendants prepare for landing.

I just
hate
this.

Flying?

Well, taking off and landing, at least. Why are we
shaking
like that?

See out there? Those things sticking down from the wings are the slats and flaps. They slow us down and give us extra lift, but they make it a little bumpy, too. Just close your eyes. Give me your hand. Lean back. Now think about what we've been doing all week.

I'm not sure I
like
what we've been doing all week.

You didn't seem to mind it at the time. In fact, last night you said you didn't want it to end.

I don't mean the sex, Jack. I mean the cheating.

I thought we already worked that out.

I did, too. But I keep wondering how I'm going to look Spitter in the eye when we get home.

Spitter doesn't need to know anything about this. Neither does your sister, and neither does anyone else in Altoona. Christ. This is a real downer, Carol.

Sorry.

Come on; lighten up. Don't look so sad.

I'm not sad; I'm just … tired. I'm very, very tired. And at this moment all I can think about is how completely
perverted
this is.

Shit. Since when did
you
get so damned high and—

Not us.
Flying
. If human beings were made to fly, why did God invent Adidas? Of course, I suppose to most people flying's not
nearly
as unnatural as adultery.

Come on, Carol; give me a break. I
told
you I'm going to end it. Right after Easter. I can't very well walk out on her at Easter, can I?

Of course not. If you did that, little Laura would have to spend Easter the same way I do—drunk on my ass with a chocolate bunny.

Bay Approach to SurfAir 617. Good evening.

Howdy, honey. How's every little thing?

Everything is A-OK. Six one seven, turn left ninety degrees, to base leg one zero zero. Descend and maintain five thousand, speed one six zero knots.

Six one seven to five thousand, base one zero zero.

Traffic at six thousand, three o'clock, and three thousand, ten o'clock. Expect runway one two left.

One two left. Thanks.

You follow American 262, now at two o'clock. You are five miles from marker.

It was nice of you to take us with you, Lee. The children loved it. Look at them. They're still in Tomorrowland.

I wish we could do this more often, Kiko.

We will.

One day, yes. But when?

Soon. I saw the looks on their faces. They were very impressed with your presentation. And with you.

They see a hundred men like me every year. All begging for money to finance a new business, just the way I did.

They will help you, Lee. I know they will.

I hope so, Kiko. I hope so.

SurfAir 617, this is Bay Approach. Reduce speed to one five zero. Contact tower on twelve twenty.

Confirm altitude, Approach.

Altitude five thousand.

Roger. Thanks for the help, darlin'. Tower, this is SurfAir 617. Request landing instructions.

I
told
you the play was guano, Jerry. It doesn't
matter
, you said. Clarence Van Autsen can make magic out of the
yellow
pages, you said. Well, my fucking Oscar jumped off the shelf at the first act curtain, Jerry, to put itself out of its misery. Clarence is through selling himself for chump change, pal; I'm not going to make a hemorrhoid of myself again no matter
how
good the bread is. It's class from now on—O'Neill, Williams, Miller—and that's it. From now on it's quality or I spend the winter in Palm Springs, baking out the booze.

Clarence?

Yeah, babe?

You know I love you, Clar, but sweetheart, I got a question. What the hell you think you're going to
live
on down in the Springs? Coconuts? I mean Titleists aren't
edible
, sweetheart, you know what I'm saying?

Six one seven, this is SF Tower. Descend and maintain three thousand, heading zero one zero, speed one five zero knots. Wind WSW at three five, ceiling six, rain, visibility one-half mile.

Roger. Six one seven to three thousand at zero one zero.

I've got pop-up traffic one mile at nine o'clock, 617. Altitude unknown.

Roger. Pop-up not in view.

Feel better?

Not as good as I'll feel when we're on the ground. Jack, when we get home to Altoona, we've got to talk.

About what?

Us. Laura. Everything.

Jesus. Why can't you just
enjoy
it, huh, Carol? Why can't you just let it happen?

I'm not built that way. I've made a lot of mistakes in my life, but believe it or not, I try to be a moral person. I need to think this is all going to be …
proper
, sooner or later.

I told you we'll make it legal, if that's what you really want.

I do, Jack. Flying makes me feel awfully mortal, you know? I don't want to die a sinner.

God'll save you, baby; sin or no sin. Don't you listen to those guys on TV? That's the nifty thing about God—He has to save us all. It's His
job
, for Christ's sake.

Yeah, well, I hope He hasn't been laid off.

SurfAir 617 to Tower. Request … hey! What the hell is
that?

Jesus. Where'd
he
come from? Pull
up
, Bill. Goddamnit, he's going to fly right into us. Full power!
Get this fucker up!