“Oh, yes! We’re going to surprise my dad,” Vanessa replied. “He’s in Chicago.”
“He was transferred there as a marketing executive a few months ago,” Barbra explained.
“What? He’s moved away and you two didn’t join him?” Alice was obviously stunned.
Barbra’s eyes caught those of Rob, the male ticket agent standing nearby. He immediately looked away as if he hadn’t been listening.
“Well, he got a promotion and we had to make a decision as a family as to what was best for all of us,” Barbra said. “Vanessa here only has a few more months left before she graduates high school and we didn’t feel the need to uproot her at this stage. Charlie will come and get us after Vanessa graduates and we’ll move to Chicago with him.”
“That means you’ll have to sell your house and everything?” Alice inquired. “I’m assuming you folks have your own house...”
“Yes, we do, but we won’t put it up for sale,” Barbra revealed. “Charlie has a three year contract with the company, so we’re going to return home after his contract is up. We’ve talked about leasing the house out until it’s time for us to return.”
“You and dad can do whatever you like after I graduate,” Vanessa said. “But I’m going to Medical School.”
“You’re right, dear.” Barbra replied.
“You wanna be a doctor, huh?” Alice asked. “That’s really cool.”
“Yes, an endocrinologist.” Vanessa replied.
“And she’ll make a good one too,” Barbra indicated. “Goodness knows she’s experimented enough with the many dolls we bought her growing up!”
“Now! Now!” Alice shook her head. “I don’t believe the dolls were hurt, but I get your point, Mrs. Cooley.” She giggled. “I’m sure your daughter will make a superb endocrinologist.”
She handed Barbra the documents, then turned to Vanessa. “All the best in your studies, young lady. The world is your oyster. Remember that.”
“I will. Thank you.” Vanessa smiled.
“You guys proceed down to the G Terminal toward the departure gate. The plane’s been notified of your arrival and is waiting for you.” Alice assured them.
“Thanks so much!” Barbra said. “It was nice meeting you.”
“Y’all too!”
Alice watched as they headed off to board the plane. “Nice family,” she said to her co-worker, Rob.
“Uh, huh,” he replied, with an uninterested nod.
Barbra and Vanessa sat back in their seats. Vanessa had snatched the one right by the window, while Barbra took the middle chair. A lanky young man sat in the seat nearest to the aisle.
“What a rush that was!” Barbra quietly exclaimed.
“We would’ve been here much earlier if you hadn’t stopped at Aunt Tess’ for that cheesecake,” Vanessa politely scolded her.
“She was insistent on us taking it for your dad. You know how much he loves her cheesecake.” Barbra leaned her head against Vanessa’s. “I see why those two are so close. If I had a sister who bakes such delicious pastries for me all the time, I’d be glued to her like white on rice.”
Vanessa chuckled. “I guess the cheesecake was worth the risk of us missing our flight. After all, it would’ve gotten to dad just fine if we hadn’t been able to board the plane.”
“Very funny!” Barbra laughed. “It really was my fault though. I’d forgotten to pick it up from her last night although she reminded me to before I left for work.”
“I know, Mom. Anyway, we’re here now and before long we’ll be in Chicago with dad. He’ll probably piss his pants when he sees us.”
“Have that phone camera ready to catch his expression,” Barbra said. “I’m so looking forward to seeing it!”
Soon after, the plane started down the runway, then eventually made its forceful elevation into the vast, cloudy sky.
3
_________________
Sara dashed into Mira’s room and frantically attempted to shake her awake. It was 3:20 in the afternoon. “Mira, wake up!” she demanded.
“What is it?” Mira turned over, peering into her mother’s worried eyes.
“I just heard something on the radio—something about a plane going down that was headed for Chicago.” Sara very rarely called her daughter by her first name and whenever she did, Mira knew she had something serious on her mind.
“What?” Mira’s heart started to race, even more than it did when she was being interrogated in church hours earlier by Father Bob. She sat up right away.
“Now, we don’t know if it’s Bobby’s flight, honey. The DJ said he heard there was a distressed call. How do we find out which plane it was?” Sara asked.
All the visitations of the dark angel flooded Mira’s brain and she felt herself entering a panic mode. “Oh, my God! Let me see if I can reach him!” She grabbed her cell phone from the nightstand and with trembling hands, punched in Bobby’s number.
The phone immediately went to voicemail.
“Don’t know if he has it on airplane mode,” she said. “There’s only one thing left to do and that’s to call the airline.”
Sara quickly went and retrieved the phone book from the living room. “Here!” she said. “I’d need my reading glasses to see anything in there.”
Mira skimmed through the pages and spotted the number for the Airlines, and dialed it right away.
“I’m calling to find out if flight 428 headed for Chicago this afternoon is still en route.”
The lady on the next end of the line blurted: “Ma’am, you’re like the fiftieth caller already in the past few minutes. That DJ on the radio’s about to give someone a heart attack. Flight 428 is still in route to Chicago and should be landing in a few minutes. I’m sure your loved one is safe and sound.”
Mira breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you,” she said softly, and hung up the phone.
“Mom, Bobby’s all right!”
Sara plonked down on the bed next to Mira, resting her hand on her chest. “Thank God! When I heard the news, I was so worried. I didn’t mean to startle you, Sweet Pea, but I just didn’t know what to do.”
“It’s all right, Mom.” She glanced at the clock on the nightstand. “Where’s Rosie?”
“She and Max headed over to the Morrison’s after lunch. Ashley’s dad just got home a few minutes ago.”
Ashley Morrison was a few years older than Rosie. The two had become rather close after Ashley and her parents moved into the neighborhood about a year earlier. Ashley had not seen her mother after she was jailed for a most horrific crime, but none of the neighbors held it against Ashley or her dad.
As Mira stood up, a vision of a plane doing a nosedive through the air startled her. Then she saw it split into three parts, each portion, along with countless debris landing in different directions. It felt like an explosion had erupted in her head and she collapsed onto the bed.
Sara reached for her while Mira held her head as if in excruciating pain. “What’s wrong, honey? What is it?” Sara probed.
Mira could not muster the strength to respond.
“Do you need something? Should I call 911?”
“No. I’m fine,” Mira finally replied as her hands fell at her side and she attempted to collect herself. “I saw the other plane.”
“The other plane?” Sara’s eyes widened.
Mira nodded. She had the look of terror on her face. “They’re all dead!” she whispered.
“All….dead?” Sara felt like she’d been punched in the gut. The fear of Bobby’s plane crashing was horrifying, but she felt terrible for the passengers of the other flight.
“Are you sure, honey? I mean...that they’re all dead?” She stared at Mira, hoping she was cruelly mistaken, though in her heart she already knew the answer.
“I’m sure.”
Both of them were visibly saddened and as of late, Mira had found herself becoming more emotional than she’d ever been before, and she hated it. She’d seen a lot over the yea
rs that would tug at the heartstring of any caring human being, but she’d always managed to control her emotions ever since she was a child. In her mind, shedding tears in front of others was a sign of vulnerability, but lately, she couldn’t seem to help it that much.
“They’ll never find the wreckage,” Mira added, swallowing the lump in her throat.
“Oh, my! That’s awful! Where in the world did it land?”
“I’m not sure. I saw a lot of trees, a dense forest and the side of a mountain or some other sort of rock formation. The plane had hit against the rocky structure first, then plunged into the trees.”
“There may be lots of places that fit that description along the plane’s route, but I don’t know,” Sara said.
“I agree with you, but I think it’s the vastness of the area where they landed that will make the wreckage more difficult to locate,” Mira explained.
There was deafening silence for the better part of a minute, then Mira got up again. “I have to use the bathroom.”
“Are you sure you’re all right?”
“Yeah,” Mira replied before leaving the room.
Mira’s cell phone rang moments later and Sara picked it up off the bed.
Bobby’s name had lit up on the narrow screen.
“Bobby!” Sara exclaimed without giving him an opportunity to speak first. “We were worried about you after we heard a plane en route to Chicago had crashed! How are you?”
“Safe and sound, thankfully,” he replied. “I was shocked to hear the news shortly after we landed.”
“When did you arrive?”
“About fifteen minutes ago.”
“Mira was trying to reach you,” Sara told him.
“I forgot to take the phone off of airplane mode,” he said. “Where is she, by the way?”
Sara heard the bathroom door creak open. “She’s coming now. Just a minute.”
She handed Mira the phone after she’d re-entered the room, then left to give them privacy.
“Bobby...” Mira started.
“Hey, honey. Just wanted you to know I’ve landed in Chicago. Sara said you tried to reach me, but...”
“You forgot to switch the cell from airplane mode.”
“Yep. You got it. So, is everything okay?” he asked.
“Yeah. Everything’s fine.”
“And Rosie?”
“She’s good. She and Max went across the street.”
“You don’t sound so good. Is there something wrong?” He stopped for a moment on his way to the rental car.
“No, not at all. Everything’s fine!” She tried to sound convincing. “I’m so glad you’re safe. I don’t know what I would’ve done if anything happened to you.”
“It’s good to actually hear you say that, honey. I mean…you and I both know you don’t get all mushy, so it’s nice to hear.”
Mira chuckled. “Enough! Go on about your business! Have a wonderful trip and I’ll see you in a couple of days.”
Mira hung up the phone to find Sara standing in the doorway.
“So, have you given any more thought about inviting Rosie’s dad to the wedding?” Sara asked.
Mira sighed heavily and leaned backwards against her headboard. “Mom, you’re not gonna give up, are you? I don’t get why you would even want Cody at the wedding. It’s my wedding, for crying out loud! He’s not my fiancé. He’s my ex!”
“He’s Rosie’s father and she’s standing in the wedding,” Sara firmly asserted. “Why shouldn’t her dad and his parents get to see her and you walk down the aisle?”
Mira was shaking her head in disbelief.
“Besides, it’ll serve him right to see what could’ve been between you two.”
Mira eased herself off the headboard and gazed at her mother. “I can’t believe you said that.”
“Why not?” Sara grimaced.
“All these years, you never said even one slightly negative thing about Cody. You were of the mindset that he was some sort of victim and I was just too harsh with him.”
Sara stepped inside the room and leaned on the bureau.
“All I knew back then, honey, was that Cody was really into you. Seemed like he made one mistake and you punished him for life. I’m not saying he was right or that you were wrong for feeling the way you did. I just felt that it would’ve been good if you’d just forgiven him and moved on.”
“Forgive him? There was never a question of forgiveness, Mom. I didn’t hate him; I just didn’t want him in my life anymore. There was no way I was gonna allow any unnecessary drama in my space. Simple. And as far as ‘moving on’ is concerned, that’s exactly what I did! I never looked back.”
“That isn’t the way I meant it,” Sara said.
“I just don’t feel that Cody or his folks need to be there. Again...it’s my wedding. It would've been different if it was Rosie’s; that way, I can understand them being there.” Mira paused for a moment. “Things are hard enough for me right now. I don’t need this. The answer is No; I’m not inviting them. Please don’t bring it up to me again. Rosie doesn’t care; neither should you.”
Sara’s gaze was impenetrable as Mira turned away. Sara joined her on the bed again and gently took her hand.
“Will you please open up to me?” she asked. “Everyone, including Rosie, can see you’ve got something on your mind, dear.”
“You’ve been babbling about me to Father Bob.” Mira gave her a reprimanding look.
“What else could I do? I was concerned, Sweet Pea! I figured he might get through to you, since I couldn’t. Look at you! You’ve lost so much weight over the past couple of months. You barely eat; God knows if you get enough sleep! And you work like a horse at that clinic. That’s not a good combination, Mira.”
“I sleep just fine,” Mira replied. She patted the top of her mother’s hand that was clenching hers. “Look...I’m all right. I don’t want you and Rosie to worry about me. With the stress of the wedding and everything, surely you must understand how that can take a toll on someone.”
“I totally get it, dear. I’ve been there and done that. And over the years have seen quite a number of other people experience the same thing, but this is different, Mira. You know it is. The stress or should I say strain you’re under has very little to do with this wedding, doesn’t it?”
Mira got up and sauntered over to the window. At that moment, Sara hoped she’d finally convinced her daughter to reveal the truth.
“I can’t get into it with you, Mom—not now. You have to trust me on this.”
“Have you at least confided in Father Bob?” Sara returned. “Did you open up to him about what’s going on with you?”
Mira stopped in her tracks. It seemed like ages before she responded. “I did.”
Sara breathed a sigh of relief.
She got up and walked over to Mira, then gently gripped her shoulders. “I know what you’re thinking. I would never ask Father Bob about what you shared with him in confidence. And even though I asked him to speak with you, I know once you said anything to him, he’d never repeat it. I’d never expect him to betray your trust.”
Mira was silent.
“I feel comfortable knowing that at least you shared what you’re feeling with someone and not keeping it bottled up inside. But whatever’s going on with you, honey, I’m here. You know that.”
“I know,” Mira answered. “Just...don’t worry about it. When I’m ready, I’ll tell you; I promise.”
Sara could see the sadness in her daughter’s eyes, the likes of which she’d only seen after her father had passed away years earlier. As concerning as it was to not be privy to Mira’s secret, she knew there was nothing she could do except hope whatever it was that was bothering her would not ultimately destroy her.
An hour later…
“Hi, Mira,” Ashley Morrison hailed after she, Rosie and Max had entered the kitchen from the back door.
Max ran over to Mira who was at the refrigerator holding a glass of oran
ge juice. He was the second dog the family ever had. Daniel, their first Cavapoo, had sadly passed away.
“Hey, Ashley! What were you three up to?” Mira asked as she leaned down to pet Max.
“Ash was showing me some grooming videos on the internet,” Rosie explained, pouring herself a cup of fruit punch that Sara had made before lunch.
“Want some?” she asked Ashley, who accepted with a nod.
“Grooming videos, huh?” Mira went and got comfortable on the living room sofa.
“Yeah. I want to be able to groom Max myself instead of us having to always pay a groomer to do it. It’s really easy, Mom. We can use the extra money we’d be saving to buy Max more treats and dog food.”
Mira smiled. “I guess Max can always use extra treats, huh?”
“Sure can!”
Rosie and Ashley sat on the couch as Max stretched out over in the corner of the room just below the window.
“It’s not a bad idea,” Mira said, “but you must be sure of what you’re doing when the time comes. You have to be especially careful when it comes to trimming his claws. I once read if you cut too far down, you can really injure the dog that way. If you wanna learn to groom Max properly, watch more than one video. And better yet, I can have Max’s groomer teach you. I’m sure Scott won’t mind at all. He’s got so many clients now he can barely keep up with appointments.”
“Tell me about it!” Rosie frowned. “That’s why I figured I’d learn how to groom Max in the first place.”
“I can always help when you’re ready, Rosie,” Ashley offered.
“That would be great!”
Mira looked at Ashley for a few moments. She admired the strength the girl had in spite of all the crap she’d been through. She and her dad John seemed to be holding up pretty well since the matriarch of the house unexpectedly found herself in an entirely new and much less comfortable home.
“So, how’s your dad?” Mira asked her. Though she didn’t feel her best, she hoped John was doing a lot better. He now had the huge responsibility of being both dad and mom to a teenage girl. It couldn’t have been easy, especially with that demanding accounting job of his.
The Cornelius Saga Series (All 15 Books): The Ultimate Adventure-packed Supernatural Thriller Collection Page 79