Unaccompanied Minor by Hollis Gillespie

Author:Hollis Gillespie
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
ISBN: 9781440567742
Publisher: F+W Media
Published: 2014-06-06T21:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 7

I focused on my breathing because I’d heard doing that can calm your anxiety. Surprisingly, it kinda worked, and by the time Old Cinderblock left the lavatory I had almost finished hyperventilating. He didn’t show any signs of recognizing me, which was understandable because of those thick glasses. Beside me, Malcolm was engrossed flipping through the music on his iPad, so he didn’t notice my panic.

Old Cinderblock and Officer Ned were seated at 32A and 32B, the two seats along the window on the pilot’s side of the plane. This meant they were seated with their backs to the mid galley. That’s a break, I thought.

“Ladies and gentlemen, once again, welcome aboard WorldAir flight 1021, L-1011 jet service to Los Angeles, California,” the flight attendant announced over the PA system. “The captain has indicated that you are now able to use your electronic devices, though the seatbelt sign is still illuminated, so please stay seated with your seatbelts securely fastened.

“Also,” she continued, “we’d like to extend our congratulations to a pair of newlyweds on board today! WorldAir’s own pilot Ash Manning just married WorldAir’s own Kathy Landry, and today they are on their way back from their honeymoon in the Cayman Islands!”

An anemic spattering of applause rippled through the cabin as I tried to suppress my gag reflex. This could not be good.

“Malcolm,” I said, but then realized he had his headphones on and was listening to Frank Zappa. “Malcolm,” I hissed, yanking the headphones off his ears.

“What?”

“Hand me your notebook, please, and a marker.”

He did as I asked. I opened his notebook to a clean page, scribbled a message, and tore the page off. I put the marker in my bag and turned back to Malcolm.

“Now listen to me, and please don’t ask questions,” I began. I appreciated how his green eyes focused on me with concern. It was so nice to have someone simply believe what I had to say, as opposed to the normal response of the jaded populace (minus LaVonda). “Gather up Captain Beefheart,” I instructed, “and follow me.”

He did as I said without hesitation. I wanted to kiss him. I grabbed my backpack from underneath the seat in front of me, left the note on my seat, and led him toward the back of the plane and through the aft cross-aisle, then up the opposite aisle to the mid galley. Flo had already descended the elevator to the lower galley, and the imposter Brighton McPherson was retrieving the prepared carts she was sending up to him from below.

“There are five other lavatories at the back,” offered one of the flight attendants. She was a tall, heavyset brunette in her late thirties with deep dimples on each cheek when she smiled. Her name badge identified her as Alba Madison, but I knew her as Alby. We’d sat next to each other as nonrev passengers a few months prior. She was in her third year of law school and had given me a sympathetic ear and some sound advice regarding my mother’s custody trial.

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