Flight SQA016 (The Flight Series)

by A. E. Radley

  Emily felt her rage building as she screwed up the card and shoved it into her jacket pocket.

  CHAPTER 7

  Olivia Lewis stepped aboard Flight SQA016 bound for London Heathrow. She walked through the premium cabin towards Jessica who was waiting to greet her by the curtained entrance to the first-class cabin.

  “Good evening, Miss Lewis,” Jessica greeted. “Can I take your luggage?”

  “Thank you.” Olivia nodded and handed one of her bags and her overcoat to the stewardess before taking her seat. A moment later, an empty glass was placed on the drinks tray on her armrest as it was every Sunday evening.

  A quick look around the cabin and Olivia could see that none of her regular fellow travellers were on board and the cabin was, in fact, half-empty, not at all surprising considering it was a short working week in Britain due to the public holiday on Monday.

  She picked up a newspaper from her armrest and glanced at the front page with disinterest while she waited for the Emily White to make an appearance. She hadn’t called. Olivia didn’t know why, and she certainly wasn’t about to ask but she still wanted to see her to try to piece together some information which might help her to ascertain what she had done wrong. This time.

  Olivia hadn’t spent much time seeking out an exact diagnosis regarding the difficulties she had communicating with people. Her mother had called her odd, her sister said socially awkward, and her friend, Nicole, had thrown around words like Asperger’s. To Olivia’s way of thinking, putting a name to the reason why she always said and did the wrong thing in a social situation wasn’t going to help her in any way.

  With a frown she turned her head to see if she could figure out why there was a sudden commotion behind her in the crew galley and what the hushed whispers were about. Both Emily and Jessica were absent from the cabin and Olivia strained around, to see what was happening, but to no avail. As the conversation quietened she turned to look out of the window and watch the seemingly endless stream of passengers boarding the aircraft via the airbridge.

  The tell-tale sound of high heels alerted her to the presence of a member of the cabin crew leaving the galley and walking into the cabin. Olivia looked up.

  “Good evening, Miss Lewis, I hope the girls are treating you well?” Iris Winter asked as she stood by Olivia’s seat and smiled.

  “Yes, yes, they are,” Olivia replied with a frown as she wondered why the cabin manager was making a rare appearance.

  “Good, good,” Iris said with a wide smile. She glanced expectantly at the galley.

  Olivia turned to see what Iris was looking at and blinked in surprise as a young boy emerged holding Emily White’s hand. Olivia tried not to stare but found it difficult. The boy was helped up into the large leather seat by Emily who was quietly speaking to him as she fixed the seatbelt around his small hips.

  “I hope you have an enjoyable flight with us, Henry,” Iris said with a smile and a prim nod before she left the cabin again.

  Olivia tried to stop staring. Luckily, Emily was giving the boy her full attention and didn’t notice her gawping.

  Jessica stepped into the cabin and bent down beside Henry with a grin.

  “Wow, Henry, the big seats! How exciting! Wasn’t it nice of Mrs Winter to let you sit up here instead?”

  Henry nodded and smiled at Jessica as he looked around the cubicle with fascination. He was around five years old with a mess of dark brown hair and he wore blue jeans and a light blue t-shirt with a cartoonish giraffe printed on it.

  Olivia snapped her attention back to the newspaper in her hands as she realised that this was most certainly not like every Sunday, this was rapidly becoming a very different Sunday.

  Olivia cast a glance sideways and saw Jessica stand up and start to check on the passengers in the cabin while Emily tightened Henry’s seatbelt and ruffled his hair before heading into the galley.

  The safety video began to play and Henry explored all of the options on the screen of his armrest handset with interest and Olivia did her best to look at him without making it too obvious what she was doing. When she heard footsteps, she turned back to her newspaper and peaked over the top of it while Jessica did a final check of the cabin, the window blinds, and seatbelts, and ensuring that all the overhead lockers were firmly closed.

  Jessica closed the locker above Olivia and the plane began to move away from the terminal building. Henry looked up in surprise at the movement. Jessica walked over to him and smiled calmly. “Don’t worry Henry, we won’t take off for a while yet and when we do, your mommy will come and sit with you.”

  Olivia frowned as she intensely studied the same article in her newspaper that she had supposedly been reading for ten minutes but had yet to take a word of it in. She wondered who the boy’s mother was and why a young child was flying in first-class. Her question was answered a few moments later when Emily returned to the cabin and strapped herself in the seat opposite Henry.

  The distance between the main seat and the temporary seat was enough that Emily could only reach Henry’s feet that pointed straight outwards as he was far too short for the chair. She held onto an ankle and soothingly rubbed it as she gently spoke to the boy. Olivia couldn’t catch what was being said but could see the boy was looking at his mother and smiling.

  The journey to the runway took ten minutes and then the sound of the large engines roaring to life echoed loudly throughout the plane. Henry’s eyes flew wide open as he stared at his mother with panic. Emily smiled at him and seemed to offer comforting words and encouraged him to look out of the window to his right as the aircraft picked up speed and the outside scenery began to whizz past the window.

  Slowly, the aircraft started to climb and Oliva watched as Henry held his breath and pushed himself back into the comfort of the chair. He stared at his mother for reassurance which she gave by way of a smile and a gentle squeeze of the ankle that she continued to hold. Throughout the five-minute ascent, Henry seemed to calm down and occasionally peeked out of the window with interest at the clouds and the cityscape that became visible to him when the aircraft banked heavily to the right.

  An electronic sound in the distance had Emily looking up and removing her belt. She leaned forward to Henry and gave him a kiss on the forehead and handed him the telephone device from the seat armrest again so he could access the television screen and presumably the accompanying games. Emily said a few more quiet words to him before leaving the cabin for the galley.

  Another five minutes went by and Olivia decided that she couldn’t possibly stare at the boy throughout the entire flight and her newspaper was providing her with little in the way of distraction. With a sigh, she folded the newspaper and put it in a netted compartment by the window then closed her eyes and leaned back in her chair. Her mind raced with questions about the boy and his presence on the aircraft. She started to feel uncomfortable, like she was being watched, and she slowly opened her eyes and turned to see the boy staring right at her. He was smiling.

  Olivia looked away out of the window but could still feel his gaze upon her. She slowly turned back and swallowed hard as he smiled a big, toothy grin at her and offered a small wave.

  CHAPTER 8

  Olivia looked out of the window and wondered what to do. She could barely speak to adults never mind small children. She glanced up and the boy was still smiling at her. Olivia offered a tight, nervous smile back. Henry held up his hand and waved again at her. She anxiously returned the small wave.

  “Here’s your menu for this evening—Oh, I’m so sorry, Miss Lewis,” Emily said as she looked from Olivia to Henry in their mid-wave. “Henry! Sweetheart, I told you that you have to be good if you’re going to sit up here. You can’t disturb Miss Lewis.”

  Henry blushed and looked down at his feet and Olivia felt she had to step in. “It’s quite all right, Miss White. I know how flying alone can be.”

  Emily was about say something when Henry spoke up. “I don’t like flying, Mommy. It’s noisy and
scary.”

  While Olivia wasn’t good at reading people, she could see the panic forming in Emily’s eyes. Her son was frightened and she very clearly had a job to do and no free-time to comfort him.

  “He can sit with me.” Olivia offered and indicated the temporary chair in her own cubicle. “That’s if you think that it might h-help?” For the life of her, Olivia couldn’t understand why she made such an offer, she knew nothing about children and the whole idea terrified her, but somewhere in the back of her mind the idea had taken shape and her mouth had blurted it out.

  “I can’t ask you to do that,” Emily whispered but her face looked like she was seriously considering it. She looked from a lip-quivering Henry and back to Olivia.

  “You’re not asking, I’m offering,” Olivia explained with a confused frown. “He can sit here.”

  “Are you certain?”

  Olivia nodded. The truth was that she wasn’t certain at all. Emily walked over to Henry’s seat and whispered something in his ear. Initially his face lit up in a smile but very soon he was nodding his understanding seriously. When Emily seemed assured he had understood her, she unlocked his seatbelt and helped him down from the large leather chair. She continued to hold his hand as he stumbled across the deck, not certain about the shaky movement of the aircraft. Emily put him in the temporary seat in front of Olivia which fitted him perfectly and quickly bent down and fastened the seatbelt.

  “Henry, you must keep this seatbelt on, okay? If you want to go back to your seat, you need to let me or Jessica know, don’t go yourself,” Emily told him as she tightened the belt.

  “Okay, Mommy.” Henry looked at her with a frown. “Where’s Tiny?”

  Emily looked up to the vacated seat. “Over there. I’ll go and get him.” The boy looked over at Olivia with another big grin causing her to swallow in fear. Emily returned with a tatty, stuffed giraffe and handed it to Henry.

  “Okay, Henry, this is Miss Lewis and she’s very kindly agreed to let you sit here, but you have to be really good and not bother her because she’s very busy, okay?” Emily said seriously and Henry nodded.

  “Okay, Mommy.”

  Emily picked up the stack of menus and handed one to Olivia. “Thank you so much, I think he’ll be happier just being near someone. But if you want some privacy then press the call button and I’ll put him back in his own seat.”

  Olivia nodded as she took the menu but stared at Henry like she wasn’t sure what to do with him now he was there. Emily continued to walk up the rows handing out menus and talking to passengers.

  “This is Tiny,” Henry said as he thrust the giraffe forward for her to see.

  “That’s a silly name,” Olivia frowned. “Giraffes are big, why is he called Tiny?”

  Henry frowned as he looked at the giraffe and then shrugged. “Giraffes only sleep for two minutes at a time.”

  “Really?” She raised an eyebrow. “They have perfected the art of the powernap, then.”

  “What should I call him?” He asked, confusing Olivia by his sudden return to the previous topic.

  “Big?” Olivia suggested but shook her head when she realised it was ridiculous. “Or Stretch?”

  “In the movie the giraffe is called Melman,” He added helpfully.

  “Why?” She asked with a frown. “How about Spotty?”

  Having tended to the other passengers, Emily approached them again. “What can I get for you this evening, Miss Lewis?”

  Olivia looked at the menu in her hand and realised she hadn’t even looked at it and quickly scanned the familiar options.

  “What’s for my dinner, Mommy?” He asked.

  “I brought you some pasta.” Emily softly brushed her hand through his hair. “How are you feeling?”

  “I’m okay,” Henry shrugged and Olivia attempted to pretend she’d missed the exchange but now wondered if the boy was ill and, more importantly, if it was catching.

  “I’ll have the salad to start and then the salmon, no dessert,” Olivia told Emily as she handed her the menu.

  “No dessert?” He whispered in horror. “Were you naughty?”

  “Henry.” Emily hissed. Olivia looked at him before plucking the menu back out of Emily’s hand and studied it again. “Very well, the chocolate fondant,” she said smartly before handing it back to a surprised Emily.

  “You don’t have to…” Emily started but paused at the meaningful look from Olivia. “Be good,” she whispered to him one last time before returning to the galley.

  “Why are you eating salad?” He asked with a tilt of his head, “It’s just leaves.”

  “Giraffes eat leaves.” Olivia grinned.

  “But you’re not a giraffe.” Henry shook his head.

  “Why are you eating pasta?” She asked, not knowing what else to ask the boy.

  “Because it’s yummy,” Henry grinned and fidgeted in his chair before squeezing Tiny tightly to his chest. “I like Tiny being called Tiny. Me, Tiny, and Mommy are going to London.”

  “Yes,” Olivia nodded. “We’re all going to London.” She indicated the plane with her finger.

  “Why are you going to London?”

  “I work in London.”

  “Why do you work in London? Do you live in London? Why were you in New York? Was it a vacation?” Henry asked in quick succession.

  “Er, no, I…I live in New York but I work in London,” Olivia replied.

  “What?” Henry exclaimed. “That’s really, really far. Mommy says it’s so far the clocks are different!”

  “That’s true.” Olivia conceded. “It is a long way.”

  “You should get a new job in New York. Then you could stay in New York and we can be friends.”

  Olivia opened her mouth to reply but had no response to that and was relieved when Emily returned and began to unfold the table. “Henry, you should probably go back to your seat now.”

  “But I want to talk to Miss Lewis,” Henry pouted at his mother as she laid a linen cloth onto the table.

  “He can stay,” Olivia said. “He isn’t doing any harm.”

  “He’s a messy eater,” Emily warned, smiling towards her son.

  “I can be good,” Henry replied in his best ‘big boy’ voice.

  “It really is no trouble,” Olivia added. “He is telling me all about giraffes.”

  Emily laid the cutlery down on the table and smiled at the admission. “Oh, I see. Well, that may be a very long conversation, I’m afraid. They are Henry’s absolutely favourite animal in the world.”

  “Ever,” Henry nodded with enthusiasm towards Olivia.

  “Ever,” Emily agreed. She stood up straight and looked at Olivia. “If you’re okay to sit with him a while longer then I can serve you together?”

  “Sounds wonderful.” Olivia nodded and Emily ruffled Henry’s hair as she made her way further into the cabin to set up other passenger’s tables for dinner.

  “Olivia,” Olivia said softly.

  “What?” Henry asked.

  “My name, it is Olivia, you don’t have to call me Miss Lewis and you don’t say ‘what’ when you don’t hear someone, you say ‘pardon.’”

  “Pardon,” Henry said with a nod as his young brain accepted the information.

  “Very good,” Olivia said proudly.

  “What do you do in London?” Henry asked as he brought Tiny up and placed him on the corner of the dining table. Olivia looked at the boy for a moment as her brain struggled to think of an appropriate way to describe the complicated world of taxation, investments, offshore accounts, and personal finances.

  “I help people look after their money.” Olivia decided upon finally.

  “Like my piggy bank?” Henry asked.

  Olivia paused. “Yes, kind of.”

  Henry crinkled his nose. “Seems like a funny kind of job.”

  “Yes, it is,” Olivia agreed.

  “I’m having an operation,” Henry told her as he picked up a spoon from the table and pretended to
feed Tiny. “So is Tiny.”

  Olivia hesitated. “Oh? What operations are you both having?”

  “My heart needs to be looked at by special doctors,” Henry said with a disinterested shrug.

  “I see,” Olivia’s eyes flicked from the boy to his mother in the distance. “And Tiny?”

  “He gets neck aches,” Henry said.

  “Of course he does,” Olivia nodded her understanding and regarded Henry with concern. Now that she knew the boy had a serious condition, she wondered even more if she was the right person to be watching over him, but he seemed well enough. Henry continued to feed Tiny imaginary food with the spoon and she regarded him with a tilt of the head. “What are you feeding him?”

  “Soup.”

  “Do giraffes eat soup?”

  “Tiny does.” He pointed out as if it were obvious. Olivia noticed that Emily looked at them as she walked past and back into the galley, trying to determine if everything was still all right between the odd couple.

  “Is that because his neck aches?” Olivia asked. He looked at her in awe, as if the thought had never crossed his mind. Then he nodded approval.

  Emily returned with a salad for Olivia and placed it in front of her and held another dish in her hand. “Are you sure you’re okay to sit with him while he eats?”

  Olivia nodded her head with little understanding as to why she was agreeing to dine with a child, but somehow she knew she wanted to spend more time with the boy. Emily placed a bowl of heated pasta shapes in front of Henry and handed him a child’s fork. “Please don’t give any to Tiny today.”

  “Tiny’s had soup,” He told her as he plunged his fork into the bowl. Emily paused for a moment and looked at him, clearly still worried about leaving him there.

  Olivia unwrapped her knife and fork from a linen napkin and looked at Emily. “To soothe his neck ache.”

  Emily smiled brightly. “I see,” she said before retreating back to the galley. Olivia blushed and looked down at her plate with an intense feeling of pride at making Emily smile.