by Phil Walker
Other people were already onboard. Gladstone thought several of them looked familiar, but since everyone was wearing the same outfits he was wearing, he couldn’t exactly place them. Everyone on the craft had the same looks of nervous anxiety and excitement.
In a few minutes the entire cabin was full. There were many kids of all ages, with the wives of the political leaders. Gladstone thought this herding of people was slightly insulting, but there didn’t seem anyone to complain too. He glanced at his watch. It was just 8 AM.
A smiling woman took an object on a cord and spoke into it. Her voice could be heard throughout the cabin. “Welcome to all of you distinguished guests. As of this moment you are the guests of the United States of America. I know you all have many questions, the main one probably is if the Open House is to be held at the White House in Washington on June 1, then why are you here on May 31? Well, the answer is very simple we will arrive in Washington about 8 hours from now.”
There was a murmur through the cabin, but the woman went on, “My name is Mindy and I am the senior attendant. If you watch, you probably have noticed you are sitting on belts that look like this.” She held a small version of the belt in the air. “This is your seat belt. It goes around your waist and clicks together like this. To remove the belt you simply pull up on the tab, like this. Above you is a lighted sign that says please fasten seat belts. Please do so now.”
The Gladstone’s fumbled around a bit, but managed to put on their belts. As they were clicking their belts, a whining sound filled the cabin, and grew louder and louder. Henry looked out the window and could see a wide wing of shiny metal sticking straight out. There were two big bulges in the wing. The curtain had concealed this before.
As the roar grew, the entire craft began to move, slowly at first and then faster and faster. Gladstone felt himself pushed back into his seat. Catherine reached over and took her husband’s hand.
Suddenly the entire craft lifted off the ground and began to climb into the sky. Gladstone looked across his wife and saw the trees and the ground getting smaller and smaller. The entire cabin was in an uproar.
A deep voice of a man was heard through the cabin. “Good morning, Ladies and Gentlemen, boys and girls. My name is Captain Martin and I will be your primary pilot on our flight to America.” A screen lit up on the seat back. “Our route will take us over the coast of France and out over the Atlantic Ocean. We will be flying at an altitude of 35,000 feet, with an air speed of 560 miles per hour. Our expected arrival in Washington, D.C will be 10 AM this morning. The difference in time is because Washington is actually seven hours earlier than Europe’s time. We will be serving a meal in a few minutes when we’ve reached our cruising altitude. Now I realize this is the first airplane flight for all of you. It’s a routine flight and we expect no difficulties. There may be minor air turbulence, but I assure you this is completely normal. After you have eaten, you’re free to leave your seats and to move around the cabin. I would imagine you have quite a bit to talk about. The lavatories are located in the front and rear of the cabin. If there is anything we can do to make your flight more enjoyable, please don’t hesitate to ask.”
The Gladstone’s relaxed a little. The sound of the engines had fallen so that normal conversations could be held. Are you alright my dear,” said Gladstone?
“I think I am now. This is such a remarkable experience.”
“I think it’s great,” said Henry. “Me too,” said Herbert, “I’ve read stories about someday man learning how to fly. I guess this is the day.”
“Indeed,” said his father. “If the United States has achieved the ability to transport this many people at over 500 miles per hour for eight hours and cross the entire Atlantic Ocean, I can hardly imagine what we are going to see when we arrive in America.”
A woman pushing a cart came up and said, “May I offer you something to drink?”
“What do you have,” asked Gladstone.
“We have an assortment of spirits, wine, and soft drinks.”
“I’ll have a brandy,” said Gladstone, oblivious to the early hour. “May I have white wine,” asked Catherine?
Gladstone got a very generous snifter of brandy and Catherine a big glass of wine.
“What about you boys?”
“Maybe something sweet,” said Herbert.
“I’ve got just the thing for you,” said the girl and set two big glasses on the tray she let down for them. She filled them with ice, and then opened two big bottles of Coca-Cola. She poured them, and waited for the boys to try it. They both smiled and smacked their lips.
The brandy and the wine settled the Gladstone’s nerves and they began to relax.
Just then breakfast arrived. It was eggs and bacon. There was also a roll and excellent coffee. For many minutes the Gladstone’s ate and enjoyed the food. The boys polished off the dinner and were tearing open their chocolate bars. They loved chocolate but it was so expensive they only saw it at Christmas.
Gladstone decided to get up and use the lavatory after his dinner plate was cleared away. He had to wait in line behind a man with a thick beard. Gladstone looked at him again and tried to remember where he had seen the fellow. Finally, he said to the man, “Excuse me, have we met before?”
The man snuffed arrogantly and said with a thick accent, “I am Wilhelm.”
Gladstone then recognized him immediately. He was none other than the Kaiser of Germany. “Excuse me, your highness, I am William Gladstone, Prime Minister of Great Britain.”
Wilhelm looked at him a moment and then laughed, “Who could recognize anyone in these ridiculous clothes?” Gladstone laughed too. “I wonder if that was part of the American’s purpose, to make us all look like fools?”
Just then the lavatory door opened and a man with long sideburns and a heavy moustache stepped out. “Strange room,” he said, “but it has running water.” Gladstone knew this man. He was Phillip the VII, King of Spain. “Your highness?” The man looked for a minute, “Gladstone?”
“In the flesh and up in the air with everyone else,” laughed Gladstone.
Before long, half the airplane, well plied with more alcohol, was playing the guessing game of “Who are you?” The kids mixed with others their own age, drank two or three more of the delicious Cokes. Wives chatted and more often than they would admit, everyone looked out the windows to see the big clouds below and the swirling waters of the Atlantic Ocean.
“I don’t feel so out of place now that I see all the other ladies dressed like me. I had such a nice talk with Marie Louise; she’s the wife of Moncrieff, the premier of France.”
“It’s strange how much different people are when they are separated from their throne rooms and courtesans,” said Gladstone.
The captain popped his head out of the cockpit and waved at Mindy, “How’s it going?”
“It’s just like they told us it would be. A good meal, plenty of alcohol, plain clothes, and they’re all gabbling like tourists.”
“The President really knows what he’s doing. We’ll be on the ground in an hour, right on time,” said the Captain. He slipped back into the cockpit.
It was a bright, sunny day in Washington. The Captain made sure the flight attendants got everyone back in their seats and buckled up. His orders were to make their arrival in Washington very colorful, so everyone could see the capital from the air. He swooped along the Mall at 1000 feet, and then turned and went back to make sure people on both sides of the ship got a good look at the sparkling city. He imagined there were a lot of oohs and aahs in the cabin and he was right. Then he turned on final and landed at the airport. It was in the same place as Ronald Reagan airport was in 2025. The plane made a smooth landing and taxied to the edge of the tarmac. There was a crowd waiting for the plane to come to a stop right in front of a red carpet. The doors were opened and a set of stairs were wheeled up. There was no particular order to the way the passengers disembarked. They were guided to a set of bleachers near the plane in fro
nt of a podium with a microphone set up. It was quite hot and humid. A man stepped forward. He was clearly an older man, but he seemed especially fit as he bounced onto the podium and up to the microphone. He was dressed exactly like all the Europeans.
He smiled and raised his hands. “Ladies and Gentlemen, boys and girls, I am Charles Gallagher, President of the United States. Welcome to America! We are going to have such a wonderful time this next month. You’re not going to want to go home! Here is our schedule for the rest of the day. Your first stop is your rooms where you will stay when we are in Washington. You have the rest of the day to relax. Dinner tonight will be at the White House at 5 PM. If you are wondering why so early it’s because 5 PM is Midnight back in Europe. You are still on that time. We are going to eat early and then send you back to your rooms for a good night’s rest. Tomorrow we will tour Washington. The schedule for the rest of your time here in the United States is waiting for you in your rooms. You will find that on many days there are choices of activities you can choose. The young people will want to do different things than their parents. We promise you will never be bored. This is a great time for us. We have worked very hard to make a good country here. It is our pleasure to show it to you now. Thanks for coming. I’ll see you all tonight.”
As the Gladstone family went through the entryway, a young man, probably only a few years older than Henry or Herbert approached them. “Hello there, you must be the Gladstone family.”
“We are,” said William.
“My name is Cary Richardson and I will be your guide and companion during your visit to the United States. We are so glad you’re here. Please call me Cary.”
Henry asked, “Is it always so beastly hot and humid here?”
Cary looked around, “This is just the beginning of summer, are you all uncomfortable with the heat already?”
“It seldom gets this hot in England,” said Gladstone.
“I will do everything I can to make you comfortable,” said Cary. “Our first job is to find your luggage, four pieces right? Did you use your tags to mark your bags in London?”
“We did,” said Gladstone. “It seemed a little silly at the time, but then we did not expect to be travelling with such a large group.”
The luggage was all lined up along the sidewalk. The Gladstone’s walked along until they found their four pieces.
“The reason why you were all limited to one bag is because of the weight limitations on the plane, and also because we will be travelling a lot in the next month and hauling around luggage is such a pain. But it’s easy.” He grabbed one of the bags and pulled the handle, which slid out of the bag. Then he turned the bag up on its end and wheels underneath the bag made it simple to pull it along. “Try it,” he said.
They all extended the handle and pulled their bag along. Gladstone thought it was very ingenious.
“Next, I have for you all an identification badge.” He showed them bright blue badges with their names on them and a big number 2, in the corner. The badges were attached to lanyards. “Put these around your necks and wear them all the time,” said Cary, “it will help all the people you meet to know you are in the special visitors group. With these badges, the whole country is open to you. It will get you free food everywhere you go, admit you to any place, and if you see something in a store you like, just take it. You are not allowed to pay for anything while you are with us. If you are ready, I’ll take you to your bus.”
Cary took off with the Gladstone family following him. They were all amazed at how easy the bags were to handle.
Outside the gate, there was a parking lot with seven big buses lined up in a row. They all had numbers on the front. The Gladstone’s looked at the buses in wonder. They were all at least 50 feet long, perhaps ten feet high and had clear windows that ran in one continuous, unbroken sheet along the top of the bus. “Wherever we go, just look for bus number 2.”
They walked over to the buses, which were rumbling as if they were alive. Porters took the Gladstone’s bags and put them in large open bays at the bottom of the bus. The Cary pointed the way to the front and had the four climb aboard. “Pick any seats you like,” said Cary. “It’s just a short drive to the resort.
The family chose seats near the middle of the bus, which was already half full of families, who were looking out the clear windows and up to the sky. Henry noticed that the bus was decidedly cooler than the outside.
When the bus was full, the guides, apparently one for every family, stood in the aisle and raised their hand to signal their group was properly loaded. The door in the front closed and the bus pulled out to line up second in the line that rolled away from the airport.
“What is the means of propulsion for this vehicle,” asked Gladstone?
Cary spoke immediately, “The buses are powered by V-8, 400 horsepower, diesel engines. They have a range of 1000 miles on one load of fuel and can travel at speeds up to 75 miles per hour.”
Gladstone did not understand all Cary said, but he sure heard the speed and range of the bus. They glided along the smoothly paved streets past monuments, great buildings, and a long pool that led to a very tall obelisk. Then there was wide park of grass and at the end was a huge and magnificent building with a dome on the top.
“Is that a church,” asked Gladstone, since it reminded him of St. Paul’s in London.
“No sir,” said Cary, “That is the Capitol, where Congress meets. Think of it as the Houses of Parliament.”
“It’s beautiful,” said Catherine.
The bus made a turn at the Capitol and went two streets where they turned into a driveway with a tall and very elegant building in front. There was a fountain in the open space from the entry drive to the front of the building. Gladstone estimated it was at least ten stories high. The bus came to a stop and Cary said, “Here we are, Home Sweet Home.”
The family disembarked the bus by the back door, and found that porters were already unloading the baggage. “Don’t worry about your bags,” said Cary, “They will be delivered to your rooms. Shall we go inside?”
A big crowd filled the entryway and looked in wonder. The center of the building was a huge open space. There were trees, flowers, another fountain, tables and chairs and comfortable long couches spotted here and there. On each end of the building was a glass covered lift that was moving up and down. Each floor of the building had an ornate railing covered with long boxes filled with blooming flowers.
When Cary thought they had gawked long enough he said, “I’ll take you to your rooms now.” They followed him along the richly carpeted and wide walkway to the end of the building and turned left to stop in the center. “Watch this,” he said, “to call for the elevator. The top button means up, the bottom button means down.” He pushed the up button and shortly a door slid open. They all stepped in and could see through the glass. “You are on the 9th floor,” said Cary, “See the row of buttons on the panel? Push the number 9.” Herbert did that, and the doors closed and the elevator started up. It was such a sight to see the floors going by, the people below getting smaller. The elevator stopped when the lighted number in the row reached 9. “In order to go back to the ground floor, you just push lobby,” said Cary.
The door opened and Cary headed out and to the left. They turned the corner and went down the hall about half way. “Run your card along the slotted panel,” said Cary, “any of your cards will work for this door, and this door only. Mine does not open the door, so one of you has to slide your badge for us to get in. Henry did that and the handle on the door clicked. He pushed the door open.
The room they entered was like a very well decorated living room. It was spacious and there was a closed curtain across the back wall. Cary reached over and pushed the switches on the wall, and the room was suddenly filled with light from several lamps. The Gladstone’s seemed to be in shock at the never-ending string of miracles they were experiencing. To the left was a door and to the right another door. “You guys have the room to the l
eft and you Mr. and Mrs. Gladstone have the room to the right. There are things in these rooms that need explaining, so I will start here. Over on the right is the service bar, it has a refrigerator to keep things cold, and is filled with all sorts of goodies. Use it all you want. We will refill it every day.”
Cary walked over to the closed curtain and pulled the cords to open them. The Gladstone’s gasped as the view unfolded before them. They could see the entire Mall, the reflecting pool with the big monument at the end, the tall obelisk, and the Capitol to their left. Cary pulled open the sliding doors and let the family walk out onto the long deck. There was a table and chairs out there, along with a couple of long lounges. The view was spectacular, but it was Henry who said, “It’s really hot out here.”
“Then come back in and I’ll close the doors,” laughed Cary.
The cool of the room enveloped them. “You can regulate the temperature of the rooms.” He stepped over to a panel behind the service bar. A lit panel showed the number 72. “This is the current temperature the room is set for. To make it warmer, you push this button up or down.” He demonstrated and the number changed to 71. “There’s one of these in each of the bedrooms for your comfort. Now shall we look at the bedrooms?”
He led the family into the master bedroom. There was a king-sized bed in the center, a chest of drawers on one wall and a large oaken cabinet on the wall facing the bed. There was also an easy chair and a small table with two chairs nearby. Cary moved into the bathroom. There were two sinks along one wall and a frosted glass enclosure on the other wall. At the end was a small room with a porcelain stool. There was a sliding door to that room. “This is your toilet. You do your business, use the paper from the roll, and then push this handle.” He demonstrated and the toilet recycled. Cary went to the sink and lifted a handle, water started flowing out. “For hot water you move the handle to the left, for cold water, the right. Somewhere in the middle will be the right temperature to wash your hands.”
