SECRET SALVATION

by Chad Josey

  “That’s, okay,” the guard said motioning Joe through to the other side to join Mary.

  Joe and Mary continued through the Terminal after leaving Security. “Whew, that was a close one.”

  “What do you mean?” Joe asked while scanning ahead for their gate.

  “I’m glad they didn’t frisk me, cause I’m packing a gun on me.” Mary laughed, nudging Joe’s shoulder as they walked.

  “You’re gonna get us in trouble, someday.” Joe usually welcomed her sense of humor, but smiled anyway at her joke. They held hands as they walked. “Here we go, Gate D69… and, we made it with thirty minutes to spare.”

  Two open seats beside each other were available in the waiting area. Joe and Mary sat and performed one of their favorite activities: people watching. “Oh, look at the baby… isn’t she precious,” Mary said into Joe’s ear.

  “Whoa, I just proposed last night. I think we can wait a little for that.” Mary had been talkative all morning but with Joe’s comment, she sat in silence.

  A voice over the speaker erupted through the crowd. “Ladies and Gentlemen, in a few minutes we will begin boarding our flight to New York’s JFK Airport by row number. When your row is called, we ask that you come to the gate for boarding.”

  People corralled in front of the gate agents. “So much for waiting for your row to be called,” Mary said.

  “Thank you, Ladies and Gentlemen. We are now boarding First and Business Class, and anyone with small children or who needs extra time getting onto the plane.” The voice triggered a stampede of mostly men, carrying briefcases and computer bags through the crowd of people in front of them.

  “How many people do you want to invite to our wedding?” Mary asked as Joe found amusement in the herd of people gathering in front of him.

  “Uh… I guess we need to figure out who all to invite—” The voice interrupted Joe, again.

  “Thank you. Okay, we will start boarding from the back of the plane going forward.”

  The blob of people thinned out around the waiting area. Half of the passengers boarded. The chaos in front of the gate calmed. Joe and Mary inched forward each with their bag.

  “Do you want to get married in New York or back home in Texas?”

  “I don’t know. Most of our friends from home don’t even live there anymore. I think we have more friends now in Stony Brook, anyway. Grandma loved the City the last time she visited—”

  A voice over the speakers interrupted Joe. “Now, we are boarding rows ten through twenty.”

  “Ooh, that’s us,” Mary said taking his hand leading him to the gate.

  “Bonjour, tickets, please,” the agent said as Joe and Mary boarded the plane. A short man attempting to lift his bag into the overhead bin above his seat held up their path to their seats.

  “Here, let me help you with that, Sir,” Joe said helping the man.

  “Thank you.” The man took his seat giving room for Joe to lift the heavy bag into the bin. Their seats were two rows behind the man.

  “Here’s our seat… ah, I’m ready to take off and watch some movies,” Joe said as he allowed Mary to get in first since she had the window seat.

  “Okay, but during our flight, I want to talk about all the plans and ideas I have for our wedding.”

  “All your plans and ideas… I just asked you to marry me last night?” Joe lifted their carry-on bags into the overhead bin and joined her after getting the bags situated. As they each fastened their seatbelt, the flight crew came over the speakers to review the safety features of the plane. Joe and Mary continued their conversation during the flight attendants’ announcement.

  “Maybe so, but I’ve been dreaming of this moment since I was a little girl.”

  Joe scanned the aisle to the front of the plane. “Hey, I think we have the row all to ourselves.”

  After the attendants performed the safety presentation, the plane taxied around the airport before taking off. It was a beautiful day. With the roar of the engines, they floated above the runway. Neither would have known they were flying unless they looked out the window at the ground growing distant beneath them.

  Prior to takeoff, Mary had fired off one wedding question after another. Much to Joe’s relief, Mary had fallen asleep as soon as the plane reached its cruising altitude.

  September 11, 2001, 10:07 a.m.

  Somewhere over the North Atlantic

  FOUR HOURS into the flight, Mary awoke, her head resting on Joe’s shoulder. “Was I snoring?”

  “Were you snoring? Um, a lady four rows away came up and asked if you were okay with all the noise you were making.” Joe laughed as Mary jabbed his side and shook her head trying to wake.

  “No, you were not snoring. I was just kidding.”

  “Ah… uh… Ladies and Gentlemen, this is your Captain speaking. We will be taking a little detour in our flight. Air Traffic Control is asking us to land in Halifax, Nova Scotia, delaying our arrival into JFK. Just so no one is alarmed, there is nothing wrong with our plane. It is most likely due to weather conditions or technical issues at the airport. Once we have more information, we will update you. For now, I ask the flight attendants to please prepare the cabin for landing. We will be making a quick decent, so everyone please make sure your luggage and items are secure in the cabin.”

  “Well, okay, I have never been to Canada,” Joe said turning to Mary, while holding her hand, which shook from the Captain’s announcement.

  “Is this normal?”

  “I don’t know. I’m sure it's weather-related that’s all.” Joe did his best to reassure Mary.

  Their plane developed a noticeable downward motion. To the passengers, the feeling was that of going down a hill of a roller coaster with a sharp turn at the bottom. The Captain made an unusual approach for a commercial aircraft to the airport. A chorus of gasps came from the passengers.

  The landing strip came fast at the Halifax Airport. Mary peeked out her window. A long line of jets nose-to-tail ran the full length of the opposite runway. “Wow, look at all the planes out there,” Mary said to Joe. “I didn’t know this part of Canada was this busy?”

  “Ladies and Gentlemen, this is your Captain, again. As you can see, it looks like we are not the only ones being diverted… With this many planes, it may be some time before we can take off. Halifax Ground Control is asking us to park at Gate 1 since we are the closest plane. If you would like to get off, we ask that you stay nearby to hear updates on our flight. As soon as we know anything else, I will be back with you.”

  “Oh my, it seems like we may be here awhile. How much longer is our flight going to be to New York?” Mary asked Joe, who had grabbed the airline magazine in the pocket of the seat in front of him.

  “Looking at this map, we are just east of Maine. If we were in a car, it’s a full day’s drive.” He studied the map and peeked outside at the other planes on the runway.

  “Hey, I’ve got an idea. Since the company is picking up our travel expenses and we didn’t check any bags, let’s get off here. We can rent a car and drive home faster than waiting here to leave. Plus, we can see some of Canada along the way.”

  “Are you sure? Seems like a long way to drive, doesn’t it?”

  “Look at all those planes. It doesn’t sound like we’re leaving soon. And, they’re all behind us. I bet they will have to leave first before we can leave. So, that will take a long time.”

  The Halifax Airport is one of the first major airports in North America reached by aircraft flying over the North Atlantic. On a typical weekday, four international flights land in Halifax. However, today, Joe and Mary’s late morning flight was the twentieth with twenty more to follow.

  Mary turned her head between the window and Joe. “I don’t know? Can we do that? What if it takes off sooner than you think?”

  “So what? The plane takes off without us. But, by that time, we’ll be near Boston in a car. What do you say? Let’s be spontaneous.”

  Seeing the growing park
ing lot of planes, Mary agreed. “Okay, let’s do it.”

  Joe stood and opened the overhead compartment. “Here are our bags. Let’s get off.”

  “Excuse me, but where are you going with your bags?” an attendant asked, coming up to him gasping for her breath.

  “The Captain said we could get off the plane if we wanted to. We’ve decided to go ahead and rent a car to drive the rest of the way home.” Joe explained their plan only loud enough for the attendant to hear. He did not want to give away his idea to the other passengers nearby.

  “I don’t know if that’s…" The flight attendant’s attention left Joe as she glanced up the aisle to her colleague, who nodded her approval for them to leave. “Well, I guess it’s okay, then,” the Flight Attendant said as she passed Joe and Mary to help another passenger behind them.

  “C’mon, let’s hurry to the car rental place in case others have the same idea.” Joe walked ahead carrying Mary’s pink bag, while she carried his beaten-up blue one.

  As they shuffled down the aisle, the noise of the still-seated passengers grew louder. Most of them were on their cell phones attempting to make a call. For most, they heard a message saying all circuits were busy, now. The few able to connect to someone sat in horror listening to the other end of the line.

  To Joe and Mary, none of this mattered. They passed everyone wearing smiles on their faces. Joe’s due to his brilliant plan. Mary’s due to all the wedding ideas floating around her mind.

  September 11, 2001, 10:45 a.m.

  Nova Scotia, Canada

  HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE packed the terminal building inside the Halifax Airport. Joe waited for Mary in front of the restroom next to Gate Number 1. The airport is exponentially smaller compared to the larger JFK.

  Joe turned from the restroom and stepped behind a crowd curious to what everyone was watching. Their heads fixated on a television in the waiting area of the gate.

  A tall man who had blocked Joe’s view turned around when Joe tapped his shoulder. “Excuse me, but what—”

  “Joe?” Mary’s voice calling for him interrupted his question to the man. Joe turned around and grinned. Mary seemed lost standing outside the restroom as he weaved his way through the crowd to her. “Oh, there you are. I got worried ‘cause I couldn’t find you,” Mary said.

  “I went over there to see what everyone was watching?”

  “And?”

  “I don’t know, I couldn’t tell, and no one said anything.”

  “There’s a lot of people in here,” Mary said as Joe contemplated going back over to everyone.

  Joe looked around the terminal. Most of the gates near where they stood had passengers exiting into the terminal building. “Uh… yeah, we better go now to get a rental car. If not, we must come back here to re-board our plane.” Joe took Mary’s hand and led her through the terminal following the overhead signs.

  “I was thinking we should have blue in our wedding. I’ve always loved that color,” Mary said following Joe.

  “The car rental place is just down the escalator.” Joe could not hear Mary’s questions behind him; his focus remained on the signs pointing the way.

  “Whew, you were walking pretty fast.” Mary gasped for her breath as they reached the escalator.

  “I want to make sure we don’t have to wait in a long line.” Joe twisted around to Mary. “I don’t know what’s happening. There’s a lot of planes here for a small airport… and, if we’re renting a car, I am sure others are, too.”

  “See, that’s why I love you. You’re always planning ahead and trying to look out for us.” Her chest pounded from keeping his pace as they had darted through the people.

  The escalator ended in the baggage claim area with the car rental counters behind the luggage carousels. The few people in the area stood motionless talking on their cell phones. Joe and Mary found the first car rental counter. “Huh, I guess we tap this,” Joe said.

  He pushed down with his index finger on the silver bell on the counter. A few seconds had passed as a man, no older than Joe and Mary, came out from an open entryway behind the counter.

  “Hello, my name is Anthony. How can I help you today?”

  “We were traveling to JFK but landed here, and we would like to rent a car one-way to New York City, please,” Joe said.

  “Sure, I can imagine air traffic will be a nightmare there, so I understand… okay, let me see what we have. Is there a particular car you have in mind?”

  “Not really, any will be okay, since the company I interviewed with will pay us back.”

  Mary stood beside Joe connected to his right arm. “We’re driving home and only have these two bags with us… Have you heard what’s happening by any chance… why all the planes are here?” Joe asked.

  “I don’t know. My co-worker in the back yelled earlier something about a plane crash, but I am not sure. I stepped back there just before you guys rang the bell…” Anthony scrolled through his computer screen. “Okay… here we go. We have a nice Ford Taurus available.” Anthony passed a printout to Joe, showing the price and details of the rental.

  “Cool, that’ll work,” Joe said as he completed the transaction.

  Anthony opened a drawer behind the counter. “Here are the keys and a local map. Just walk straight out the door, and—”

  “Oh, shit! Anthony, get back here and look at this… ” The command from behind the wall interrupted Anthony’s instruction of where Joe and Mary needed to pickup the car.

  “I’m sorry about that. Just go straight through the door, and your car is in space number 102. Is there anything else I can help you with?”

  “I think we’re good.”

  “Have a good day,” Anthony said pointing toward the o exit.

  “Well, I think you’re needed in the back. Thanks for your help,” Joe said as Anthony left and joined his co-worker behind the wall. “Come on, Sweetie, let’s get on the road.”

  “Holy shit,” came the voices of Anthony and his co-worker at the same time as the doors closed behind Joe and Mary as they exited the building.

  “Wow, that was very professional,” Mary said with a sarcastic laugh.

  The open parking lot was easy to find. Half the spaces were empty. Mary followed beside Joe as his paced slowed.

  “There it is.” Joe pressed the key fob as the car’s running lights flashed. He placed their bags in the trunk and inspected the car before getting inside the car. As Joe started the engine, he studied the map Anthony had given him plotting out their route home to Long Island.

  “We should be at the US Border in about five hours, coming into Maine.” Joe showed the map to Mary to validate his plan.

  As Joe placed the map in the backseat, Mary stared out the front windows. “I’ve always wanted to see the autumn leaves in Maine. Do you think they’ve changed color yet?”

  “I’m not sure. It’s what… uh…” Joe paused, “it’s September 11th.” Joe scanned the trees around the perimeter of the airport. “The leaves here are just now changing, so I don’t know.” They drove out of the parking lot and down the highway away from the airport.

  Joe turned on the radio. Through the speakers, they heard, “The President this morning spoke from Booker Elementary School in Sarasota, Florida.”

  Mary reached for the radio control knob. “No radio. Let’s just talk more about our wedding. I am so excited. When do you want to have it? What colors should we do? Do you want live music? Oh, the food… we need to plan a menu.”

  The questions came in rapid fire from Mary. “Whoa, slow down, Mary. We’ve got a long ride ahead of us. Let’s discuss one topic at a time.”

  September 11, 2001, 4:11 p.m.

  Near the Canadian / U.S. Border

  MILES DROVE BY THEM. Seaside villages every so often had broken through the isolation of the Canadian countryside. The autumn leaves turned from green to golden yellow the further inland they traveled. Mary rifled off question-after-question about their wedding. Hours had passed. Th
e only sounds came from the racing asphalt under the car, the wind crashing the windows, Mary’s questions and Joe’s answers.

  “Okay, I think we’re coming up on the Border.” Joe slowed the car as they approached a short line of vehicles stopped at a guardhouse. “Can you, please, hand me my driver’s license. It is in my wallet in my coat pocket in the backseat.”

  Mary reached behind them. “Here’s your license and passport, just in case.” Mary held the items as the other cars passed ahead through the Border. Joe pressed the button on his armrest as his window hummed down.

  Three heavily armed guards wearing green camouflage pants and black jackets approached their car. The American Flag emblem stood against their black, flat brimmed hats. Each guard held their hands on the trigger area of their machine guns pointed to the ground. They surrounded the car. One walked to the back, another stood by Mary’s side of the car, and the last bent down to Joe’s opened window.

  “What was your business in Canada?” the guard asked Joe. There was no small talk. The guard asked his question with an interrogating tone.

  Joe extended his hand through the window holding his driver’s license and passport. The guard was quick to snatch the documents from Joe. “Well, our flight from Paris got grounded in Halifax. So, we rented a car to drive home instead of waiting.” Joe’s eyes followed the guard behind their car inspecting underneath the trunk.

  The guard grunted outside Joe's window as he held his finger on his trigger. Joe jumped when the guard standing outside his window yelled to his colleagues. “They were on a plane from Paris.” The guard’s interrogating gaze pierced through Joe in the front seat. Mary could not take her eyes off the guard on her side of the car, his gun a few feet from her.

  After a few tense moments at the normally friendly Canadian Border, the guard handed him back his license and passport. “That was probably a good idea. I bet no planes are going anywhere for a few days. Did you notice anything strange on your flight?”

  Stunned at his question, Joe said, “Not that I can think of. We were flying along and then the Captain came on the speaker saying we would land, but never said why? We landed pretty fast, and there were dozens of other planes also on the runway. That’s when we decided to rent a car to drive home to New York.”