Guilt Trip

by Pat Simmons

  Inside the terminal, he looked straight ahead at the line of Southwest ticket counters. The familiar sight caused Ace to envision Talise in her uniform, smiling and greeting passengers. Knowing that Thursday was her day off, there was no chance he’d run into her at the airport when he arrived in Boston.

  Already holding a ticket, he stood in line, impatiently waiting his turn. The six o’clock flight to Boston would be boarding soon. Hopefully, someone canceled and he could fly standby. He was anxious to get there and, just in general, hated to waste time. His preferred flight was going nonstop without a layover in Baltimore.

  As he approached the counter, the agent standing at the desk gave him an appreciative stare. Ace upped his charm, wondering how many men flirted with Talise.

  “May I help you, sir?”

  Handing the woman his ticket, he said, “Yes, are there any seats available on the six o’clock flight to Boston? If so, I would like to make a change.”

  “Let me check that for you,” she said politely.

  Ace stood there tapping his foot and waited for what seemed like hours. Finally, the agent said, “Sir, I’m sorry, but that flight is booked solid.” She slid the boarding pass into the pocket of his ticket and returned it to him with a polite smile.

  What else could he do but thank her and move on? He’d tried. Ace proceeded to go through the security checkpoints. The line inched along from the TSA workers checking IDs to those manning the scanners. Once he put his shoes back on and grabbed his keys and change, he checked the monitor for his flight.

  BOSTON 4376 7:05p 8A ON TIME

  “Great.”

  Ace was still glad he got there early. As planned, he’d spend the time watching the game in the lounge area. Walking down the lengthy corridor, he weaved his way through the crowd of travelers. Looking for the sign with his gate number, he scanned the passageway. Just past his waiting area, there was a restroom and beyond that he spotted the lounge.

  Heading to his destination, he felt hunger pangs. Although airport food wasn’t the greatest, he was thinking he might also grab a bite to eat while waiting for his flight. When he passed Gate 8A, Ace glanced over in that direction. A group of people were forming a line near the ramp to the plane entrance. Evidently, they had just started boarding the one through thirty “A” group for the flight before his. Then something made him stop abruptly in his tracks. This couldn’t be.

  Talise? Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, Ace thought he saw her. As part of the line formed for group “A” passengers, a woman had just handed over her boarding pass to be scanned and was poised to enter the ramp. He twisted his body around to get a better look.

  First, he thought he saw Eva. And now, his ex?

  In fact, if it wasn’t her, the woman could pass as her twin. Talise did have a sister, Sinclaire, who was in the military. The last he knew before they broke up, her sister was stationed somewhere in the Middle East, not the Midwest.

  Moving quickly to get a closer look, he said to the other passengers blocking his way, “Ah, excuse me just a minute, please.” Barging his way through the line, he shouted, “Talise!” Ace was desperately trying to catch the woman’s attention, who was wearing headsets and oblivious to his calls.

  “Tay!” He shouted again.

  To the other travelers’ annoyance, he had pushed his way to the front of the line. He just had to know if it was her. Shouting down the ramp, he yelled out, “Tay!” The agent who was scanning tickets held out her arm to block him from going any farther.

  “Excuse me, that’s my girlfriend,” he said, pointing frantically.

  “Sir, unless you have an ‘A, one-to-thirty’ seating ticket, please wait until your turn is called. I’m sure she’ll hold you a seat.”

  “You don’t understand. We had an argument. She might not. I’m on the next flight. Can I speak with her a minute?” He had begun to rattle on anxiously.

  “Sir, you’re holding up the line,” the woman tried to reason with him.

  “But I only want to talk with her,” he explained. By this time, Ace had broken into a sweat and his behavior was beyond making a scene. With growing irritation and confusion, he couldn’t fathom what Talise was doing in St. Louis. Even in his frazzled state of mind, he knew his efforts were futile, and they’d never allow him to get on that plane without a boarding pass.

  By now, another agent joined the one who had been trying to get through to Ace. Instead of a smile, he was met with a suspicious glare.

  “Sir, can I help you?”

  “Yes, I just need a minute to get on that plane and talk to my girlfriend.” He pushed his ticket at the agent, thinking it would somehow prove his right to be there.

  “I’m sorry, sir, this plane—”

  Snatching his ticket away from her, Ace was out of control and thinking irrationally. “Listen, I just need five minutes.” This time, not waiting for an answer, he tried to shove his way through.

  The next thing he knew, he was overpowered, tackled, kissing the ground, and being threatened not to move. Handcuffs were slapped on his wrists and a barking German shepherd rounded out the incredible scenario.

  “Police!” they shouted. Tightening the grip on his arms, the officers tried unsuccessfully to yank him to his feet. Ace was solid muscle. It would take more than two men to lift him.

  Finally, Ace assisted them by pushing his body up from the floor. “I’m not a threat. I just wanted to talk to my girlfriend.” That wasn’t entirely true. Talise was his ex and he was planning to threaten her to stay away from his family.

  Gawking passengers made room as the officers carted him away. Right before they led him down a long hallway he noticed several travelers with smart phones aiming their devices his way. Making the best of an embarrassing situation, Ace presented his favored facial profile.

  “Hi, Mom,” he said with a terse smile while inwardly groaning.

  Talise was doing it to him again. If he hadn’t been on his way home because of her, he wouldn’t be in this jam.

  Talk about a terrible travel experience. Wait until he had the opportunity to fill out a survey. Almost an hour later, Ace was still pleading his case. In a back room somewhere in a secluded area of the airport, his answer remained the same.

  “Listen, I’ve told you. I’m not a terrorist. I was just trying to get to my girlfriend. It’s the honest truth.”

  “The next time you have a lover’s quarrel, do it before you get to the airport. Let’s go,” one officer ordered.

  While being ushered to a police car, he took some comfort in the fact that the coast was clear of a curious crowd or the relentless media. However, his relief didn’t last too long. Moments after Ace was shoved into the back seat, reporters and camera equipment were on his trail. Cowering lower, he bowed his head and closed his eyes. Adding insult to injury, the officer didn’t seem to be in any hurry to avoid a media circus.

  “Just great.” Ace groaned.

  “Did the suspect pose any threat to security?” he could hear a female reporter ask.

  “No, we were able to subdue him with little effort.”

  “Right. I’m six-three and weigh two-hundred and twenty-pounds. It took more than a little effort to bring me down,” Ace corrected under his breath.

  He hadn’t been in jail since … the last time he was in jail. Actually, it was two years ago after that stint for disorderly conduct outside a bar. That was when he vowed to his mother, brother, and cousin that his childish behavior was behind him.

  Cameron had harped on Ace’s wasted potential, going as far as using his connections to secure his cousin several job interviews. Ace landed a position with his current employer and his business acumen soared.

  With his mind finally made up, things began to change. He cut his association with guilty parties and unsavory relationships. Now his income, for the most part, came by legal means. Surprisingly, Ace’s social calendar didn’t suffer when he cleaned up his bad boy image. Then he met Talise and his life seem
ed to get even better—at least until a few months ago.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  He what?” Sandra led the chorus. She, her son, and daughter-in-law couldn’t believe the phone call Kidd had received less than ten minutes earlier. Adding the brief news report from the local station, it verified that a man at the airport had momentarily lost his mind. Without a photo, his mother, for one, didn’t really want to accept that it was her son. One thing for sure, they couldn’t deny he was in some kind of trouble.

  Kidd was fuming. Sandra was bewildered and disappointed. “What was he doing at the airport?”

  “He was on his way home to surprise you, Ma.”

  “Me?” Sandra sucked in her breath.

  “Yeah. Ace said he was homesick and he wanted to go home and check on you.”

  “Well, his timing was off. That’s for sure,” Sandra replied in exasperation. “Why does your brother seem to be a magnet for craziness?”

  Surfing the Internet on her phone when they got the call, Eva was about to sign off when a headline grabbed her attention. “Hey, look at this. A video is going viral on YouTube.” She read, “‘A lover’s spat brings a St. Louis airport to a halt.’”

  Then Eva tapped “play” and the three of them squinted to watch the video play out.

  “That can’t be Ace. He didn’t know—” Sandra caught herself. Kidd wasn’t privy to their whereabouts during the day. She was hoping to keep it that way.

  Peering over Eva’s shoulder, they continued to watch the footage. Sure enough, two men were straining to lift a muscular man off the floor. Both women gasped when they saw the man stand up and a German shepherd ready to pounce. It was Ace.

  “Thank God, he didn’t resist.” Sandra patted her chest to console her pounding heart. The potential aftermath of what could happen if her sons resisted when they were growing up, kept Sandra praying at night. Instantly, this scene became a stark reminder of those days.

  Apparently, she should have never stopped praying. Turning away, she couldn’t watch anymore. Then she heard Ace’s muffled voice say, “Hi, Mom.” Sandra glanced over her shoulder in time to see Ace’s engaging smile and shuddered.

  Kidd mumbled, “Fool.” He clutched a fist.

  “Come on. You have to admit it’s funny. For Ace to be so arrogant in his moment of unfavorable international notoriety is amusing,” Eva commented.

  Sandra exchanged glances with Kidd when he looked up. Staring each other in the eye, neither of them could contain it any longer. They laughed harder than Eva.

  There was a brief intermission when Cheney’s husband, Parke, called. Malcolm followed and somehow, Cameron knew about it all the way up in Boston.

  “I guess I’ve let him stew long enough. I’ll be back.” Kidd dug in his pants pockets for his car keys. He kissed Eva and was about to kiss his mother before she interrupted him.

  “I’m going with you. No wonder Talise doesn’t want to be bothered with him,” Sandra said in disgust.

  Kidd froze in his tracks. He glanced from his wife, who could keep a straight face no matter what, to his mother who wore an angelic expression—her game face.

  “Somehow you two know something I don’t,” he announced, folding his arms and towering over them.

  The women didn’t back down. One thing Kidd forgot was Sandra never let her sons, regardless of their size, intimidate her. She was the momma, and if anybody was going to instill fear, it would be her. Sandra lifted a defiant brow.

  “Okay, I see you two have the mother/daughter-in-law pact going on. That’s all right. Don’t worry. I’ll figure it out. I’ll be waiting in the car.” With that said, Kidd walked out the front door.

  The two women looked at each other. “Do you think we should say anything to Talise?” Eva whispered. “The video is pretty funny. She may get a good laugh. I promised her that Ace wouldn’t be within ten feet around her. And … look what happened.” Eva exploded into giggles again. “The Federal Marshals took care of that.”

  “I think those were local police,” Sandra corrected, shaking her head. “Either way, she’s had enough excitement for one day. With all of us and Grandma BB, we were a handful.”

  “You’re right.”

  “Besides, Talise reminds me so much of myself when I was pregnant with Kidd and realized I was on my own. That was a challenging time to endure. Then after I got pregnant with Aaron, I took the ‘I am woman’ pledge and haven’t been with a man ever since.”

  “You cheated yourself out of happiness.”

  “And my sons out of a father figure. Samuel wasn’t available to fulfill his role, but I should have tried to make sure there was a male role model in their lives. They needed someone to help them grow into manhood,” Sandra admitted.

  Reaching for her purse, she wore a somber look. “I recognized the longing in Talise’s eyes when she watched all of you. I pray she doesn’t miss out. She’s such a pretty girl—intelligent and independent too. As Aaron’s mother, I can’t believe I’m saying this, but after his stunt today, he may not be the best man for her.”

  Blinking away a tear, Sandra’s heart was doubly heavy for Ace and Talise, as she headed out to join Kidd.

  Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest … For my yoke is easy and my burden is light, God spoke from Matthew 11:28, 30.

  “Sandra!” Eva called quickly, just before she closed the door.

  Glancing over her shoulder, Sandra noticed Eva’s reverent expression. “God just spoke to me. It’s praying time.”

  “I know.”

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  The next morning, Talise settled in a seat aboard the Silver Line bus that would take her to work at Logan airport.

  With a faint smile, she recalled the memories from her time spent in St. Louis. Talise couldn’t believe how much she enjoyed the Jamieson wives and the little girl. However, the jury was still out when it came to Grandma BB. She was scary.

  After returning home from her trip, she couldn’t wait to type a long email to Sinclaire last night. Had it been written on paper, it might have filled a book. Carefully, she attempted to outline every detail about the Jamieson women: their warmth, personalities, and support.

  Maybe, if they ever invited her again, Talise would go. Hopefully, the next time she wouldn’t care if she came face to face with Aaron “Ace” Jamieson.

  Before leaving for work this morning, she checked her inbox and Sinclaire had replied.

  Hey Sis, I’m glad everything turned out okay. I was praying for you. I’m glad you opened up and admitted your mixed feelings about seeing/not seeing Ace yesterday.

  Somewhere deep in your heart, your feelings haven’t changed for him. I know that frustrates you because of how badly he treated you.

  God puts people in our path to help us see Him despite the dark days and darker nights. Those people may be Ace’s people, which might not include him. You have to brace yourself because the hurt could take a long time to heal. Just remember that Jesus is a Healer of all things, including the heart.

  I need you to promise me that you will either read your Bible everyday for five minutes or pray for five minutes. I guarantee Jesus will listen to your prayers and pay attention to your dedication. He’s got your roadmap laid out. DON’T BE A SLACKER. Be consistent!

  Much love and smooches to the baby, Claire.

  Five minutes, huh? Every day? Talise had already tried to take her sister’s advice. This wasn’t the first time Sinclaire attempted to drill that in her head. In fact, Talise had given it a try this morning. As she skimmed through 1 Peter, chapter 5, the only verse she remembered was about casting all her anxiety on God because He cares for her.

  Well, in a rush for work, maybe it wasn’t quite five minutes. Nevertheless, those words continued to revolve in Talise’s head until she arrived at the airport. Smiling, she felt rejuvenated. Was it from God or the Jamiesons? Talise remembered the wives saying they were praying for her too.

  Once
she cleared the security lane for employees, she strolled to her assigned ticket counter.

  Her coworker, Kendall, was greeting one passenger after another. The woman’s smile masked a variety pack of personalities. Hopefully, she would be in a good mood for most of the shift.

  Before Talise could get settled behind the counter and power-up her computer, Kendall was spilling the latest gossip.

  “Did you hear about what happened in St. Louis yesterday?”

  Talise’s fingers paused on the keyboards. Frowning, she gave Kendall her full attention. “No. What? I was in St. Louis yesterday, visiting…”

  What would she call them—her baby’s family? Kendall didn’t know yet, but the way she was starting to put on inches and pounds, her coworker would suspect something soon and broadcast a newsflash that might be close to the truth.

  “I was there with friends. What happened?”

  “Girl, YouTube is calling it a lover’s quarrel, but the only thing you see in the video is the bodybuilder image of a Black guy being forced to the ground. Apparently, he’d been trying to get to some woman who, I guess, had already boarded the plane.”

  “That’s scary.” Talise held her breath. Why did Ace come to mind just because he lived in St. Louis? There were more crazy men out there besides her ex.

  Kendall instantly switched to her professional mode when a passenger approached the counter.

  “Hello, are there any available seats on the next flight to Philly? If so, I would like to change.” The man asked more questions while her coworker checked.

  Talise tried not to be impatient, but she wanted to hear what else Kendall had to say. She was curious about the St. Louis incident. However, that curiosity was put on hold as a steady trail of passengers stopped at their counter.

  Soon the day was becoming a nightmare. When a plane was grounded for mechanical problems, Talise and Kendall had to scramble and rebook all the passengers. Dealing with the crisis at hand, while toying with a suspicious thought at the back of her mind, was beginning to weigh on Talise. Just before Kendall was about to take a lunch break, Talise stopped her.