“You’re going to go far, Colin King,” Alyse tells me, straightening my tie before I pass through security. “Seems only yesterday you were just a little freshman playing Frisbee in a small dirt field, now today you’re getting a white collar job. I’m gonna miss you, bud.”
“I’m gonna miss you too, Lissy. It was great spending these few weeks with you. I’m so glad you found me.” We stare into each others’ eyes for a few seconds. I grin crookedly.
“Call me tonight?” Alyse asks me, buttoning up my suit coat.
“Of course. I’ll call when I get to the hotel.”
“Perfect.” She flashes that brilliant smile that melts my heart. “You have a plane to catch, Colin. Make me proud!” she yells as I walk away. I throw back a few waves of my hand, then head into the growing line of people waiting to be searched.
“Your plane just landed! You can’t be at the hotel yet!”
“I know! I just couldn’t help it. I’m calling from a payphone in the terminal.”
“Colin! Shame on you wasting money like that!”
I chuckle. “Aww, you know you couldn’t wait to hear from me. Admit it.”
“It was only eight hours. It wasn’t that long. Well, I’m glad you made it safely. How were the flights?”
“Takeoff out of La Guardia was amazing; simply beautiful scenery with the city and the snow. I told you the layover was in Denver. I wish I could’ve stopped off at the old home. Or what’s left of it. I really need to get back there and see what everyone’s up to these days.”
Alyse laughs quickly, and then pauses for a few moments. “Well, maybe you’ll get back someday. I don’t think they’d even recognize you; it’s been so long.”
I’m puzzled by Alyse’s words, but I keep my thoughts to myself. “Well, Lys, I’ve got to go. I still have to see my boss today.”
“Call again soon, love!”
“Bye.”
“Hello, is, uh, Mr. Brashear here? My name is Colin King. I’m the new employee.”
The man sitting behind the desk gets up and shakes my hand. “I’m Mr. Meyers, and yeah, Mr. Brashear is here. So you’re the one?”
“Pardon me? I didn’t think this was The Matrix,” I joke.
“Not ‘the One’, but the one. Everyone knows about you in the department. They’re excited to have you on the team.”
I smile. It was good to already be accepted into my new career.
“Mr. Brashear will be up soon. In the meantime, feel free to get some coffee and pull up a chair.” The man sits back down behind his desk and clatters away on his keyboard. I stride over to the couch, which is littered with airplane magazines. I pick up one named Aviation Weekly. I thumb through it, quickly picking out graphics. One article highlights the rivalry between Airbus and Boeing. One side of the page focuses on Airbus and the anticipated A3XX program. The other page features a Boeing logo with a big question mark through the middle. I read the article, interested in what it says.
“Now you know what we’re up against,” a voice comes from my left. I nod, and he continues. “You know that our Sonic Cruiser project was a failure from the beginning. We’re trying to sell as best as we can, but after 9/11, we couldn’t justify a hypersonic transport. We’ve run out of ideas, and we are excited for a fresh mind to join us. Won’t you take a walk with me? Thank you, Jon,” he tells the man at the desk. Jon gives him a thumbs-up back.
YOU ARE READING
Kansas Summer
SpiritualEveryone wants a perfect love story, although we find that it's impossible at times. Colin King and Jenna Jackson believe they have written the best one of all. However, their faith in their relationship is sheltered by the small Kansas town they...
