No Relation by Terry Fallis

Author:Terry Fallis [Fallis, Terry]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
ISBN: 978-0-7710-3617-0
Publisher: McClelland & Stewart
Published: 2014-05-19T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 9

As soon as I got into the terminal, I sat down on my suitcase and banged out an email to Sarah to brief her on my strange call with Dad. I hit Send and looked up to see Professor James Moriarty staring down at me. He looked very professorial in a light blue Oxford button-down shirt, a brown, elbow-patched tweed jacket, and brown corduroy pants. A pair of dark brown well-worn brogues completed the ensemble. He looked like he was primed to pose for the centrefold of Cambridge Professor Emeritus Quarterly. He travelled light with only a small shoulder bag to sustain him for the next two days. I wore a pair of Levi’s and a blue golf shirt. It was hot out.

“Greetings, Earnest. You know there are chairs available just adjacent to us.”

“Hello, Professor. Yes, I did see the seats, but I’ve sat in those before and I can assure you, my suitcase is more comfortable,” I replied. “But I’m all set now. Shall we?”

I stood up, grabbed my suitcase, and rolled it toward the check-in counter with James alongside me. I always try to use the automated check-in kiosks to save yet another conversation with an incredulous Delta Airlines employee about my name. But as luck would have it, there was only one kiosk working, and it was besieged by what looked like a Little League baseball team and its harried coach.

The professor and I approached the check-in counter together.

“Passports, please,” came the expected request from the young man staffing the counter.

We both slid our passports across the counter. He picked up mine first and opened it. Three, two, one …

“I’ll need to see some additional ID from you, sir, if you please.”

“Of course,” I replied, handing him the birth certificate, driver’s licence, and Visa card that I’d already pulled from my wallet in anticipation of this.

“May I inquire why additional documentation is required of my friend when you already hold his passport?” asked Professor Moriarty.

“It’s just a secondary check we employ when names seem like they might be falsified or fabricated.”

“It’s okay, Professor. I don’t mind. I’m quite used to it, in fact,” I said.

“Thank you, Mr. Hemmingway,” he said as he passed back my ID along with my boarding pass. “Gate A6, boarding at 11:20.”

The Delta check-in staffer then flipped open the second passport, scanned the flight manifest on his computer screen, printed out the boarding pass, and handed everything back to the professor.

“Pardon me, if you don’t mind,” the Professor said. “Why did you not seek additional identification from me? Do you not recognize my name as potentially falsified or fabricated?”

“No, you’re good to go. Gate A6, boarding at about 11:20,” he replied.

“Well, thank you. But I should explain that in some circles, my name is even more famous than my friend’s. Good day to you.”

“Next, please,” the Delta guy said.

Our flight was uneventful and we arrived at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport six minutes ahead of schedule. After we safely navigated Customs with only a minor furor over my name, we piled into an airport limo for the drive into downtown Toronto.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.