by Taylor Dean
“Childhood dreams are the best. No limitations.”
Luke fell quiet, his mind in another place. His hands were no longer tightly clasped in his lap, but rested lightly on his thighs.
Confused, Jill asked again, “What does this have to do with us?” She kept her voice light, not accusing.
“Everything,” Luke replied. “Absolutely everything.”
“How so?”
“Troy is my best friend. I’ve known him all my life.”
Jill suddenly understood what he meant. “Oh. And now I’m engaged to him. I see where you’re going with this.” His worry over Troy’s feelings was admirable.
Luke’s expression turned apprehensive and he didn’t comment.
For obvious reasons, her engagement complicated Luke’s life. Jill tried to assure him. “Don’t worry about Troy. I’ll explain everything to him. The engagement is between Troy and me. It doesn’t concern you.”
“It does.”
“Not really.” She wasn’t about to make Luke do her dirty work, if that was what he was worried about. She was perfectly capable of explaining the situation to Troy. It would be hard on him, but she certainly wouldn’t disappear from his life completely.
“Everything that has to do with Troy concerns me.” A defiant tip of his chin accompanied his words.
“Why, Luke?” Jill worried her bottom lip. “I don’t get it.” It was the one thing that had always bothered Jill. Luke would do anything for Troy. Yet Troy often acted as though Luke was a sliver in his skin.
The thought sparked a memory . . .
14
Luke and Jill
November 2002
Five Months Earlier
“Excited?” Luke pressed on the gas, merging with traffic effortlessly.
“Yeah. I can’t wait. I’ve been looking forward to this No Doubt concert since we bought the tickets two months ago.”
“Me too. Here’s a little pre-concert music to get us in the mood.” He pressed a few buttons and soon Gwen Stefani’s smooth voice wafted over the airwaves. He turned up the volume and rolled down the windows as they flew down the freeway.
They were singing along, laughing when they didn’t know all the words, and enjoying the pleasantly warm November wind in their faces when Luke suddenly turned off the music.
“Just a sec, Jill.” He pulled his phone out of his pocket, placed it on speaker, and set it on his lap. “Hello.” Luke rolled up the windows so he could hear.
Jill wanted to tell him to listen to the words of the song and “Don’t Speak,” but it was too late, he’d answered. She knew he’d enjoy her cheesy joke. It sat on the tip of her tongue, waiting to leap off, that is until she noticed his serious expression, dousing all humor.
“Luke, it’s Troy.”
“Hey Troy, what’s up buddy?” Luke’s eyebrows pressed into a worried furrow.
“A pipe on the water heater busted. The garage is filled with water. It’s a mess. Can you come help me?”
Troy sounded distracted and stressed.
Jill was surprised when Luke, without hesitation or thought, said, “You bet. I’ll be right there.”
He pulled off the freeway and into a gas station parking lot. He turned in his seat, facing her. Jill waited for an explanation for his abrupt change in their plans. She was a little taken aback at his decisiveness. They were both silent for a few moments, tension electric in the air. Luke sighed heavily. “I’m sorry, Jill. Troy needs my help and I can’t abandon him.”
She was only human and wanted so much to say, “Can’t he call someone else?” Or “Can’t it wait until after the concert?” Or “Can’t he clean it himself?” But she didn’t. Instead she said, “Of course not.”
“Why don’t we give Lacy a call? The two of you can go. No sense in wasting our tickets.”
Confusion gripped her. Luke had taken himself out of their plans with a snap of Troy’s fingers. No discussion. No debate. “No, I’ll go with you and help clean up the mess.”
“Are you sure? I don’t want you to miss it.”
Disappointment ran through her veins, but she hid it well. “I’m sure. Helping a friend is more important.”
“Thanks, Jill. I’ll make it up to you.” Luke spun the car around and hopped onto the freeway in the opposite direction.
“No need. As long as we’re together, that’s all I care about.”
“Thanks for being so understanding.”
Jill swallowed guilty feelings. Underneath it all, she wasn’t feeling very understanding. They’d had major plans for the evening. It wasn’t as if they were on their way to a movie theater to catch a movie they could easily see another time. The tickets to the concert were expensive and their plans had been set in stone for quite some time now.
Jill chastised herself. Luke was just as disappointed as she was. It was obvious in his features. A friend needed help and dropping everything seemed appropriate in this circumstance, didn’t it? Yes, of course it did. Besides, all she really wanted to do was spend time with Luke, whether they were at a concert or cleaning up a flooded garage.
Okay, one activity was definitely better than the other. But the constant was Luke. He was the important ingredient, the one she couldn’t do without.
Luke reached for her hand and gently squeezed it. “I love you, Jill.”
Hmmmm, suddenly the concert didn’t matter at all.
They swung into Troy’s driveway and there stood Troy looking bewildered.
“The plumber just left. He fixed the leaky pipe. At least water’s not spraying all over anymore.”
Jill and Luke followed Troy into the garage. A small river of water flowed from the water heater door, out the garage, and down to the gutter at the curb. Several items were being stored in the area adjacent to the water heater. A pile of boxes with the bottoms soaked through, cleaning supplies, boxes of garbage bags, an ironing board, washing machine detergent, buckets, brooms, dust pans, a plunger, a dust mop, and a large garbage can. Typical garage stuff.
Granted, it was a mess. But it was hardly an emergency and definitely something that could’ve waited. While Troy was quite capable, Jill knew it would take him twice as long as them to clean up the mess. Luke would have it cleaned up quickly. And with her help, it wouldn’t take them long at all. She consoled herself with that thought and pasted a smile on her face, glad to help Troy in his hour of need.
They moved all the items out of the water, dried everything off, and sopped up the water with a mop.
Troy watched while mumbling, “You’re making even more of a mess, Luke.”
They set up fans and angled them in the direction of the wet area. Next they took everything out of the storage boxes, dried what they could, and repacked everything in new boxes.
“No, that doesn’t go there,” Troy snapped. “I should’ve just done this myself.”
Luke said nothing.
Nothing. A man who worked as a police officer and didn’t take guff from anyone. A man who was a captain in the army—an army officer—trained to give out commands, provide direction, and delegate. He said nothing in his defense when he apparently couldn’t satisfactorily clean up a small water leak in his best friend’s garage.
It made Jill wonder why Luke maintained his friendship with Troy. Troy was not always kind to Luke. Shouldn’t your best friend make you feel good about yourself? Make you feel happy?
It was another point in Luke’s favor, however. Jill admired the way he was so patient and friendly while Troy was often snide. Luke’s loyalty to his childhood friend often impressed her. It was obvious to Jill that Troy’s injury had handicapped him and made him a very bitter and angry man. Yet Luke stood by his friend.
Jill couldn’t fault him for it.
Underneath it all, Troy was a handsome and interesting young man—if he would just let go of his bitterness. He was often sullen and sour, and Jill found that side of him quite off-putting. Still, she’d seen Troy’s pleasant side, and wondered why he
didn’t maintain it around Luke. It was all very strange.
15
Luke and Jill
April 2003
Present Day
Jill’s thoughts wandered back to the present as Luke shifted his position, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. It made him appear overly concerned.
“Why, Luke?” Jill said again, wondering why he wasn’t providing her with an answer. “You don’t need to worry about Troy,” she reiterated. “I’ll explain everything. He’ll understand. I know he will. He knows how I feel about you. I made that clear.”
Luke’s eyes stared into hers, hot and fiery. “I’m afraid it’s not that simple.”
“Sure it is.”
“You don’t understand.”
“Then make me understand.”
“It’s a long story,” he said.
“Tell me, Luke. Please just tell me.” There was something he wanted to say, but he seemed reluctant to let it slip past his lips.
“Here’s where the story changes.” His eyes looked into the distance as if he were somewhere else, miles away.
“Changes?”
“Goes bad,” he said with a slight nod.
“I suspected a little bad blood between you two. I never understood it.”
Luke went on as if she hadn’t spoken. “Troy’s dad worked as a commercial pilot. He also owned his own small plane, a single engine Cessna. He often took it out for fun, but mostly he used it as a side business, working as an air courier. It gave him the opportunity to take out his plane on a regular basis and I think maybe it justified the expense.” Luke massaged his temples as if he had a headache. “One day Troy asked if I could come with him and his dad on an overnight trip to Denver. We were only twelve years old and the thought of an adventure like that left us unable to sleep or concentrate on anything. We were so excited, driving our mothers crazy, practically climbing the walls with nervous energy. I think they were relieved to see us go.”
Jill couldn’t fathom where this story was going or what it had to do with anything, but she let Luke ramble. He held her heart, and she could only hope he wouldn’t crush it once again.
16
Luke and Troy
December 1987
Fifteen Years Earlier
“Look at that,” Troy yelled over the intercom system as he looked out the window of the small plane. “It looks like my grandma’s patchwork quilt. It’s so cool.”
It was better than cool. It was awesome. Luke had flown once in his life on a family vacation to Hawaii. This was a completely different experience. He could feel every dip and curve the plane made, and so could his stomach. But he liked the sensation, just like he liked the roller coaster at Six Flags.
School had just let out and this was the greatest start to a Christmas vacation he’d ever had. After completing his business, Mr. Kelley was taking them to a movie and out to dinner. Then he and Troy were staying in their own connecting room at the hotel. And Mr. Kelley said they could watch a movie on the TV if they wanted. He said they could order room service for breakfast too. He and Troy planned on ordering pancakes piled a mile high, with extra syrup.
The noise of the plane rumbled in his ears as he smiled at Troy. “This is amazing!”
“Yeah, thanks for taking us, Dad,” Troy said.
Mr. Kelley chuckled at their excitement.
Troy brought a deck of cards along, thinking they’d play cards during the flight to pass the time. They didn’t touch them. The sights outside their windows were captivating.
And as Luke lay in bed that night, he knew it had been the best day of his existence. Mr. Kelley let them watch a shoot ‘em up movie, the kind their mothers never let them watch, then took them out for spaghetti and meatballs. He even bought them ice cream sundaes for dessert, topped with lots of hot fudge and a cherry.
“This is my favorite day of my entire life,” Luke told Troy. “Best day ever.”
“Mine too. You tired?” Troy asked.
“Nah. Think your dad will get mad if we watch TV?”
“He won’t know if we keep the sound real low.”
“Let’s watch TV all night long. Bet ya can’t stay awake all night,” Luke challenged.
“Bet ya I can.”
They found a marathon of re-runs of CHiPs and decided they wanted to be like “Ponch and Jon” and be motorcycle riding partners. All night long they wore their mirrored pilot’s sunglasses Troy’s dad had bought for each of them for the trip. They used the shower caps the hotel provided as their policemen hats. They each propped a pillow up sideways, straddled it, and pretended it was their motorcycle and occasionally wrote each other a ticket using the hotel notepad.
TROY KELLEY: YOU GET THIS TICKET FOR HAVING STINKY BREATH AT 2 IN THE MORNING. PAY THIS FINE OF $200.00 OR GO TO JAIL.
LUCAS GRAHAM: YOU GET A TICKET FOR STAYING UP ALL NIGHT AND DISTURBING THE PEACE OF YOUR BEST FRIEND. PAY THIS FINE NOW OF $500.00 OR GO TO JAIL.
The tickets continued all night long; one for watching too much TV, one for eating too many Red Vines, one for having the loudest burp, and one for having the smelliest fart, until the notepad was empty.
They succeeded at their goal of staying up all night and when Luke’s stomach was full of pancakes the next morning, he felt like he’d just eaten a brick.
Luke fell asleep on the drive to the airport and so did Troy. Mr. Kelley flashed them a knowing look.
“You two stayed up last night, didn’t you? I did that once or twice when I was a kid.” He chuckled lightly. “Bundle of trouble, you two.”
He wasn’t mad at them and Luke felt relieved.
“I regret nothing,” Troy told his father, making him laugh and shake his head the way fathers do.
“We’re taking a little detour on the trip home. I have one more package to deliver. The sights are fantastic. You won’t sleep through it, I promise.”
Mr. Kelley let them follow him through the pre-flight check: measuring the oil level, inspecting the propeller for dents or damage and making sure the bolts were in place. Mr. Kelley said you don’t just look; you touch it, running your hands over each blade. He grabbed hold of the propeller and shook it, making sure there were no loose parts. Luke ran his hands over each blade, amazed at all the parts that made a plane fly. They checked the nose gear, the tire pressure, the wings, ensuring all struts and bolts were secured properly, and they examined the landing gear and the rudder.
As they climbed aboard the small plane, Luke felt energized. There was no way he’d sleep through the plane ride and miss out on the incredible views. Mr. Kelley gave them each a head set and tested the microphones, making sure they were each plugged into the aircraft intercom system. Luke liked that they could communicate during the flight instead of trying to yell at each other above all the sounds of the rushing air and the propeller engine. Luke and Troy donned their mirrored sunglasses and mimicked the movements of Mr. Kelley as he flicked switches on the instrument panel. He pointed out the transponder, a device that sends signals to the control tower, and the transceiver, a device that keeps them in contact with the control tower.
A voice from the control tower rattled off facts over the airwaves: the temperature, visibility, sky conditions, dew point, and a bunch of other things Luke didn’t understand.
“Ready to taxi,” Mr. Kelley announced to control.
They drove around for awhile until the control tower told them they were cleared for takeoff.
Luke and Troy held their pretend steering wheels—Luke used a book and Troy used a tablet of paper—and gave each other a thumbs-up as the plane ascended into the gray sky.
“Hold on boys, we may encounter some turbulence.”
On their first trip, they’d enjoyed blue skies. Today was a gloomy winter day, windy and cold. The bumpy ride made Luke’s stomach churn. The plane soon evened out, however, and the ride turned fairly smooth.
When they landed again, Mr. Kelley was only gone for about fifteen minutes, taking ca
re of his errand. They were back in the sky before they knew it.
“Sit back and relax, boys. Next stop: Dallas, Texas.” Soon they were flying over snow covered mountains. The plane seemed so close to the snow-capped tips, Luke felt sure he could reach out and touch them. Even with his sunglasses on, the whiteness of the snow seemed blinding. They were all quiet as they simply observed the scenery. The snow made the world look peaceful and . . .
Luke suddenly realized it felt too peaceful. The plane was much quieter than it had been a minute before.
“Dad, what’s wrong?” Troy asked.
“The engine stalled . . . we just lost engine power. Stay calm, boys. It’ll be all right.”
Mr. Kelley didn’t have time to talk to them as he maneuvered the plane and spoke to the control tower. He didn’t seem scared. Mr. Kelley remained composed and spoke clearly. Luke was sure he knew how to keep them safe.
He and Troy glanced at each other. “He knows what to do,” Troy told him. Luke nodded, glad that Troy felt as confident as he did. They both gripped the armrests of their chairs tightly, preparing for a rocky ride.
“Mayday, mayday, mayday. Denver Center this is Cessna 52GV. Emergency. We are executing a forced landing for engine failure. There are 3 souls on board. We are southwest of the city in the vicinity of the Pike National Forest. Request assistance when able. Cessna 52GV, emergency.”
They were landing. In the mountains. Where would they land amidst the rugged terrain? Luke’s heart raced at the thought. Mr. Kelley held the plane steady as a field of white just below them rapidly came closer and closer.
And then everything happened very quickly. So swiftly it was like someone put his life on fast forward. Luke couldn’t think fast enough to catch up with the happenings around him. It was loud, ear piercing, and he wanted to cover his ears, but the force of the accelerated motion wouldn’t allow him to move, or even to breathe. Just when he thought they’d almost landed safely, that they’d soon come to a stop, Mr. Kelley cursed, and the plane kept moving.