“Good morning, ma’am!”
“Hello, George!” She heard her voice over her headset.
Alex offered George
a thumbs up, and they lifted off.
They crossed Central Park and flew over the Hudson continuing south toward Battery Park and the Statue of Liberty. It was a magnificent day and, sitting next to Alex, she reveled in being back in New York with him—even if it was for just a few hours.
They circled Lady Liberty, which was thrilling, and then headed east toward the Hamptons. She thought how wonderful it would be to spend time with Alex in the Hamptons. The flight along the coast was beautiful, and then they turned inland. Alex said, “East Hampton,” and they circled a small airport and landed.
After removing their headsets, Alex patted George on the shoulder and then helped Valeria out of the chopper. As soon as they were clear of the blades, Alex wrapped his arms around her. Again, she saw the gleam of joy in his eyes.
“Are we staying here in the Hamptons?”
He shook his head. “No…” He brushed the side of her face and kissed her tenderly, and then drew a deep breath. “No. Unfortunately, we have several more hours until we reach our destination. There were more direct routes, but Lars and I agreed that this was better.”
He led her to a small jet.
“What about our suitcases?”
He lowered his brow. “Mrs. Morgan, it seems that we have an issue with trust!” he said, and then his mouth turned up in his sexy smile.
Valeria hated surprises—but this one, she was willing to accept.
After a few hours of flying in the small jet, Valeria heard the captain say something about Puerto Rico. She hoped they weren’t staying in Puerto Rico—her memory of it was loud and obnoxious. She was certain a lot of that had to do with her frame of mind, having just found out that Paolo had lied to her, combined with too much rum and Paolo…and the hangover…and to top it off, seeing Alex for such a short time and believing it was the last time she ever would.
Still, they were on their honeymoon and anywhere they were alone for an extended period of time would satisfy her needs. But no matter how much she tried to convince herself, she just did not want to be in Puerto Rico. The plane landed and Alex retrieved their luggage himself. They hopped in a cab and transferred to a small airport a few miles away. The cab pulled into the hangar area and dropped them off near a shack that said, “Avgas.”
Alex carried their bags through a sea of single engine planes and then stopped as if to present a surprise. There, in front of her, was a single-propeller aircraft with a high wing that looked as if it had seen better days. After all the luxury, this was a bit of a shock. Alex’s grin continued to widen as he loaded their bags into the back of the plane. The seats were heavily worn red and black leather. Valeria looked at Alex confused.
“What’s the matter? You don’t like my plane?”
“This…this is yours?”
Alex nodded appreciatively at the old gray aircraft. “Yep...well, more appropriately
ours.
”
“Ours,” she said hesitantly. “We’re going to…fly in this?” Her concerns were numerous.
He gazed at the extended nose in the front and ran his hands over the wing with affection, as if it were a miracle of the sky.
“She’s got a lot of miles on her. But she’s perfect for what we need!”
“It’s a ‘she’?” Valeria asked in a teasing tone.
“Come on!” he said excitedly, as he opened the door and helped her into the passenger side. The plane had the smell of old leather. Then he walked around to the front of the plane and opened the door, grabbing a plastic coated sheet of paper from an area on the center console. Valeria watched as Alex walked around the plane checking several things before crawling in next to her.
He seemed to be checking several gauges, and then he started the engine. Alex put on his headphones and placed a pair of voice-activated headphones on Valeria’s head.
“You ready?” he asked excitedly.
“Not sure,” she said hesitantly.
He laughed and patted her leg. “You’ll be fine.” He cranked a knob on a two-way radio and she heard voices; then she made out Alex’s voice in the mix.
“Tower, Helio one two eight one two, V-F-R to the east. Taxi for take-off, I have Bravo,” Alex said.
A voice answered, “
Helio one two eight one two, Isla Grande Tower, taxi runway niner,” the tower controller said, and then in a friendly voice added, “Good to see you back, buddy! I expected it would be a while after the last trip.”
Alex had a thrill in his eyes that Valeria had never seen before—it appeared there were a lot of things she had yet to discover about her husband.
“Helio eight one two, taxi runway niner. Thanks tower!” he said.
They taxied down a piece of pavement, parallel to a single runway. As he prepared to turn onto the runway, Alex stopped and his grin widened. “I’ve imagined this for a while. So forgive me for reveling in pleasure,” she heard his voice through her headset. “By the way, you are now my official co-pilot, so you’ll need to read this off please.”
“What does the co-pilot do?” she asked, as she took the list from him.
The corner of his mouth turned up seductively and his eyes gleamed, and then he closed his eyes, shook his head as if releasing the thought, and said, “I have to admit that I’ve had a few fantasies about what that job might entail...but,
for now
, the co-pilot reads off the checklist. We’ll figure out the rest later.”
“Well, what did your other co-pilots do?” Then thoughts ran through her head. “Never mind, I don’t think I really want to know.”
“I’ve never had another co-pilot,” he said, adjusting a few knobs.
“No!
Really?” Valeria asked incredulously.
“Not a one!” He winked. “I’ve held that position open until you could fill it.”
She read off part of the checklist as Alex looked at various gauges and said, “Check.”
“Good. We’re all set.” He glanced at her from behind his dark glasses. “Are you okay with this?”
How could she tell him she was terrified? She decided that she couldn’t.
“No. I think
it’s fine.”
“Fine?”
Alex smirked.
“Yes.” She scooted back in her seat and looked straight ahead. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust Alex—it was the old rusted plane that gave her doubts.
“Well, all right then. I’ll take that. It’s probably the best I’m going to get right this minute.” He rotated a knob on the radio and said, “Tower, Helio eight one two, ready at runway niner.” Alex looked down the runway and then said, “Your job is to watch for other aircraft. See any?”
She looked out the window and shook her head. “No.”
“Good!” she heard, as his voice came in over her headphones.
The only thing she heard next was the tower saying, “Cleared for take-off.”
“Here we go.” Alex glanced at Valeria. “Ready?” She shrugged, nervously.
The aircraft rolled down the runway and, within a few seconds, they were airborne. Alex cranked the plane hard to the left and they were immediately over the turquoise sea. Valeria saw the cruise ships not far from them and she was amazed at how quickly she went from fear to thrill. It felt as though the plane was weightless. Alex did a quick sideways glance and, as if it were possible, his smile widened even further as they headed out over the coastline to the east.
“Will you tell me where are we going now?”
“You’ll know in about an hour. See that aircraft ahead of us?” Alex pointed off to the north. Valeria looked and saw nothing. Then a plane appeared out of nowhere and seemed to shoot right past them at a slightly higher altitude.
“Wow!” she said with awe in her voice.
Below was a cove with the most perfect white beach surrounded by extraordinary turquoise waters. Ahead of them, the sky was the deepest blue, marked with clouds that looked like cotton balls.
She occasionally heard Alex talking to the air traffic controllers but she couldn’t understand all that they were saying. It seemed as if they had only been airborne for minutes when she heard Alex through her headphones. “We’re making a pit stop.”
They banked sharply over the water in front of a much larger jet. She felt Alex pull up on the nose of the plane as he conversed with the tower. Then she realized the jet was going to the same runway right behind them.
“Alex, you said that my job was to tell you about other planes?”
“I saw him,” he said, and tilted his head for a moment. “Don’t worry.”
She attempted to look casual and heard the slight delay as her voice came over the headset, saying, “I’m not worried.”
Behind Alex’s sunglasses, she could see his eyes dancing with amusement as he released a joyful laugh.
Then the tower came on again, “Helio eight one two, confirm you
can
make that first taxiway. Or do you need to go around?”
A pilot with a slow southern drawl and the control of an airline pilot interrupted Alex’s response, “Tower, that boy could sit that bird down on the threshold and make an immediate 180. You’re dealing with greatness here. Watch and be amazed.”
Valeria noticed Alex’s slight chuckle. “Tower, we can make the first taxiway. Don’t want to alarm my passenger or she’ll never fly with me again. And thanks, Jack!”
“Good to see you, Alex,” the airliner said.
The plane touched down smoothly not far from the exit and, with no jolting whatsoever, exited the required taxiway. Valeria heard, “Welcome to St. Thomas, taxi to the ramp.” Immediately, the jet shot by behind them and Alex waved.
They taxied past the main terminal and pulled up in front of a tired brown building with several rough looking planes in the lot. The prop stopped spinning and Alex jumped out. “Wait here. I’ll be just a few minutes.”
She saw him walk around the plane carrying blocks, evidently for the tires. A moment later, he walked toward the drab building and disappeared inside.
In less than a minute, he came back out swinging a set of keys around his forefinger. He helped her out and wrapped an arm around her waist as they strolled toward the front of the drab building.
“Almost there,” Alex said as he walked toward a rusty 1980 Ford Escort. Valeria hated to be a snob, but the car looked filthy. “I hope you don’t mind,” he said with a wink.
“Uh, no.
It’s…”
Before she could answer, Alex opened the door. The interior was coated with a heavy layer of dust and wreaked of cigarette smoke. Then he tried to close her door and the hinges were rusted so badly that he had to put all of his weight into closing her door.
He climbed into the driver’s side and cranked the engine. After sputtering several times, the car eventually started.
“
Ahh, they just don’t make ’em like they used to,” he said with a hint of humor.
“Yes, and thank God for that,” Valeria muttered.
They drove two miles along the coast and pulled off onto a dirt road that wove through a steep narrow path and ended at a shack with chickens, goats, and trash.
“We’re here,” Alex said, popping out of the car and then coming around to open her door.
The structure was made of tin and had over twenty chickens on the roof. Trees surrounded the shack but she could see light under the branches and assumed it to be the coast. A young black man came out of the shack, excited to see Alex. She prayed they weren’t staying here for long. Suddenly, she felt a nudge at her hip and saw a goat that was butting its head against her. She tried to move and so did the goat. Several chickens cackled as she tried to step out of the goat’s way.
“Alex?”
“Oh, sorry, beautiful,” he said as he led her toward a shirtless man with deep black skin and dreads. “This is Jimmy.”
“Ah, hallo, ma’am!
You da missus? Good to meet you!” Jimmy said cheerfully with his strong island accent.
“Hello,” Valeria said, a bit unnerved that the goat was following her.
“Take a stroll through the store. The boy is taking a bit longer than usual. Might be something you need—take a stroll,” he encouraged. “You never know.”
Alex glanced at the goat and then said, “You never know.”
He led Valeria into the shack that had only a single row of shelves. There was a clear plastic case with a few week-old doughnuts. Alex pointed at them. “Hungry?”
Valeria shook her head and was certain her husband had been possessed by another man.
Around the corner was a rack with a hundred different types of rum and a few bottles of wine. He brushed his fingers along the dusty bottles as if looking for something specific. His fingers lighted for a moment on a three-dollar bottle of Boone’s Farm strawberry wine. Then he turned, and she thought she heard him snicker as he continued down the aisle.
She remembered Weege’s words at the wedding, “Men...they all change after they get that piece of paper!”
Still, this couldn’t be the same guy who brought in a jumbo jet to fly them alone from Africa to Europe; the guy who asked her if she wanted him to buy her a fleet of yachts. Not that any of that was particularly appealing to her. She didn’t need or want much, except for Alex—which she realized was a very far cry from her purported minor needs.