The Surly Bonds

Chapter 7

6:00AM. The sun barely rears its shiny head over the massive sprawl of Southern California. At Los Angeles International Airport, traffic moves as fast as molasses around the booming and bustling hub. Richard pulls his Audi into the parking garage adjacent to the terminal. "All right, girls. As they say, look alive."

Annie springs to life, while Phoebe remains inert before Annie rocks her back and forth. Phoebe slowly opens her eyes and yawns. The car comes to a halt, and Richard turns off the lights and ignition. It is quiet inside the vehicle. As the driver's side door opens, a flood of muffled jet engines roar and the echo of cars circling the parking structure overwhelms Annie's hearing.

Richard corrals Annie and Phoebe and make their way to the elevator leading to the terminal. Once inside the busy ticketing area, Richard stands in line, carrying his suitcase in one hand and holding a small, brown leather carry-on bag in the other. Annie and Phoebe take a seat on the coarse blue carpet, leaning against a concrete pillar. They tiredly watch as Richard snakes his way through the line.

Richard motions for Phoebe and Annie to come as he approaches the check-in desk. They struggle to rise, fighting their drowsiness, but manage to stand on two feet with minimal assistance from the pillar. They drag their suitcases to the ticketing counter, and hand it to the airline attendant Mabel, a sweet old lady with bright red lipstick and thick glasses. The stench of her perfume lingers in the air, causing Richard to turn his head away frequently.

"Is Orlando your final destination today?" Mabel asks politely.

"That is correct," Richard answers during a yawn.

"Okay, your flight departs at ten-thirty this morning out of gate 61-A. Please be at the gate by ten o'clock, that's when they'll begin boarding."

"Thank you."

Richard hands Mabel his suitcase, followed by Annie and Phoebe's. He takes the boarding passes left on the counter, stuffed inside a bulky envelope with the Eastern Airlines logo printed on the cover. Richard opens the envelope and looks over its contents. The girls straggle behind.

Onboard the massive 747 jet, engines ready themselves for takeoff. Annie sits nervously in her seat, listening closely to the whirring of the plane's mechanical parts. She fidgets with her seatbelt as Richard blurts out, "Sit still, kiddo."

With the uncomfortably loud noise of the engines, Annie suddenly jolts in her seat as she feels the plane slowly reverses out of the gate. Annie holds onto her armrest with all her strength as the engines roar and the plane accelerates for takeoff. She closes her eyes as the plane lifts off the ground, feeling the break from earth's gravity. Annie grips the armrest tightly and keeps her eyes closed as the plane levels out and coasts smoothly through the air. Annie opens her eyes and resumes her normal breathing patterns.

Annie peers out the window, entranced by the formation of soft, white fluffy clouds and the dull hum of the plane's cabin. Richard, sitting at the window seat, abruptly shuts the window. Annie snaps out of her daze. "See anything out there?" Richard asks.

"Huh? Oh, I mean, just some clouds," she responds. "How much longer?"

"About six more hours. We have a stopover in Kansas City. Say, now would be a good time to get started on your schoolwork."

"I'll get to it. Soon."

"No time like the present."

Annie pulls out a Trapper Keeper-brand folder, covered with stickers of space shuttles, astronauts, planets, and constellations. Annie jumps at the sound of the intercom beep. A genteel voice announces, "Ladies and gentlemen, we will begin our service portion of the flight. Please consult your in-flight guide for our many beverage options."