James, having quenched his thirst for rest, stood and made his way toward customs. Having passed the checks, he proceeded to gate 5. From his pocket he pulled a boarding pass, handing it to the smiling girl at the desk. As she processed his pass, he stepped back, looking up at the ceiling.
"My God! James! We've been looking all over for you! You do know that it's..." he glanced at his watch, "25 past, don't you?" Harrison said, striding over with Katie in tow.
"Harry! I missed you," James replied, hugging him quickly. "You coming on?"
Harrison pulled two boarding passes from his pocket, handing them to the girl, who handed James' back to him. She scanned one and handed it to Katie, but on the second pass, she frowned, confused.
"Ah... sir? Mr Way?"
"Yes?"
"This was voided by its purchaser just today. He asked for another pass, said he'd lost this one, and claimed a new one. We void all previous passes, you realise?"
A year of hellish emotions must have passed over Harrison's face in the five seconds after she informed him of his problem. Confusion, then anger, then sadness, then fear, he turned to James, his mouth opening and closing like a hungry goldfish.
"Mr Way — presuming you are not him — just boarded 10 minutes ago, actually. Sir, I'm afraid we cannot allow you to board this plane," she said, handing his apparently useless pass back to him.
"No. You don't understand... I have to go. Please..." Harrison managed.
"I'm sorry. There's nothing I can do. You two," she gestured toward James and Katie, "are free to go on."
Conflicted, James looked back and forth between Harrison and the girl at the desk. Eyebrows furrowed, he turned to Harrison.
"Look, mate... I'm sure you understand, yeah? I really need to do this. For me. For the both of us." He paused, then leaned in close. "Fight the good fight, Harry," he whispered into his ear. Harrison remained rigid, too shocked to move, staring straight ahead.
"Come on, Katie," James said quietly, tugging on her sleeve. They walked into the tunnel, looking back every few steps, but Harrison hadn't moved so much as to say goodbye. Turning a corner which blocked their vision of him, they still walked tentatively, as if waiting for him to catch up. They loosened up somewhat upon reaching the aeroplane's entrance, when they returned the air stewardess' smile. They followed her instructions to their seats, sitting down, the space between them where Harrison should have been oddly empty despite the desk girl's claim of a passenger.
YOU ARE READING
Have a Heart
Adventure"Jack Simons was a busy man. He liked to tell people as such at least twice a day, as it seemed to make them move faster. Threatening to murder families was another favourite tactic of his. In fact, if it inspired them to speed up their errand, he w...
