Brace for Impact

by Becky Harmon

  Dressed in her Eastern Airlines uniform, she caught a cab in front of the hotel. The hotel provided a shuttle to the airport, but she didn’t want to share a ride. She wasn’t in the mood for small talk. She also wanted to leave when she wanted to leave, and standing around waiting was not in her personality. The cab would take her straight to her terminal rather than a general drop-off location.

  Hartsfield-Jackson Airport was crowded as always, but she quickly moved through the security checkpoint and made her way to the Eastern Airlines office. There were no changes with her departure schedule, so she grabbed some breakfast and waited with Grant until their plane had landed. Grant didn’t seem to be in a talkative mood either, so they both kept their faces buried in electronic devices. She was content to focus on one of the new romance novels she had downloaded before her flight yesterday.

  Flipping through the summaries of each book made her think of Lucy Donovan. Alluring women with lots of lust seemed to be the theme. Lucy’s image had been dancing around on the edge of her thoughts all night, and she fought again now to push it away. No matter what her parents had told her, she had never believed in love at first sight and all that mumbo jumbo. Attraction was only attraction and lust was only lust. She had no problem calling her feelings what they were.

  Sure, her palms had begun to sweat and her heart to race when they met, and that had never happened to her despite the hazards of her work. As for the nervous twitch in her stomach when she was writing out the note and the fact she had even written a note—well, it was possible Lucy had brought something to the surface in her. She didn’t want to dwell on that. She had never met a woman she had instantly wanted to get to know rather than sleep with. And she wasn’t ready to admit Lucy was that woman.

  Clearly, though, she had been intrigued and the physical attraction she had felt toward Lucy wasn’t going to go away quickly. It was probably only because it had been way too long since she had given in to such feelings. She prided herself on not being a shallow person. She had always been an equal opportunity non-dater. For her the military had been all-consuming; it hadn’t been the best place to explore a dating lifestyle. Not that she had wanted to. DADT, the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” military policy, was in effect when she joined. She had been relieved to hear about that at first. Then she learned that it hadn’t stopped the witch hunts. All it took was one commander who didn’t agree and a soldier’s career could be over.

  When news of the implementation of the repeal of DADT reached her unit in Afghanistan in 2011, she was no longer interested in dating. In companionship maybe, but for her a war zone wasn’t compatible with romance. Even though most minds were broader than when she had joined, she had never felt comfortable drawing unwanted attention. The few women who had asked her out in the last few years had barely held her attention through the first date. If they even made it that far.

  The twinge she felt in the back of her mind told her Lucy might be different. She could still see the smile dancing in Lucy’s dark eyes while she flirted with her outside the plane. It was possible they could run into each other again one day, but realistically the chances of that happening were slim. Air marshals weren’t assigned to specific airlines, and unfortunately not every flight contained any.

  She felt Grant stand from his seat beside her and she glanced at the airline board, noticing their flight had landed. She gathered her belongings and followed him into the flow of people moving from one gate to another. Grant seemed more alert now, and they chose to walk rather than ride the underground tram.

  “How was your first day?” he asked as they passed Terminal B and headed to C where their plane waited.

  “Basically uneventful.” She thought of Lucy. Unfortunately, that situation had been uneventful as well.

  “We pray for every day to reach that level, right?” he asked.

  “Absolutely.”

  They walked the rest of the way in silence. This was Dex’s favorite area of the Atlanta airport. Light and dark green cut-out leaves hung from the ceiling with a few spots of blue sky between them. Birds tweeted and crickets chirped in a soothing cocoon around her. The unexpected design was impressive if not something you would expect to find in an airport terminal. She enjoyed seeing the expressions of wonder on the faces of children as they walked into the underground forest for the first time. Their parents, walking with a purpose, were often oblivious to what was above them or even to the sounds around them.

  Dex stepped onto the escalator first, pulling her airline suitcase behind her. At the top, restaurants and coffee shops called out to her.

  “Would you like a cup of coffee?” she asked Grant.

  “Sure. I’ll go ahead and get started. If you don’t mind.” He dug in his pocket for cash, passing her a couple of bills. “Black is fine.”

  She turned left into the food court as he headed down the concourse toward gate C35. There were several people already in line at the coffeehouse so she studied the menu while she waited. All the flavors and options were mind-numbing. When it was finally her turn, she simply requested two black coffees. The barista didn’t seem surprised by her simple request and quickly filled two paper cups, securing their lids and placing them in front of Dex before taking her money.

  Dex stacked one cup on top of the other and carried them with one hand while she pulled her bag with the other. It was a balancing act to maneuver around the mass of harried travelers. The gate agent at C35 wasn’t busy when Dex arrived and she quickly held the jetway door open for her to pass. She walked slowly toward the plane, flashing back to yesterday when Lucy had been waiting at the other end. It was an involuntary thought, but a pleasant one. She wondered how long it would be until walking a jetway didn’t make her think of the woman and the feelings she had evoked.

  The few words they had exchanged didn’t really constitute a conversation and she had no right to feel such a connection. She should stop trying to figure it all out. Yes, Lucy was attractive. She could even use the word “cute” to describe her. Her face was round and her cheeks were slightly plump. Not really overweight but more like the baby fat had never left. She guessed her age between thirty and forty. She was never good at that.

  She was glad she had left the military when she did. At thirty-four, she still had plenty of time for a civilian career and then the pleasure of retirement. Making plans for what she would do with her life when there were no longer demands placed on her was what she had done in her free time with the army. Some days there was a lot of free time. Standing around and waiting was unfortunately the life of a soldier, no matter the rank or position. It was also the main reason she didn’t have any patience for it now. She probably would have made major within the next year, but she had no regrets with leaving. Her life was her own now. Well, at least when she wasn’t at work.

  * * *

  Thirty minutes later, Dex slid into her seat and was happy to find her coffee was still warm.

  “All okay, Bridge Master,” she joked to Grant.

  She had checked the exterior of the plane and the cabin to ensure everything from the bolts holding the plane together to the seat belts were ready for their flight. Now she would complete the pre-flight checklist with Grant. ACAR, the aircraft communications addressing and reporting system, would do most of the calculations for her once she entered the runway and wind conditions. Over the last eight years, technology had changed the way planes were flown so much. In many ways the amount of work required was less, but in her opinion the stress and responsibility had increased. Environmental threats were the easy ones. She knew what to do and could handle a storm. People, on the other hand, were an unknown entity. Gauging someone’s intent when they were risking others’ safety was not her forte. Flying was what made her happy. At least she didn’t have to worry about being shot down anymore. On most days at least.

  She had started her career in the Army Aviation Branch flying helicopters, as all army pilots do. Ninety-nine percent of the branch is helicopters an
d that is the certification every aviation soldier graduates with. Her first three years were spent flying a Blackhawk in and out of combat zones, which was the assignment she had requested. She wanted to help. To make a difference. She did that until she couldn’t do it any longer. The emotional toll on her body and mind was more than she could have ever imagined. Five years later, the nightmares had started to fade and she had more nights of sleep without interruption than with.

  She had almost gotten out of the army at the three-year mark. If not for her commanding officer, who had seen Dex’s potential and was willing to do the work to avoid losing a combat veteran. Brigadier General Rose Loper had pushed through the paperwork for Dex to return to training on a fixed-wing aircraft. The army didn’t do any combat missions with fixed-wing aircraft, only surveillance flights and transports. Dex had moved to combat support, starting with the UC-35A, a medium-range, small utility jet with a range of only fifteen to eighteen hundred nautical miles and limited passenger space. There was no more dropping baby-faced soldiers into situations even she couldn’t imagine.

  She had been relieved with her change in assignment until the last year. Almost worse than dropping troops into combat was transporting the killed in action. Her assignment to work with the Army National Guard flying the C-26 Metroliner turned out to be an emotional challenge for her. The twin-engine turboprop with accommodations for a pilot, co-pilot, and nineteen passengers or cargo was mainly assigned to work drug control operations, but she only handled transports. Flying soldiers from one airport to another and bringing home the ones destined for their final resting place. It was heart-wrenching.

  Flying commercial airliners was different. She didn’t connect or even talk with any of the passengers. She did what was expected of her, offering a friendly greeting as they departed the plane. She was gradually getting back to the serenity of being in the air, which was what had attracted her to flying in the beginning. Once in the air, everything else in the world faded away.

  Realizing that Grant had been talking, she focused her attention back on their flight preparation.

  “Our flight path looks clear. No weather anywhere. We should be in New York in less than two hours,” Grant informed her.

  She nodded, thinking ahead to the twenty-five hundred miles to Los Angeles that would follow. Probably about seven hours. Grant would be replaced by a pilot she didn’t know when they reached New York. She liked Grant’s easygoing manner and hoped the next pilot would have one as well. She knew she would face opposition eventually, being one of the less than seven percent of women commercial pilots in the United States. She couldn’t imagine that it could be worse than anything she had faced in the military.

  It was estimated that the major airlines would be replacing as many as eighteen thousand retiring pilots in the next seven years; she hoped that meant the percentage of women would increase. Not many people could afford the cost of the education to learn to fly commercial airliners, though, not unless they took the military route as she had. Even then the certifications and licensing were still expensive. She knew she was one of the lucky ones. Eastern Airlines had hired her even before the ink was dry on her army discharge.

  * * *

  Lucy dropped the hammer, dug her phone from her pocket and glanced at the screen. It was her new neighbors. True to Karen’s word, Sheila hadn’t even waited twenty-four hours to call. She swiped to accept the call, placing the phone to her ear.

  “Hello.”

  “Hi. Lucy?”

  “Yes.”

  “This is Sheila. Karen’s wife. You met last night.”

  “Right. Bogarts’s parents.”

  Her statement made Sheila laugh and Lucy liked the way it sounded. She could already tell Sheila was the opposite of Karen. Karen was hyper and bit on the rambling side of a conversation, but Sheila was more hesitant and seemed to choose her words carefully.

  “Yes, we are parents to one fuzzy black donkey and a few other barnyard animals,” Sheila joked. “I’m calling to see if you would like any fresh vegetables from our garden?”

  Lucy hesitated. She didn’t normally cook much when she was home, which was why most of her purchases were in cans or frozen.

  “I’m not…I mean…I don’t­.”

  “I didn’t mean to put you on the spot. I thought you might like something fresh.”

  “That sounds great, but I’m not really much of a cook.”

  “Oh, no problem. I’ll be right over.”

  Lucy’s eyes widened at the silence in her ear. Sheila had hung up. She pocketed her phone and picked up her hammer as the roar of the four-wheeler grew louder. Sheila had clearly been poised to descend on her even before the phone call was placed.

  Sheila was the opposite of Karen in appearance as well. Karen’s dark hair was wavy and cut short all over her head. Sheila was fair-skinned with shoulder-length blond hair pulled into a Pebbles-style ponytail on top of her head.

  “Forgive my appearance. I’ve been working in the garden all morning,” Sheila said as she jumped off the four-wheeler.

  Lucy laid the hammer on her newly built section of railing and held out her hand. Sheila’s grip was firm and quick. She grabbed a plastic bag from the cart and motioned toward Lucy’s cabin.

  “Can we step inside?”

  “Yeah, sure.” Lucy pushed the door open and stepped aside, allowing Sheila to enter first. She smiled when she heard Sheila gasp.

  “Wow. It’s amazing.” Sheila glanced at Lucy with surprise. “I was here less than a year ago and it was downright scary.”

  Lucy glanced around at her small but comfortable living room. The floor was covered in a swirled gray ceramic tile with a gray and maroon area rug. Two squishy mint-colored chairs formed an L on both sides of the room with a matching loveseat between them. The furniture faced a small stone fireplace that was centered on the right wall with a television mounted above it. She hadn’t purchased any type of cable plan yet and she wasn’t sure she would. She had a DVD player and some movies if she really wanted the noise.

  “Is that gas or wood?” Sheila asked.

  “Gas.”

  “I love it. I’ve been begging Karen to replace our wood one with gas, but unfortunately she likes to chop wood.” Sheila shrugged. “Crazy. I know.”

  “I didn’t want the mess of wood or the need to gather it.”

  Sheila nodded as she stepped into the kitchen area and deposited her bag on the counter. “I brought everything you need except spices. Do you have any?”

  Lucy opened the cabinet above their head and displayed the thirty little jars her mother had sent as a housewarming gift. The gift was one more sign that she hadn’t bothered to get to know her adult daughter. Her mother had never visited any of the places she lived, and she had no reason to expect this one would be different. Not that Lucy had put in much effort either. She couldn’t remember the last time she had visited her childhood home in the northern panhandle of West Virginia. She had met her mother at a hotel in Pittsburgh for one night several years ago. Christmas, maybe. Lucy had been passing through and whatever the reason, maybe it was the holiday, her mother suggested they meet for the night. The fact that her mother had been willing to drive the two hours north from West Virginia had made Lucy feel guilty enough to change her plans for the one-night layover.

  “That’s quite an impressive display,” Sheila said, pulling Lucy from her thoughts.

  “Thanks,” she mumbled. Maybe her mother had done something right, and she should make an effort too.

  “Okay, dice up the onion and red pepper and sauté them in chicken broth. Add a bit of these spices,” Sheila explained as she pulled the spices from the cabinet and set them on the counter. “These are plum tomatoes. Dice them and add them last. Let it simmer until the tomatoes are the consistency you want. It’s the best tomato soup you’ll ever have or you can add ground beef or turkey and make it into chili.”

  “That sounds delicious,” Lucy said sincerely. She really didn’
t know how to cook, but it sounded easy enough.

  Sheila smiled, stopping at the door and turning. “Can we expect you for dinner Saturday night?”

  “Well, uh, sure, I guess.” Having a few friends wouldn’t hurt, she supposed. Especially since she wasn’t around much. It would be hard for them to become a nuisance.

  “Great,” Sheila said, ignoring Lucy’s hesitation. “Come on over anytime, but we’ll eat about six.”

  Lucy nodded. “I’ll see you then.”

  She watched Sheila climb into the UTV and drive away. Even though she had just met them, she had to admit she liked Sheila and Karen already and a part of her was looking forward to dinner with them. Having friends was not something she indulged in, especially moving as much as she did. It felt good to put down roots, and friends were a good way of doing that. Besides anyone who kept a donkey like Bogarts around must be okay.

  Chapter Five

  Dex leaned against the railing on the balcony and gazed down at the glimmering blue water below her. Normally the draw of a refreshing pool would have her neck-deep within minutes, but one too many screams from the abundance of children was pushing her away. She flipped a page on the hotel directory, which showed nearby attractions, and took another sip of the caramel macchiato she had grabbed in the lobby on her way in. Eastern Airlines’s contract with Marriott ensured she always had a clean, comfortable room. Usually they were booked at the lower ends of the chain, but the airline did splurge when necessary to keep them close to the airport.

  On the way to the hotel, she had been surprised by the willingness of the cab driver to swing through the drive-through so she could get one of the famous cheeseburgers she had heard so much about. Maybe it helped that she bought one for him too. She wasn’t a picky eater, but the juicy burger had been delicious. She especially liked the luxury of eating in her room. Balancing her burger bag, coffee, and suitcase had been a challenge, but it was well worth the peace and quiet.