'The seatbelt sign has just been switched off, passengers may now recline their seats. The cabin crew will soon be serving you hot meals.'
Flight Service Manager Maine Mendoza scanned the First Class section of the aircraft, greeting everyone by name. It's part of her duty to ensure that all 1st Class and Business Class passengers were comfortable in this 14-hour flight to Canada.
'Ma'am, Captain Faulkerson asked for you'
Maine felt herself tense up, but smiled politely at her cabin crew, excusing herself from one of the 1st class passengers she was chatting with. She made her way to the cockpit, but almost bumped into Captain Richard Faulkerson.
'Good evening Captain. You asked for me?'
'Maine, please stop being too polite. This is still me, your Richard...'
She gave him a steely look and breathed heavily.
'Sir, this is not the right time nor the place.'
'Yes, it's not but we can still talk, right?'
Maine tried not to look at his lips, which still made her go thirsty and wanting them on hers. She shook her head.
'Richard, we are at 33,000 feet. My crew has been whispering things behind my back since we took off from Manila, and I don't want it getting any worse by the time we land in Toronto. So please, can we just manage to be professional and leave things be?'
'Maine, just this once, listen to me. I had no choice but to leave you. The opportunity was just too good to pass up. It wasn't just for me, it was for us, for our future...'
She clenched her fist, trying to restrain herself from raising her voice. She can sense her crew sneaking glances through the curtain that separates the 1st class section and the cockpit.
'Sure, that was what you kept on saying every month since you left, five years ago. Don't you have any other line to give me besides that?'
'I still love you.'
Maine slapped him.
'Yet you weren't brave enough to stay. You went to Germany and left me because I was not part of that opportunity. You weren't thinking of our future, Richard. Just yours.'
Just then the aircraft shook as it passed through some turbulence. Richard, with one hand on his cheek, left her and went back to the cockpit. The seatbelt sign turned on.
Maine counted one, two, three, and inhaled sharply before taking the paging system.
'The Captain has just turned on the seatbelt sign, as we are going through some turbulence. We apologize if we will be unable to serve any hot beverage at the moment. Please return to your seats and fasten your seatbelt. Inflight services will resume as soon as the seatbelt sign has been switched off.'
She sat back and tried to regain her composure. She felt for the locket tucked inside her uniform, took it out and opened it. She gazed lovingly at the picture of a young boy smiling back at her, and felt a heaviness as she saw the picture of Richard on the opposite side, a spitting image of her son. She fought back tears as she closed the locket tightly.
'I shouldn't have been on this flight. This will just mess everything up.'
She looked back at the closed cockpit.
'You should've stayed Richard. We could have worked things out. I should have told you about my pregnancy, but I was too chicken to fight for it.'
The aircraft went steady after a few minutes and the seatbelt sign was switched off. Maine stood up and made her way back to the passengers.
***
AMACon 3 Prompt 10
Tell the story of the life that Maine and Alden weren't brave enough to lead
27 August 2016
