by A. E. Radley
“Yes.” Jessica nodded. “She doesn’t want a break between courses.”
Emily quickly plated the meal and went back into the cabin and placed the dish on Olivia’s table and put some fresh cutlery beside it. “Can I get you anything else, Miss Lewis?”
Olivia looked happy at the speed of delivery and shook her head. “No, that’s wonderful, thank you, Miss White.”
Emily quickly poured wine for her row and began serving the starters when she noticed that Olivia had finished her main meal.
“All finished?” she asked and, at Olivia’s nod, removed the plate. “Would you like me to clear everything away?”
“Yes, I’m going to prepare for bed,” Olivia said as she picked her wash bag from out of the storage bin by the window.
“I’ll have your bed ready for when you get back,” Emily said with a smile. She cleared all of the items from the table and folded the it back into the wall and clicked it into place.
In the galley, Emily quickly deposited the dishes and used linens into the appropriate trolley, opened a storage locker, and removed a stack of bedding. The sound of the washroom door closing indicated that Olivia had left her seat and Emily rushed into action to close the window blind and make the bed.
When she had finished, she stepped back to review her work. Jessica passed by and nodded. “Looking good, Em.”
Emily continued serving the remaining meals. At one point she looked up to see Olivia exiting the washroom. She wore pyjamas and the airline-provided slippers, her face was scrubbed clean of makeup and she got into bed. She switched off the dim nightlight and then donned a face mask and earplugs.
Back in the galley Emily said, “So, Miss Lewis takes her sleep seriously eh?”
Jessica laughed. “Yep, and nothing wakes her. I don’t know how long she’s done this journey, but she’s just out like a light so don’t worry about tiptoeing past her.”
Over the next hour, Emily and Jessica finished the dinner service and slowly set up all of the beds, except for Liam Jones’s because he had passed out in his seat. Both women had tried to wake him but he was out for the count which Jessica said wasn’t unusual. They placed a blanket over him and left him alone. Once everyone was tucked up in bed, Jessica turned the cabin lights to the dimmest setting and drew the curtains as she entered the galley.
“So, what do you think?” Jessica asked Emily with a smile.
“Yeah,” Emily nodded. “Hard work!”
“Yep, but as long as you have a good partner then it’s all fine. You did really well tonight, you should be proud.”
“I don’t know about that,” Emily said shyly. “It was okay, I need to speed up a bit.”
“That comes with time,” Jessica said. “Now, let’s get the galley cleared and then we can prep for breakfast which we’ll serve in…” she looked at her watch, “three hours.”
CHAPTER 4
By the time breakfast service had begun, Iris had called to advise Emily and Jessica that the captain was benefitting from a strong tailwind which meant they were landing twenty minutes earlier than expected. That meant that breakfast needed to be served, eaten, cleared, and everything stowed for landing within the next forty-five minutes or there would be a delay. They quickly served breakfast consisting of a hot meal for those who wanted it, and cereals for those who didn’t, as well as tea and coffee.
As Emily poured Miss Lewis her second cup of tea, she noticed her check her watch for the second time. “We’re running a little early due to a strong tail wind, around twenty minutes early.”
“Oh, I see,” Miss Lewis replied. “I had wondered.”
Emily smiled and removed the breakfast plate from the table.
“I’m very conscious about time,” Miss Lewis confessed, almost awkwardly.
“So am I, especially in this job,” Emily replied with a smile.
Knowing that Olivia Lewis chose to sit in 10A to get a quick getaway, Emily prepared her items first and as soon as the aircraft stopped in the arrival gate and the seatbelt light was switched off, she was beside Olivia with her belongings.
“Oh, thank you,” Olivia said in pleasant surprise as Emily helped her into her overcoat, knowing that the London morning chill would require it.
Jessica and Emily provided everyone with their belongings and stood by the exit to say farewell. As soon as their passengers deplaned they returned to their cabin to check for any left belongings.
“Doctor Harvey’s left you a tip and a note,” Jessica said as she handed Emily a fifty-dollar bill and a folded piece of paper.
“Oh my God,” Emily said with surprise. “That’s so nice.” The note was a rambling thank you stating he hoped to see her again soon. “So, I can keep this, or do I have to report it to…?”
“No.” Jessica shook her head. “First-class passengers often tip, it’s an unspoken rule that we just don’t tell anyone.”
Emily nodded and read the note again.
“Looks like Miss Lewis likes you, too.” Jessica said pointed at seat 10A. Emily picked up an origami swan made from a folded bill.
“Wow, that’s amazing.” Emily held the delicate paper in the palm of her hand and looked at it in awe.
“Better pocket it before Iris comes up here, she’s funny about tips, she thinks they should be given back to the passengers.”
“Isn’t that rude?”
“I think so,” Jessica agreed. “And I’m not about to chase down a passenger and tell them to keep their money!”
After a quick inspection of the cabin they disembarked the aircraft and following a swift meeting in the Crown offices, they were dismissed for the day. Jessica hugged Emily and said she couldn’t wait to see her again next Sunday. Emily had waved her off before catching a shuttle bus to the hotel she was booked into.
* * *
Emily stared up at the ceiling from her hotel bed and smiled, it was going to be damned hard work but she knew it was worth it. She reached into her pocket and took out the fifty dollars and the note from Doctor Harvey and read it again with a smile, hoping that she would see the kind man again.
From her other pocket and took out the origami swan, it seemed almost a shame to unfold it but she knew she had to as she couldn’t let money go to waste, no matter how beautifully it was presented.
Emily slowly unwrapped the swan, careful not to rip it and looked at the bill in shock. It was a one-hundred-dollar bill. She carefully flattened it out and stared it for a moment in surprise as she wondered what on earth she’d done to deserve one hundred and fifty dollars’ worth of tips.
Summoning some energy, she got changed into jeans and a sweater and bagged up her work uniform. She quickly went down to reception to drop it off, double-checking that they would have it back to her by that evening. She returned to her room exhausted and peeled off her jeans and sweater to crawl into bed. The last thing she did was set her phone alarm to wake her at one in the afternoon so she could call Henry and tell him about her adventures.
It barely seemed like ten minutes had passed before her alarm was bleeping. Emily had to double-check her phone with the clock in the room to assure herself that she had slept for over three hours. Exhaustion soon gave way to excitement as she connected her phone to the hotel’s Wi-Fi service and opened a free call application and called Lucy.
She wiped at the sleep in her eyes and smothered a yawn as she held the phone to her ear and waited for an answer.
“Mommy!”
Emily smiled as she realised that the second Lucy’s phone had rung Henry had grabbed it.
“Hey, Henry!”
“Mommy!” He shouted again, his excitement clear in his voice.
“Yep.” Emily giggled. “How are you doing?”
“Mommy, are you in London now?” Henry asked, ignoring her question.
“Yes, I’m in London now.”
“Wow,” Henry whispered in awe, his grasp of time and distance still not quite developed.
“And it’s the aftern
oon here,” Emily told him, keen to help him understand the intricacies of travelling through time zones.
“It’s the morning here,” Henry told her.
“I know, you just had breakfast, right?” Emily smiled, her heart clenching as she wanted nothing more than to reach through the phone and hold him tight.
“Yep, pancakes!” Henry announced with pride before his tone became serious. “When will you be home?”
“Tomorrow afternoon,” Emily told him, feeling like it was an eternity away.
“Okay,” Henry said casually. “Lucy wants to talk to you now. I love you, Mommy.”
“I love you too, Henry,” Emily said before she heard the shuffling of the phone being handed over.
“Hi,” Lucy’s voice replaced the shuffling. “How’s London?”
“I have no idea, I’m exhausted!” Emily admitted. “Is everything okay there?”
“Yes, everything’s fine,” Lucy replied and Emily could almost hear the rolling of Lucy’s eyes at this frequently asked question. “We played games, had dinner and then Henry had a bath and went to bed. Then he woke up half an hour ago, he has barely had time to miss you.”
“I suppose you’re right,” Emily said sadly. “It’s so weird being so far away from him.”
“I know but I promise you I’m taking good care of him and I don’t let him out of my sight.”
“I don’t know what I’d do without you,” Emily admitted, trying to fend off the tears that had formed in her eyes.
“You’ll never have to find out,” Lucy told her seriously. “Now, tell me all about the people in first-class. What are they like?”
Emily sighed deeply and expelled a small laugh and the two friends began talking about the adventures of Emily’s first service in the first-class cabin.
CHAPTER 5
Emily had never thought that time could pass so quickly. It was Friday morning and she was in the Crown Airlines staffroom at London Heathrow clutching a cup of coffee and holding back a yawn. She’d completed two more transatlantic flights since her first one, six days ago.
Her daytime flight back to New York on Tuesday had been eventful, in that it had been delayed for two hours once the passengers had boarded, and she and her crewmate, Ashley, had their work cut out for them dealing with the frustrated first-class passengers. The day flight had been hard work, a constant stream of meals, drinks, and conversations with the passengers had her longing for the night flights.
On Wednesday evening, she returned to London on a night flight with, Anna, another stewardess, who had given her lots of helpful advice on how to cope with jetlag and disturbed sleep schedules. Not that the information helped much with a schedule as packed as Emily’s. She took another sip of coffee as she tried to wake herself up for her return trip to New York, set to depart at nine o’clock that morning.
“You must be Emily White?”
Emily looked up to see a tall, long-limbed, brunette in a Crown Airlines uniform approach with a friendly grin.
“Yes, that’s me.” Emily stood up and smiled.
“I’m Kerry,” she held out her hand. “Jessica told me all about you, I’m your partner in crime for this flight.”
Emily shook Kerry’s hand. “Oh, great to meet you.”
“Likewise,” Kerry said and they both sat down. “Jessica told me about your schedule so I didn’t know if I’d find you upright or not.”
Emily laughed. “Well, it’s been an experience, that’s for sure.”
“I’ll bet,” Kerry nodded. She looked up and saw someone enter the staffroom.
“Have you met Iris Winter yet?” Kerry asked as she nodded to the stern looking woman who had just walked in.
“Yes, she was on my Sunday flight out here.” Emily smiled at Iris but wasn’t surprised when the woman ignored her and joined a group of other cabin managers.
“Ugh.” Kerry shook her head. “You have to put up with her twice a week?”
“Yep.” Emily nodded. “She’s left me alone so far though.”
“Good,” Kerry said. “You really don’t want to cross her.”
“So I hear.”
Silence fell over the room as Iris began her briefing session.
* * *
The low rumbling sounds of air turbulence began again and Kerry let out a sigh as she grabbed hold of the workbench in the galley to steady herself.
“I hope this stops before we serve the hot meals,” Emily commented catching an empty plastic bottle that had started to roll towards the edge of the workbench.
“That’s the fifth time the Captain has put the seatbelt sign on,” Kerry said as she picked up the intercom and requested that the first-class passengers take their seats.
Emily secured the trolleys and checked that there was nothing that could move during turbulence before heading out into the cabin to check that all of the passengers had their seatbelts on. Quickly passing through the cabin, she noticed that Olivia Lewis’s seat was empty and looked towards the occupied washroom before returning to the galley.
“Miss Lewis is in the washroom, everyone else is sitting down,” Emily said, bracing herself against the wall as the aircraft lurched.
“Iris has just called and asked me to help out in economy,” Kerry rolled her eyes and grabbed a handful of sickbags as she exited the galley.
“Miss White?”
Emily turned and gasped. Olivia stood in the washroom doorway, a small trickle of blood ran down the side of her face. Emily grabbed the first aid kit and stumbled into the washroom as another jolt of turbulence hit the aircraft.
Emily manoeuvred Miss Lewis so she was sitting down on the toilet seat in the cramped washroom. Blood smeared the shelf over the sink. It was clear to Emily what had happened.
“Are you okay?” Emily asked as she leaned in to examine the cut.
Olivia immediately stiffened. “I think so.”
“It doesn’t look too bad, I’ll need to clean it though.” Emily placed the first aid kit on the sink and unzipped it. “My hands are clean but just to follow procedure,” Emily explained as she took out a pair of latex gloves and snapped them on.
She held Olivia’s face carefully in both hands and tilted her head up so she could see the cut clearly. Their eyes met briefly and Emily gave her a reassuring smile.
“I’m so stupid,” Olivia mumbled as she studied the wound.
“Not at all, the turbulence is quite severe,” Emily soothed. “Do you feel dizzy or light-headed?”
“No,” Olivia shook her head and then winced at the movement.
Emily opened a cleansing wipe and started to carefully clean around the wound. “Any blurred vision?”
“No.”
“Nausea?”
“No.”
“Headache?”
“No more than usual.” Olivia let out a sigh. “Sorry to take you away from your duties.”
“You are my duty.” She paused as Olivia’s eyes flicked up to meet hers with confusion. “I mean, the well-being of all passengers is my duty.”
The aircraft lurched causing her to fall closer to Olivia before she braced herself against the wall.
“Sorry,” Emily mumbled softly.
Olivia sat still with her head angled upwards as Emily pressed a piece of gauze to the wound to stem the bleeding, before placing a small sticking plaster over the cut. This close, Emily noted the nervous swallowing and the heightened colour in Olivia’s cheeks as she gently cleaned the blood.
“There, good as new.” She pulled off the latex gloves and threw them in the bin. “Are you sure you’re okay? It looks like you’re starting to bruise.”
“Much better, thank you for your assistance, Miss White.”
“Please, call me Emily.”
“Very well, E-Emily.” Olivia smiled gratefully.
* * *
“I drewed the plane you work in,” Henry held up a piece of paper for Emily to look at.
“You drew the plane,” Emily gently corrected. Sh
e took the paper and looked at the multiple scrawls. “Very good, Henry, should we put this in your book?”
He scampered towards his bedroom to pick out his scrapbook. In the half an hour Emily had been home, Henry had told her about every single thing that had happened while she had been away.
“He’s okay, you know.” Lucy placed a tray of hot drinks on the coffee table and sat beside Emily.
“I know, it’s me who’s not okay,” She said with a sigh. “I knew it would be hard to be away from him, but I miss him so much already. The distance makes it worse.”
Henry dashed back into the living room with his arms full of paper, pens, and his scrapbook and sat on the floor in front of the television.
“Just keep reminding yourself that it’s not forever. You just need to get a little money together and then you can pull back on the hours,” Lucy said softly so Henry wouldn’t hear. “And then you can start living life again, maybe start seeing people?”
Emily let out a sigh. “I don’t have the time or the energy for dating.”
“Are you sure?” Lucy picked up a mug of coffee and curled up on the sofa. “I think you could do with the break. You know we’re happy to watch Henry whenever you need.”
“I feel like I hardly see him as it is,” Emily pointed out. “I want more time with him, not less. I wouldn’t feel right going out when I could be spending time with him.”
Tom entered the living room and ruffled Henry’s hair. He picked up his coffee. “Did you tell Lucy about the tips?” he asked and flopped heavily into an armchair.
“Yes, she did,” Lucy said. “So much extra money coming in is great.”
“Yeah, I just feel like I’m not actually earning it,” Emily said.
“They must think you deserve it,” Lucy commented.
Henry got up from in front of the television and started to walk backwards to his mother, eyes still stuck on the screen. As he bumped into Emily’s legs she laughed lightly and took the scrapbook out of his hand.
“Do you want some help with the glue, Henry?”