Kiss My Assimilation

Epilogue

After weeks spent doing interviews all over the world. She was finally going home.

The Second Chance Guys had given her a smart phone that came with an all prepaid five year global plan. The British secret service didn't take long to find her number. They called to tell her that the Queen had bestowed on her the highest award of the United Kingdom honors system. The Victoria Cross (VC). It is awarded for most conspicuous bravery, or some daring or pre-eminent act of valor or self-sacrifice, or extreme devotion to duty in the presence of the enemy. For gallantry 'in the face of the enemy' to members of the British armed forces. No civilian has received the award since 1879. The decoration is a bronze cross, bearing the crown of Saint Edward surmounted by a lion, and the inscription FOR VALOUR. At first, they had wanted to give her the George Cross. But it was awarded for gallantry 'not in the face of the enemy'. They couldn't have that. She was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) and Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE). She was to be addressed as 'Dame Annie Goldman'. Now THAT was strange.

Laughing about that memory, she boarded the British Airways 747. She was to fly back home in First Class courtesy of the British government. She turned left, climbed the stairs and went to the front of the airplane for the first time in her life. She was alone for the entire flight. They had booked all eight seats. She looked around and chose a window seat. The recliner type chair that was to be her seat for the next six hours was right out of a science-fiction movie. It belonged in the cockpit of the Millennium Falcon. It was also very big. It enveloped Annie completely. The flight attendant was a very pretty girl who introduced herself as Mari. She served Annie some champagne with macadamia nuts. Annie thanked her, drank the champagne, forgot about the nuts and fell in a deep sleep.

She woke up two hours later to Mari serving a 2007 Taittinger bottle of champagne as the perfect accompaniment to caviar, which was served with fresh lemon, finely chopped egg white and egg yolk, chives, and toast points. Annie was in culinary heaven. She was refreshed and really noticed the young flight attendant for the first time. She sported a rainbow colored scarf that differed from the other attendant's uniforms she had seen downstairs. She asked Mari about it.

"Well, Dame Annie..." She started.

"Dame Annie?"

"We were told to address you as 'Dame Annie'. That you had been knighted."

"I'm to be knighted in two days, but right now I'm just plain Annie. So, about your scarf?"

"Well, Annie..." She seemed to hesitate. "Do you know about LGBT pride?"

"Not really. It's gay pride isn't it?"

"Yes! It's pride as opposed to shame and social stigma. LGBT pride is the positive stance against discrimination and violence toward lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people to promote their self-affirmation, dignity, equality rights, increase their visibility as a social group, build community, and celebrate sexual diversity and gender variance. I wear this scarf as my little contribution. It's not much but I like to think I do my part." Mari said.

"You have another of those scarfs?" Annie asked the surprised girl.

"Yes... But, does that mean?"

"Yes, it does. By the by, do you have a partner right now?" Annie asked Mari with a boldness that surprised her.

"No, why?"

"Would you like to visit Buckingham Palace? In two day? Please say yes."

The flight attendant had to laugh at that. "Seriously? Sure! Yes! I would love to!"

Dame Annie Goldman and flight attendant Mari Rowland got along famously during the rest of the flight back to the UK. They stayed together for the rest of their life. It is a little out of the scope of this story, but it's always nice to know that the heroes in our stories lived to be happy afterward. There were good days and bad days but mostly, they lived happily ever after.

The End.