The man sitting in 14D hadn't shut up the whole flight. Had he been dropped on his head as a baby? Normally a light sleeper, Steven Dunmore had booked the overnight flight with high hopes. On his last Tokyo trip to confirm his numbers with the home office, the jetlag had hit him like a freight train. The other passengers slept until the overhead lights had come on. But not Steve, he'd been forced to listen to the balding man in the golf shirt all night. Why hadn't he remembered headphones like the woman in 14E?
The man leaned back to secure the seatbelt under his sizeable stomach. "Did you make it over to Mt. Fuji?"
Steve shook his head. "No. I was stuck in meetings all week."
"Me too, but I was able to sneak away yesterday afternoon."
Steve didn't respond, a tactic that hadn't stopped this one-sided conversation yet.
The man leaned in close. "Don't tell my boss."
Hoping to never see him again, Steve winked. "Mum's the word."
The man laughed. "Mt. Fuji was totally worth it. Of course, I could only make it halfway up, but the view was incredible."
"I bet."
A stewardess stopped in front of them with a plastic bag. "We're preparing for landing, so please put away your tray. I can take any trash you have."
"Thank you," The man said as he elbowed Steve in the side handing over his soft drink can.
The woman in 14E opened her eyes, sat up, and stretched. She straightened her short blonde hair with her fingers, keeping the headphones in. The morning sun peeked above the horizon when she raised the shutter on the small oval window. She whispered something about the skyline looking different, but Steve couldn't see anything from his vantage point.
Steve endured more inane chatter until the Boeing 777 touched down. Doing his best to tune the man out, he thought about his wife and son. Billy would turn five years old next week. He'd bought him a floating DeLorean toy that worked off magnets. One of the hottest toys, he'd paid top yen, but it would be worth it to see the look in his eyes. Steve had shown him all the classics, but Billy had latched on to that movie with its bright shiny vision of the future.
Not that he could count on his wife, Melissa to arrange the birthday party while he was gone. No, that responsibility would fall to Steve. Missy loved Billy and tried her best to be a good mother, despite the fact she hadn't wanted kids. In fact, she detested them, calling all babies little anchors until she became pregnant herself.
But when the time came to make a decision on their unexpected surprise, she'd succumbed to his pleas. And, he loved her for it. That and her drop dead gorgeous looks and her crazy antics. Having a mate with a free spirit was the perfect corollary to his strict religious upbringing. Their life had balance. Sometimes her wild adventures didn't completely line up with motherhood, but he knew with some coaching on his part, they could work through it.
The screech of the plane's brakes jarred him out of his reverie.
"So, can I get your number?"
Steve turned to his seatmate. "Excuse me?"
"I said can I get your phone number? I'm always looking for new golf partners."
Steve didn't wonder why that was an issue for the man. Once free of aviation guidelines, he'd gladly bludgeon the man with a five iron. Giving him a series of random numbers, the man committed it to memory.
His mouth twisted. "I think you left out a number."
Steve added one more.
As the plane taxied to the airport, the man powered up his phone to enter it in his contacts. Steve pulled his out as well, needing to text Missy that he'd landed safely. After the usual beeps and buzzes, the phone's screen pixelated and froze.
