by Tami Kidd
****
From her vantage point, Mara watched the flight attendant as she spoke into the galley phone. After her call ended, she saw the young women straighten her shoulders, pull her head back, and present her best smile as she walked down the aisle. Halfway down, a plump elderly lady stopped her.
“Miss, do you know why we’re here and how long we’ll be here?” The passenger leaned closer and lowered her voice as if she were conveying a confidence to the flight attendant. “Was there a problem with the plane? Does someone need medical attention?”
“No, ma’am, I don’t know how long we’ll be on the ground, but I can assure you there isn’t a—” The flight attendant leaned in closer and whispered, “A mechanical issue.” She patted the woman on her shoulder. The woman smiled and inclined back in her seat. She leaned over to the gentlemen next to her and said, “It’s not a mechanical issue. We’re fine.”
Mara stared out her window with her hand on her abdomen. Tense nerves drove her near the edge. The pit of her stomach felt like she swallowed a cannonball. She checked her watch. They were supposed to land in Little Rock two hours from now. She pulled her phone out of her purse and turned it on. It powered on, but there was no service. Great, now Noah’s going to be sitting at the airport wondering where I am.
When the blonde flight attendant walked by, Mara asked, “Pardon me, miss. Do you know if the agents in Little Rock were informed of our delay? I have family meeting me, and since we’re going to be late, I don’t want them to worry.”
“Yes ma’am, they’ve been notified. It will be posted on the boards throughout the airport.”
“Thank you.” Mara sat back and powered off her phone.
The flight attendant walked back to the front of the cabin where she joined two other crewmembers. She whispered to them as they looked curiously around the cabin.
Mara glanced out the window and noticed a man in dark sunglasses and a black suit exit the terminal door and limp to the stairs. If it hadn’t been for the limp, she would have guessed he might be a secret service agent based on his appearance. That’s crazy. Why would the secret service board the plane? Another man in an airline uniform came out of the terminal door behind him and jogged to catch up. Mara clearly made out the airline logo on the second man’s shirt and tie. He carried a clipboard. She continued to watch as the two men made their way up the stairs together.
A knock pounded on the cabin door. The attendant gave the thumbs-up through the observation window. She took a few steps back while someone from the outside opened the door. Taking the clipboard from the airline employee, she read it carefully. She picked up the galley phone, spoke into it, wrote something on the clipboard, and then handed it back to the airline employee.
The two men stepped on board the plane. All eyes in the deathly silent cabin scrutinized them. The man with the clipboard leaned over to the man in the suit and whispered. They both looked down the left row of seats until their eyes settled on Mara. Along with them, the entire cabin focused their attention on her. She looked around and felt the heat rise in her face.
The man in the black suit lumbered to Mara’s row and leaned down. “Ms. Byrne, I have to ask you to come with me.”
“Why?” Mara stammered. “Who are you?”
“I’ll explain everything once we exit the plane. Please come with me.”
The man’s voice was gentle but commanding; however, Mara wished she could see his eyes behind the dark glasses. She could learn so much from a person’s eyes, whether they were sincere or cold. He had a nice voice, but voices could be deceiving. The eyes usually portrayed a person’s true intentions. Mara gripped the armrests, digging her nails into the fabric. “I’d like to see some identification.”
“Certainly.” He reached inside his suit pocket and removed a badge holder.
Her eyes narrowed as she studied the ID and handed it back to him. “I have to get to Little Rock. My brother is waiting for me.” Mara’s voice cracked.
“Ms. Byrne, we’ll get you to Little Rock, but first, you will have to come with me. Please cooperate so these people can be on their way.” The man held out his hand to her.
Mara felt her eyes fill with tears. What the hell is happening? She wiped her eyes and asked, “What about my bags?”
“Don’t worry. We’ll take care of them.”
With her hands still latched onto the armrests, Mara stood and wavered a bit, but regained control. Taking her purse, she turned to remove her carry-on from the overhead bin, thankful no one would have to move to let her out. She stepped into the aisle and looked at Cal, who avoided her gaze and glanced away as she made her way to the front of the cabin. The man took her elbow and led her down the stairs into the harsh Texas heat
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Tami moved to the Florida Panhandle in 2001 from Mountain Pine, Arkansas. Born in California, she also resided for a short time in Grants Pass, Oregon.
Family has been Tami’s main focus for most of her life, until 2010 when she self-published her first novel, the result of a NanoWrimo challenge. Now, she juggles a full-time job, family, writing, chairing a writing group, and helping other authors along the way. Not an easy task, but definitely rewarding.
She gains inspiration and ideas from life experiences, reading, dreams and interacting with the world. Her work is character driven. A character is presented to her and then she builds the world around the character.
Tami’s goal is to inspire other writers, help them master their craft, teach them how to be successful marketers and promoters, and motivate them to achieve their dreams. Her motto is Aspire to Inspire.
Her only regret is that she didn’t pursue her dreams sooner.
Visit Tami Kidd at www.AuthorTamiKidd.com.
