by Oliver Rill
“Matt, I’m really sorry that I didn’t tell you that Alan was coming. But I really do think it was perfectly reasonable to introduce you.”
“You know I want to stay your secret. Alan’s business and we’re private here.”
“Alan is business, but he’s also private too. He’s both. I like him as a friend.” I countered.
“Business and private. We are on both levels, but I don’t want anyone else to be. I want you to be my secret, okay?”
“But we need friends, Matt. We can’t live in isolation. No man is an island – who said that? And anyway, Alan had already guessed.”
“Please, Oli. I can’t do that.”
“And what about me? Do I have to live a lie to all my friends? What about Daniel? He’s one of my closest friends. We’re going to be hanging out with him a lot when he gets here.”
“Well let him get here first. When I’ve got to know him and know that I can trust him, I’ll tell him. Me! You get it?”
“Matt, can we do a deal?”
“I love doing deals with you. What do you want?”
“If we ever separate, I’m still going to need you at Can Am. I hired you because of your skills.”
“You hired me cos I made you horny!”
I had to grin. That was so true. “And I don’t want to break up our team. We work well together, even when there are problems at home.”
“As long as you don’t use me like a circus exhibition.”
“Please. Promise me that whatever happens between us, I can rely on you at work. That’s really important to me, Matt.”
“And what do I get out of it?”
“My continuing and undying adoration?”
“Hah! That’s a cop out! You adore me anyway! No. I want you to discuss with me who’s going to come into our private sphere and who’s allowed to know about us. And I want the final say on who is allowed into it.”
“And you’d set your career on the line for that?”
“Yes. It’s really important to me!” He said, aping my earlier comment.
“Ok. I’ll try to do that.”
“I’m ready, let’s go pick up your friend.” Matt said next morning. “Are we taking your car or mine?”
“Let me drive, I’m more relaxed.” Matt and I had a whole load to catch up on. Not just in private, there was a whole load of business stuff that had been going on too. We had to try to get good parking places or slots in as many of the large airports as we could. We would have to split up to do it, too, or it would take too long.
“And you have to go off next week on your own. I have to fly to Fort Myers and sort out some stuff there.”
“And do you jog when you’re there?”
“It was really too hot, Matt. But I did find a good gym. The trainers there are great.”
“Yeah, when they stand with their ass hanging over you while they make sure you don’t drop the dumbbells. Of course they are.”
“They stand behind me, not over me.” I said primly.
“Hah! That’s even more incriminating! Are they checking you out?”
“If it was you that was training me, then I’d definitely be in the dock!”
“We’ll have to get a Langhantel bench!” He said, smiling suggestively.
“I don’t want anything like that in the house. But maybe I’ll need to clean out the drain and want you to pass me the brush.”
“You are so perverted! But I can do home-working you know.”
Daniel came out of immigration, exhausted from the long flight. We didn’t hang around and got him to the car as soon as we could.
“So, Daniel, how was the flight?”
“The food wasn’t so good, but everything else was fine. How does it all work? Is it like the computer game?”
Daniel was smaller than me. He had a round, contented face and a figure that showed how much he liked his food. He sat in the back seat and pushed his head between our seats to talk to us.
“Ha ha ha. Almost. No. Actually it’s not. You’re dealing with real people. Recruiting doesn’t happen at the push of a button and of course you have no idea what goes on in the competition’s affairs. We do have to balance up outgoings with incomings and check that the ticket price is right though and of course, we have to plan routes and so on. Matt does most of that for me. He’s a real whizz at analysing figures and finding new routes.”
“Cool. I dug out some training stuff from my training days at Condor.” Daniel was himself an attendant in various small airlines in an earlier life.
“Good stuff! We do have some training materials. Mainly about key learning goals. Up till now we’ve used the trained staff to train the new recruits, but that’s not enough anymore. We have too many new recruits. We’ve taken a lot of our staff from the catering trade and they have to be trained in all areas except food hygiene. That’s going to be your job. What are you going to need for that other than a swimming pool?”
“And a training plane of course.” Matt and I looked at each other. Where would we get one of those? Our planes were in use on the routes as soon as they were delivered.”
“Ok Matt. You two are going to have to collaborate. As soon as a plane gets a longer break, Daniel and the newbies are going to have to use it in between flights.” Matt nodded.
“Ok. Do you have somewhere for me to stay? And where am I based?” Daniel asked.
“Kim Basinger’s garden house. That’s ok isn’t it? No seriously, Matt found an apartment for you and has paid the rent for a month in the first instance. We’ll see how it goes and if you like it, you can extend the contract, or look for something else. It’s in West Hollywood, not far from me. You’re going to need a car, our office is in Venice.”
“Right. I’m going to have to save up a bit first.”
“I can lend it to you, no problem.”
“I thought I’d get a company car.”
“Sorry Dan, that job doesn’t come with one.”
We went back to Daniel’s apartment. I found it really uplifting, not quite Melrose Place, but it certainly gave you an air of comfortable living. It was a house with several Spanish-style apartments with a tidy inner courtyard with benches nestled between flowering bushes. Like a small oasis in the busy city. Daniel had already indicated that he wanted to extend the contract for another year.
We drove to one of the car dealerships to look for something small and cheap for him. Ford had nothing to our taste. Neither did the next dealer. We finally found one with a very nice Mercedes SLK with a removable hard-top, a red Mustang Coupe and black Mustang convertible.
“I know which one he’s going to go for.” Predicted Matt and I nodded in agreement. Daniel took a while longer to come to a decision.
“It’s expensive at $11,000, isn’t it? I like the SLK, but it’s so small.”
“I’ll go in and pay for the black Mustang, ok?”
“Can I afford that, though?”
“I think it’ll be ok, Daniel. We’ll sign the contract tomorrow.”
“Well, ok then. The Mustang.” He resigned himself to his fate.
“Dark and beautiful!” Cheered Matt. “I knew he was going to take that one.” I threw him a contented look and it was on the tip of my tongue to say “Just like you!”, but I hadn’t forgotten our agreement.
That evening we sat at the poolside. Matt and Daniel were creased up with laughter at some joke as Aristo arrived on the scene. I had just given Daniel the big house tour and he had half joking said he was moving in here too. Who wouldn’t jump at the chance!
“You even have a cook!” He exclaimed, “That is so over-the-top!”
“Well, to be precise, he’s my housekeeper. He cleans and does the washing, but he’s trained as a chef.”
“And your assistant is really hot. He’s hetero, isn’t he?”
I smiled, evasively. “He is very fit, yes.”
“I could eat him alive. It’s all so cool, Oli, really cool. I am so looking forward to going into the
office tomorrow. Then I want to take a Can Am flight. I need to know what standard I am working to.”
“Ask Matt if you can go with him. I think he’s flying to Las Vegas or somewhere tomorrow. We need to speak to the airport administration.”
I don’t have to tell you, the reader, how sexy I found Matt as he appeared in tight fitting tank tops or T-shirts with massive cut-outs, emphasising his rippling muscles. But late that evening, he came back from the kitchen and sat on my lap, pressing against me and kissing me passionately in front of everyone.
“It’s ok now, Oli.” He murmured in my ear and looked into my eyes.
“I knew it! Oli you really are shameless!” Daniel cried then to Aristo in a stage whisper, “Oli always has the pick of the bunch, then moans that he never gets any.” He adjusted his view to look at Aristo appraisingly. “You’re not gay too, are you?” Risto threw back his head and laughed. No he wasn’t gay.
Matt and I arrived at the office early. We sat in my office savouring our morning coffee. I suggested that Daniel should have one of the offices near Aristo as they would need to confer on matters of recruitment and training most of the time.
Aristo was learning more and more about staffing from the Human Resources manager and was becoming quite knowledgeable in matters of hiring, firing and payments. I liked to see his enthusiasm.
“When are you flying off, Matt?”
“My flight is at 11 and I’ll be back to drag you out jogging, my friend! You haven’t done anything for three days!”
“No, but we have been stretching muscles in another way.” I tried to defend myself.
“You have quite athletic muscles in certain parts of your body, that’s true.” He admitted, “But that isn’t an Olympic discipline.”
“Ok, okay! I’ll subjugate myself to your torture again this evening.”
“Here you are!” Daniel looked into the office. “And flirting again, I see.”
“Hrumph,” I cleared my throat. “Matt, would you excuse us, please? I need to talk to Daniel about his contract. Are you taking him with you when you fly to Vegas?”
“For you, anything, boss.” He winked at us and skipped around the door to his office.
“Ok, Daniel,” I adopted a business manner. “You get $40,000 from us, no car unfortunately, but we pay for your rent for the first six months. We’ll also arrange your green card. You have 30 days holiday. That’s a really generous amount for America! You get a discount on flights too, of course which is more a waiver as you will only need to pay the tax on the flight, which works out at about ten percent. I must admit, I’m not sure what happens about friends and family, you’ll have to ask Sharon. You’ll need to make your bookings through her too. I’m sure we’ll get an app to do it with eventually, but in the meantime, you’ll have to see her.”
As I listened to myself talk, I realised that we were slowly developing into a real firm, with holiday allowances and staff discounts. They were all real policies that had been brought in from the different departments that we didn’t’ have before. I had given my blessing to them and signed them off as they had seemed reasonable at the time. Now as I gave Daniel his induction, the full extent became clear to me.
“Yeah, great. That all sounds fine. Do I have an office?”
“Of course! We’re going to sit you in an office right near Aristo’s, but it’s not quite ready yet. It should be all finished tomorrow.”
“Show me where it is. I want to see it.”
I led Daniel around the building until Matt called me to say that they had to leave. During the day Edgar from Delta called to ask me if I wanted any 757s from him. He did have some 767s, but only the model 200 which only took around 180 passengers. They were all old machines, differing only in age and technical details. There wasn’t much difference in the distances they could travel either.
I was on the waiting list for Boeing, but didn’t seem to be moving. In three months the 747-8 would be delivered and I was getting anxious that I wouldn’t have the uptake for it.
“So how many 767s have you got then?” I asked with a nagging feeling that I shouldn’t be posing the question.
“Around 80, I’d say.” He laughed. “Don’t worry, we’ve already sold a few.”
“Ok. I couldn’t have taken that many anyway. I’ll take a look at how I can fit them in and get back to you.”
“You got anything to tell me about Hawaii?” He asked.
“Well, what do you want to know? It’s got beautiful beaches. I’ve never been. You?”
“You got a lot of flights going out that way. American Airlines has dropped their prices. We’re thinking about it too.”
“You can try, Ed. I wouldn’t’ though. What’s your take up?”
“80-85 percent, but keep that under your hat.”
“Ed, anything we talk about stays between us. Hey, we’re neighbors in LAX, I’m not going to start a fight with the only person in the branch who likes me. I do wonder though, if you are more interested in turnover than profit or if you‘d rather have a few free seats and a decent profit. You’ve got shareholders to keep happy after all.”
“You’re so lucky you don’t have shareholders to please. I’m jealous of that. It’s a nightmare. So in the end you mean I shouldn’t go with the flow and I shouldn’t lower my prices? What are your bookings looking like then?”
“As full as Charlie Sheen after the last take.”
“Ha ha ha. No, really? You are mega expensive. Over 90 percent?”
“Sometimes over 100 percent”
“What happens with overbookings?”
“We clap them on the back with sympathy or we run to the nearest and cheapest and buy them a ticket. I can’t send them directly to you, because you don’t want to work with us.”
“Not ‘don’t want to’, Oli, ‘can’t’. You aren’t part of the Skyteam group. They don’t allow lone traders and you really have to run the gauntlet getting approved.”
I laughed. “Is there a written test or do I have to undergo an initiation test?”
“You know the old telephone books? That’s how thick the regulation book is. Once it’s up and running it’s ok, but until then …” He trailed off, leaving me with an impression of an impregnable tangle of red tape that would have to be tackled before we got anywhere near where we wanted to be.
“Eddie-boy, I’d love to get an invite to one of the meetings so I can see. It might be interesting.”
I wasn’t sure how good an idea it would be to join an alliance and give up my ‘independent’ status. The advantage was obvious. More passengers fed in immediately from a wide network of airports. On the other hand, I’d have to lower my prices and put myself under the restrictions of the group agreements and rules, especially with Delta. As it was, I could make my own mind up where I flew and at what price.
I paid Melvin a visit to ask whether the cash flow was going to allow us, earlier than expected to bring in more planes from Delta. Melvin tore himself away from the screen, leaned back and levelled a serious gaze at me.
“We’ve just got to the point where we have a small, really small, cushion behind us. I’m juggling bills all day here.”
“What about the profits?”
“Hmm. They are up, I’m glad to say. This quarter we can count on around $111,000,000.”
“How much? That’s crazy! And you are um-ing and ah-ing about whether we can get another plane or two!” I knew we were doing well, but how well hadn’t occurred to me.
“We’re investing it, too. Every plane that gets delivered has to be kitted out, painted, furnished and so on. We’ve got 60 orders on the go, we’re going to need 120 million to get them in the air.”
“Good, but that means that we’re going to be earning money by June at the latest.”
Melvin laughed. “As long as our president doesn’t saddle us with further new investments, yes. I’ll tell you this now. You can take around five of those planes, but then we have to talk about tightening our
belts. If you can hold off till June, I may be able to approve another 20 planes. And I’ll tell you something else: From July this year until the end of the year, there will be no more investing. We’re going to save and talk about increasing stock again in the New Year.”
“I knew it was a good idea to come to you, Melvin. I’ll start working on it right away!”
I grabbed the phone and dialled Ed’s number.
“Ed? I’ll take 20 of your 767s. Five now, then five each in April, May and June.”
“Great, I’ve made a note of that. And I’m not going to change the prices for Hawaii. Thanks for the tip again!”
I called Aristo. “Aristo, you’ll need take on another 120 flight personnel. Just to let you know.”
“Hey Man, where’m I gonna get ‘em?” He wailed, panic in his voice.
“I’ve got an appearance on TV, next week. No, the week after. That should scare up a few more applications.”
“As long as you don’t screw up, yeah. Good idea though. Thanks.”
My next call was Daniel.
“How’s Vegas?”
“Cool! Real cool. Just busy at the moment. I’ve got to start again in an hour.”
“I forgot to tell you that we’ve only got to train around 400 staff this year.”
“I quit! Ha ha ha. No, seriously. So many? How am I going to manage that?”
“Google it! No idea, you’ll find help on the net though. We’ll talk tonight.”
“Oh yeah, your sexy boyfriend has persuaded me to join you jogging. I’m out of breath just thinking about it!”
“Yeah well, these young boys! You have to do something other than eat chocolate and watch Netflix! No, I really think it’s a good thing that he pushes me to do something. I feel much better for it, too.”
“You look better for it, too. You can really see the change it’s made in you. Not quite up to Matt’s standard, but it is noticeable.”
“Thanks, Daniel! I’m glad all that hard work is paying off. You’ll notice the difference really quickly, too.”