The Boss (7 page)
Authors: Rick Bennette
Jake sleeps in late into the morning, finally rising at ten AM. He showers and gets ready to head for breakfast before flying into Portland. Ready and packed, he turns on his cell phone, throwing the charger into the suitcase. The message indicator shows over a dozen messages. Thinking he missed some important event he forgot about, he listens to the messages. There are a few hang ups, and the first real message is at six AM from Erika. She sounds panic stricken, so before hearing the other messages, he calls her first.
“Erika, what is it that’s got you so upset?”
“Oh, Jake, you didn’t hear, did you?”
“Hear what?”
“Flight 2188 crashed in Idaho last night. No one survived.”
“Abbey’s plane? God, no. Please tell me you made a mistake. Did she call? Are you sure it’s her plane? It can’t be.”
“She was on 2188, right?”
“She called me the last minute just before takeoff. I think that’s it. Let me see. Oh shit. It was hers. My baby. My sweetheart. What am I gonna do without her? Oh, God, I wish it was me instead.”
“I’m so sorry, Jake.”
“I wish you were here.”
“Are you still in Seattle?”
“I’m supposed to be going to Oregon. Do you know where the crash was? I’m gonna have to call the airline and make arrangements to bring her home.”
“I’m not sure that’s a good idea in your frame of mind, Jake.”
“God damn it, Erika. I can’t just do nothing! I’ll call you when I know more.”
“Let me know as soon as you know anything. Oh, and Jake?”
“Yeah.”
“Call me at work. I left my cell phone home.”
“Right. Will do. Bye.”
Jake, an emotional wreck, does his best to get through to the airline. He finds out where the plane went down and then heads off to meet his pilot. He instructs his pilot to fly to the nearest regional airport near the crash site. He leaves a message with Erika he’ll contact her when he gets there.
On the way through Idaho, they fly over the crash site. Flight 2188 has gone down in the middle of a national park called Craters of the Moon, and there is no access by jet. It’s hours by car to the nearest airfield where they can land, and it’s such a remote area it’s impossible to get there other than by helicopter or a long day’s hike. Jake expresses his concerns about wanting to bring Abbey’s body home. The pilot tells him the grim news that it’s likely it will be impossible to do so. He knows the airlines have a procedure to go through before he’ll be able to do that, and it might be days before they recover anything.
Depressed and a feeling as if his life is meaningless, Jake makes the decision to continue flying home. Secretly, he wishes the jet would crash next to Abbey so they could be eternally together. But he realizes the suffering that others are going through, and his mind ejects that thought. He loads up the laptop with her photos and just watches them over and over again through his teary eyes as best he can. He prays to God
that He take special care of Abbey, and believes she is now in a better place where she can look down upon him and truly know how much he loves her. He wishes Abbey had accepted his offer to fly with him to Oregon and California. He is angry with himself for not being more persuasive. Had he been so, Abbey would still be alive and sitting next to him right now.
The hours go by slowly, and Jake drifts in and out of sleep. The pilot stops at a small airfield to refuel the jet where he knows the fuel is the least expensive. It’s one of those places in the middle of the country in the middle of nowhere. Jake tries to call Erika, but there is no cell service. In seemingly no time at all, they are skyward and home bound again.
The jet rolls to a landing at Palm Beach International’s private jet hub. Erika is there waiting for him on the tarmac. The two of them hug, both of them in tears.
“Jake, you did an incredible thing.”
“What did I do so incredible?”
“You brought love into Abbey’s heart. She was really falling in love for the first time in her life. In turn, she made all of our lives easier.”
“So I guess it’s true. The good die young. Maybe if I hadn’t fallen for her, she’d still be a bitch and still be here.”
“Oh, Jake. Don’t think that way. She died a happy woman. Thank God for the time you had with her. I know how much you loved her, and I can only imagine how much it hurts.”
“I don’t think anyone knows how much it hurts. I just want to go home now. Can you take me?”
“Of course, Jake.”
Erika and Jake drive home in near silence. Jake is miles away in thought, staring aimlessly into space as he rides home. It isn’t a long ride, and the two of them make their way into the house. He throws his bags down on the floor, grabs a beer and plops down on the sofa. Erika does her best to comfort her friend in need, but he just wants to sulk in his misery. Perhaps some time in the future he will be thankful for the time he and Abbey had, but today it hurts to the core of his existence. He just can’t believe she’s gone from his life forever.
Erika stays with him as he drifts off to sleep on the sofa. She debates on whether to inform her co-workers of the bad news, but figures some of them must have seen the news report of the crash. But then, probably no one else knows that was Abbey’s flight. She will wait for Jake to wake up before making a decision.
The cell phone rings, causing Jake to spring up from a sound sleep to take the call. He slows down when he realizes it won’t be Abbey. Without looking at the caller ID, he simply answers the phone in a monotone voice.
“Hello.”
“Hey, there, sweetie. Do you have Erika’s number? I need to have her pick me up at the airport, and I lost my cell phone so I don’t have her -”
“- Abbey? How the hell -”
“- I know. Stupid me, I left my handbag in the coffee lounge. I ran back to get it, and they closed the doors and wouldn’t let me back on the plane. I left my cell phone in the seat back. I tried to call you from a pay phone, but there was no answer, and I didn’t leave a message. I booked a six AM flight and just got home now. Can you have Erika come get me?”
“Yes! God, yes, of course! Oh, my God. You have no idea what a relief it is to hear your voice.”
“Really, Jake, it wasn’t that big a deal. Pain in the ass, maybe, that’s all.”
“So you don’t know?”
“Know what?”
“Nothing. Erika and I will be there in twenty minutes.”
“I thought you were in Oregon. What are you doing home? You alright? And why isn’t Erika at work? You aren’t cheating on me already, are you?”
“That, my dear, is the last thing I would ever do. We’ll see you in a few. I love you!”
Run through the emotional wringer, Jake’s tears of sadness turn to tears of joy. Erika drives him to the airport.
“Should we tell her, or just wait till she finds out?”
“I think you should tell her.”
“I have no idea how to break it to her.”
“I’m sure you’ll figure it out.”
They arrive at the airport and Jake runs in to meet Abbey the moment she comes out of security. As close as he’s allowed to get to the security exit, he grabs her and flings her around in a circular embrace, her feet flying in the air as they do in the movies, kissing her like it’s the last chance he’ll ever get.
“Wow. This is some welcome home. What’s all this about?”
“Abbey, I’ve made up my mind. I never want to live another day without you. If I had a ring - oh, hell, I’ll ask you anyway and get the ring later.”
Jake bends down on one knee. Seeing this, a small crowd begins to gather.
“Abbey, will you be not only my partner in business, but my partner in life? Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”
Abbey, stunned and confused, has no idea where this sudden streak of emotion has come from. But she now knows it’s for real. She knows Jake will make a great husband, even though she knows she isn’t ready for marriage. She’s about to tell him she will consider it and let him know. She looks around at the gathering crowd. She looks into his puppy dog eyes, and she can see how much he loves her. She thinks she can love him as much some day, but right now she isn’t sure she’s on his schedule. Then she thinks back on all the little moments they shared together and realizes something. This is it. This is the moment she’s waited for all her life. This is the kind of man she hoped would someday love her. Throwing caution to the wind for the first time in her life, she makes her decision.
“Yes, Jake, I’ll marry you!”
The crowd applauds. Erika snaps a picture of them on her camera phone and picks up the bags. Jake looks into Abbey’s eyes. The happiness is just pouring out of him like a waterfall. Without a word, he picks up Abbey and carries her out of the airport. The gathering crowd cheers. Even the security guard tips his head.
The End
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