there has been a mix up and it has been sorted out. Here is my license and my ticket, I am Brian Ackers and this is my flight," he stated as calmly as he could. The guard took his arm and began to pull him toward himself to escort him. "You can ask the attendant at the Detroit desk!"
"Wait," Amy said. She walked up to Brian and took the ticket, matched it with the license, then walked to her pedestal and scanned it. The familiar beep resounded, music to Brian's ears. Amy looked up at him. "Welcome aboard, Mr. Ackers."
The guard released him.
"Are things under control here, Amy?" the other security officer asked, also younger than Brian, making him feel old.
"We will be fine, thanks guys," Amy stated. She turned to Brian. "I had received a call from the other gate attendant who explained that things were corrected, so you are good to go and I hope you understand the concern when a passenger has no identification of their own but rather the identification of another."
Brian nodded in agreement, "I understand, and I hope you understand the concern a passenger has when they find themselves in such a situation."
"Let's not do this again, shall we?" Amy smiled her winning smile and held her arm out, welcoming him to board. "Oh, and I recommend taking it easier on the alcohol, the smell makes people wonder." Redness began to flush on Brian's face as he hastened his walk in an effort to not only find his seat but to also escape the final comment Amy had made.
The stewardess greeted him as he boarded and directed him down the aisle where he quickly found his seat. Another benefit to traveling light was not having the need to find space in the overhead compartment, especially handy when not one of the first to board. The steward began the safety spiel as the stewardess began final prep for departure.
Brian found his seat, sat down, buckled himself in, and placed his head against the headrest. He took a deep breath and tilted his head up, allowing the stale air to blow through the vent onto him. It would become more tolerable once the plane began its ascent and then he would be able to allow himself to drift into slumber. He could bypass the flying experience and awake, refreshed, on the ground.
###
A Note to the Reader:
"Gate Change" was conceived while seated on a bench awaiting my flight to board at T. F. Green Airport (despite being labeled as Providence, and what your pilot may have told you, the airport is actually located in a place called Warwick- six miles south from the city). I had initially intended "Gate Change" to be my first self-published short story however, while I had the main concept, the ending would go through several changes. After a few revisions, in the end I decided to stick with my initial conclusion of a simple mistake leading way to confusion.
While I hope you enjoyed this piece, I encourage you to share your thoughts by providing your rating and comment for "Gate Change." With your feedback I hope to grow as a writer and to create stories that have you looking forward to more. As clich? as it may be, I also encourage you to follow me on social media where I look forward to providing insights and details on my projects- past, present, and future. My goal is to share a solid collection of short stories in the hopes that I will be able to share larger projects with you in the future. I hope you will continue to join me on this literary adventure!
Sincerely,
Benjamin Mainville
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Gate Change Page 3