Sojourners of the Sky (7 page)

Nine

“W
e just passed sixty-forty,” announced Ed, interrupting Liesel and John’s deep conversation. “Here you go, buddy,” he added, handing Asa a slip of paper containing the updated estimates.

“Thanks, Ed,” replied Asa. He then studied the numbers in preparation for his conversation with Gander Control. He was bound and determined to make his youthful voice come out sounding like a seasoned professional when he passed along their position report.

“We are just a hair southeast of Greenland,” observed Ed. “Practically gliding distance.”

“I suppose,” said Asa. “That’s if you like ice and rocks.”

“Well, if things get ugly, Bluie West-One is on the southern tip. It’s a nice backup if you need a place to land,” noted Ed.

“No way!” said Asa. “Charles can land there if need be, but not me.”

Diverted by the talk of diverting, John looked away from Liesel and added to the conversation. “I don’t even want to think about going in there,” he said. “I’ve flown with guys that have and they swore they’d never do it again.”

“I’d better go,” suggested Liesel.

“I wish you wouldn’t,” said John, regretting his momentary lapse of attention.

“No, it’s not fair to the other girls,” said Liesel.

“Oh well, OK. I’ll talk to you later,” he said.

Liesel kissed John on the cheek, leaving him with a flushed face and a fresh batch of hope.

*

Sonny listened as Marie talked about her wedding. He actually began wishing her husband would return and rescue him. Though she was quite pretty, with brown hair and a smooth complexion, he had difficulty concentrating on her words because his mind raced wildly with corporeal ideas.

The young woman’s yammering seemed to go on forever and Sonny feared he might lose interest. Still, he was mesmerized by her milky white skin. He closed his eyes for a moment and visualized her standing undressed before him. Remarkably, he could recall even the most intricate details of her body. Deep in vivid thought, he didn’t realize how much he was smiling on the outside.

Sonny had been with Marie at least twice--on those occasions when his wife claimed headaches were limiting her interest. He never intended to play so close to home, but he was a driven man and needed a release. It was Sonny’s belief that if he wasn’t getting what he needed at home, he would seek it elsewhere. The fact that his wife two-timed him made him desire Marie even more. It was a chance to pay back his cheating wife. Oddly, his mind simply refused to see the hypocrisy.

Eventually, there was a pause. Figuring he had only a short time left in which to play his hand, the moment Marie stopped to take a breath, Sonny asked, “Marie, don’t you remember me? You and I had, uh, relations a couple of times while you were working at Miss Mary’s up in Pawtucket. Remember?”

Marie nearly fell out of her seat. She stared at Sonny for a very long moment in silence. She simply could not believe that anyone would remember her, especially someone on board a Pan American flight. It was beyond belief. She’d given up that life long ago. Marie had reluctantly taken a job at Mary’s granting favors to men only to get enough money to get by while things were tight. It lasted but a few months. She’d never even mentioned it to her closest friends. Marie felt paralyzed, knowing she’d told Dirk that he was the first. She knew he would never understand, especially now. Up until that moment she had successfully managed to lock those unpleasant memories away, never to be recalled. Marie’s mind was in turmoil. She fanned her face, fearing she might faint.

Sonny looked up and noticed Marie’s husband emerge from the lav. He was blocked by Kelly, who was handing drinks to a couple in the first row. Sonny knew his time was limited; he had to act fast. After all, there was a possibility for a once in a lifetime conquest. There was no way that he could just simply let it slip past. “I’m guessing your husband thinks he’s the only one?” asked Sonny.

Marie couldn’t speak. She only managed to nod that his assumption was correct.

“I tell you what. For old time sake, why don’t you, say ten minutes from now, go and use one of those bathrooms back in first class. I’ll give you a minute to get ready and then I’ll come back. We can have one for the road as they say. You do one for me and I promise to say nothing from now on. Otherwise, I can’t be sure of what I might accidently blab to…uh, what was his name again? Oh yeah, Dirk.”

“Oh, no. Please no,” pleaded Marie. “I have a new life now! Please don’t ruin it for me, I beg you.”

Dirk managed to squeeze past Kelly and quickly made his way toward his new wife wearing a loving smile. He was clearly a man living on cloud nine.

When he was only a few steps away, Sonny said, “Make up your mind, Marie. I fear I may tell some secrets. I can already feel them on my lips.”

“Please, oh please, no,” she murmured in complete despair.

“Marie, do you still have that tiny mole on your rump? You know, shaped like a heart?” asked Sonny in a whisper.

“I missed you, honey,” said Dirk as he turned to sit.

“Hi, Dirk, me and the missus were just talking about your wedding,” said Sonny with an evil grin. “I’m from Providence and I was just thinking that I may have bumped into your lovely bride previously. Anyhow, I asked myself…”

Marie, completely overwrought with fear and unsure of what to do, looked at Sonny and said, “All right.”

“Oh, excuse me; sometimes I ramble,” said Sonny. “I didn’t mean to interrupt.”

“That’s perfectly all right,” replied Dirk. “Marie is beautiful, isn’t she?”

“She certainly is,” said Sonny with a knowing nod. He then turned away and smiled, knowing that in the not-too-distant future Dirk’s new bride would be his for the taking.

It took a while, but as Sonny spoke to her husband, Marie remembered her former patron. There were two men in her previous life that had struck her and Sonny was one of them. She recalled the black eye, the bloody nose and the bruises. As frightened as Marie was, there was a tiny ember of anger deep inside that was slowly intensifying. And that simmering hot coal’s name was revenge.

*

Lars slipped out of the cockpit and watched as Sonny smiled and nodded while the young woman sitting across from him rambled on. Sonny actually looked happy, but at the same time he appeared bemused. Lars hoped the young lady was greasing the skids for him--calming Sonny down and making him a little more approachable.

The moment the young woman’s husband sat down, Lars made his move. His plan was to arrive at Sonny’s side soon after the couple resumed kissing. He was counting on the distraction of the smooching newlyweds to ease into the conversation, using it as a sort of ice breaker.

As Lars walked toward Sonny’s seat, he could almost feel his neighbor’s powerful hands around his neck. Just the thought of it made him wince.

“Sonny, can we talk for a minute?” asked Lars.

Looking up as Lars approached, he extended his open palm and said, “Not now, Lars. Leave me alone.”

“Sonny, can I please speak to you in private?”

“There is nothing you can say that I want to hear.”

“I’m going to go back and wait by one of the first class lavs. I’ll give you a few minutes,” said Lars, struggling to remove the emotion from his words as he spoke.

During his walk aft, Lars twice chided himself to slow down. At the same time, he reminded himself that the burning feeling he felt in his neck wasn’t actually there…yet.

When he arrived outside the rearmost lav, Lars did his best to act nonchalant, pretending to study the door frame as if it were broken.

*

Marie Myers was beside herself. Her heart raced and her head pounded. She was so angry with herself for having sold her body, even though she knew that it had been necessary in order to get through an extremely desperate time. Marie shook her head in utter disbelief at her sudden misfortune. She’d lied to her husband, there was no taking that back. She tried telling herself that if she did it just one more time it would all go away. But a little voice inside, a mere glowing cinder, slowly convinced her that if she gave in to Sonny he would blackmail her for the rest of her life.

Marie sat perfectly still, consumed with regret. All she could think about was the impossible situation she found herself in. A tiny tear ran down her cheek as her adoring husband nibbled on her ear lobe. Rage, originating from deep inside, slowly worked its way to the surface. Marie was scared to death, but at the same time her mind began a measured, deliberate search for freedom. Gradually, through the tears of anguish and frustration, things came into focus. There was no way she could return to her previous life. Just the thought of being forced into servitude by a thug proved more than she could bear. It took a while for all the anger to well-up, and when it did, Marie knew what she had to do. She told herself that if Sonny came into the bathroom, pulled his pants down and tried to take advantage of her, there was no way he would get off the airplane alive. It didn’t take long for her to work out the details in her mind. The moment her husband came up for air, she pushed him away and said, “Darling, I have to powder my nose. I’ll be right back.”

“Is everything all right? You don’t seem yourself,” observed Dirk.

“I’m fine…really. I won’t be but a minute,” said Marie in a low, almost feral tone.

“Oh, all right then,” said Dirk. “Please hurry.”

“I will, darling. I will,” she said. Then with a slight smile on her lips and fury clearly evident in her eyes, she glared at Sonny for a long moment before making her way aft. Her problem was about to be solved.

*

“Asa, it looks like meteorology messed up the forecast. Let’s see if we can climb to seventeen thousand for a little while to get out of this turbulence,” suggested John.

“OK, John,” said Asa. “I don’t think it’s that bad though.”

“No, it isn’t, but I’m afraid the ride might get worse. It’s been smooth as silk, so I’m thinking these sudden bumps might be telling me something.”

Asa called Gander three times, but could not get through.

One of the vagaries of high frequency communications is that sometimes the reception is as clear as a bell, while other times it seems nothing can break through the nearly constant static.

On his fifth attempt, Asa got through to Gander, but could just barely make out the clearance. He looked at the acting captain and said, “They said we can climb to seventeen, John.”

“G.R., set climb power please. We’re going to seventeen to get out of this bad air,” said John.

“OK, John,” said G.R. “Our fuel burn is based on fifteen thousand feet, so give me a couple of minutes to work out some new numbers.”

“Take your time,” said John as he turned to gaze out at the stars. He spotted the Big Dipper and thought to himself,
Here I am in the left seat of a Pan Am DC6 over the North Atlantic. I can’t believe it.
John Tacker could not remember ever being as pleased with himself and the direction of his life as he was in that moment. He could hardly contain his exuberance.

*

Mark Small’s discomfort was not lessening.
Might as well replace the timing belt and water pump, too,
he thought. He’d heard the increase in the engine RPM when the pilots initiated a climb. Along with the higher power setting, Mark was certain that the skip in the engine had instantly become more frequent, though it did not increase in intensity. He stopped his mental engine rebuild for a moment as he contemplated his observation. Knowing what he knew about engines, Mark concluded that the miss he kept hearing was not something he had to worry about.
It must be a fouled plug
. He reached up to push the stewardess call light: it was time for another drink.

*

Lars smiled and moved aside as the pretty young newlywed approached.

“Is everything all right?” asked Marie.

“Oh, yes ma’am,” replied Lars. “I’d been told this door was difficult to close, but it seems fine to me.”

Marie smiled and moved to enter the other aft lav, saying, “Excuse me.”

“I beg your pardon, Miss,” said Lars as he tipped his hat and moved forward to stand well clear of both lavs.

Marie locked the door of the tiny bathroom behind her and then looked at herself in the mirror. The person who stared back was tired and scared to death, but at the same time clearly livid. She then removed a fork she’d hidden in her sleeve and placed it on the counter. Marie and her husband had been so absorbed in each other’s company neither had taken the time to eat. A devilish smile came to her face as she studied the fork, knowing it would be put to good use.

*

Sonny moved swiftly toward the back of the airplane seeking pleasure. He knew Lars would be waiting for him, but had no intention of wasting precious time. As he approached the junior flight engineer, Sonny held up his hand and said, “Get away from me before I’m forced to do something the other passengers might regret.”

“Sonny, we need to talk,” said Lars.

Clearly annoyed, Sonny snarled, “Get lost, you filthy liar.”

“Be reasonable. It just sort of happened. It wasn’t your wife, it was me,” said Lars. “I don’t know what happened. I guess I lost my head and forced myself on her. I think she suspected that you were cheating on her and wanted to get back at you or something.”