Lost in Flight

by Neeny Boucher

  Christina heard Johnny interrupt him sharply. “Hey-man, that’s my kid sister you’re talking about. Stop telling me this shit.”

  She heard Dave apologize. “Oh, sorry man. Yeah. Sorry. I forget sometimes.”

  Trying not to die of mortification and exit before she was discovered, Christina didn’t know what to do. She certainly didn’t want to go into the garage and see Johnny now. She was about to run into the house when Johnny came out. His face lit up and he opened his arms. “Come here, Dina.”

  She ran to him and hugged him, noticing how thin he was. He’d grown his wavy dark hair to his shoulders and had a slight goatee, but he was Johnny. Tears came unbidden and she started to sniff.

  Johnny pulled her close saying quietly, “I got you.” As they put their arms around each other and started walking to the house, Johnny called over his shoulder. “Dave, Dina’s here. We’re going in the house now,” effectively ending Dave’s visit.

  Dave came out looking a bit sheepish. “Ah, hey – hey, Dina. How are you? See you later” and took his leave.

  She could tell Johnny was irritable, which was unusual for him. He’d always been a pacifist and mellow, violence was un-cool to Johnny. Always popular and well liked, everyone wanted to hang out with him. He had the ability to calm people down through the fear of disappointing him if they acted out.

  Christina realized years later that this was a trait he and their mother shared: that and a love of family. But right now, Johnny was agitated and acting out of character. There was something brittle about him that she’d never seen before and she wondered if it was the stress from being on the road.

  Knowing she was down, Johnny did the heavy lifting on the conversation, which was also unlike him. He usually disappeared into his own world imagining music, but he kept a running commentary of what he’d been doing since they last saw each other. He’d drift off halfway through their discussion and then go off on random tangents about the world.

  ********************

  The Martins were sitting at the kitchen table when Christina saw Riley’s truck pull up and she scowled. All eyes slid to her and Gabby said, “UH OH.” Johnny waved at Gabby. “Shush.”

  Dad cleared his throat. “Now, Dina,” but she cut them all off by getting up from the table.

  “I’m going to stay at Mandy’s tonight, so I’ll see you later.” She stormed into her bedroom, slammed the door shut and packed a bag. Gabby was grinning at her like a Cheshire cat when she walked out of her room, but Christina put a stop to that with a look. Dad and Johnny were nowhere to be seen, so she assumed they’d gone to divert Riley into the garage, and away from trouble.

  Mandy’s was about a 20-minute walk away, so she crossed the road and turned left, heading out to cross the park to the Robinson’s. About halfway there, Riley’s truck pulled up alongside her, but she ignored him. Rolling along beside her, he wound the window down saying, “Dina, get in,” but she shook her head and carried on.

  When he said, “I came to see you,” she still didn’t respond and kept walking. They were nearing the park when he asked a question she couldn’t ignore. “Why are you so mad at me?”

  Christina stopped and turned to face him, he had a half smile on his face, and his eyes were glinting with amusement. “Why am I so mad at you? I could write you a list, but it’d take too long. How about the hickeys you left all over me last night, you douche?” Riley laughed, so she snapped. “Go away – just divorce me and we’re done.”

  His response was to laugh harder. “Are we back on that?”

  Christina rounded on him. “BACK ON THAT? There’s something wrong with you – in the head. THAT, you know, the whole divorce thing has never gone away - unlike you.”

  He shrugged. “I was just taking some time out to think.”

  Christina glared at him. “Wow. Nearly three years? Your cognitive faculties are impressive.”

  Laughing, Riley said, “Bet you missed me every day.”

  Christina snorted. “I did not. I hardly thought about you at all.”

  He grinned and his lips twitched. “It seemed like you missed me last night.”

  The man had no shame. “I did not,” she snarled. “Now – just – go away.”

  They were silent for a bit until the park came into view and Riley said, “So it’s okay for me to go beat up the guy to get the tape back, but you won’t talk to me?”

  Christina groaned. “What? You were on it too.”

  Riley pulled a face. “Yeah, but I didn’t care. I just didn’t want anyone else looking at my woman.”

  She turned to look at him in exasperation and shouted. “I AM NOT YOUR WOMAN.”

  He wrenched the handbrake on, stopped the truck, and opened the door. His eyes were blazing with intensity and he growled, “YES-YOU-ARE.”

  Christina bolted. She wasn’t far from Mandy’s and she could get there quicker if she cut diagonally across the playground. She got as far as the swings before he caught up with her and tackled her to the ground. They rolled around wrestling and fighting, while parents pushed their kids on the swings, watching their exhibition with vocal calls for them to stop.

  He was heavier and stronger than Christina, but she was determined. When he lay on top of her, she rolled him off with her leg and hip. She heard Riley laugh and he grabbed her again, this time lying on top of her holding her arms by her head. She knew all evidence was to the contrary, but she didn’t actually want to hurt him, even though she knew she could and vice versa.

  Riley said, “Dina, look at me” and when her eyes flew to his face she saw his eyes were dark with emotion. She felt her own pupils dilate and as he leaned into kiss her she raised her head to meet his lips. Riley let her hands go and clasped her face. Her arms went up around his chest pulling him toward her.

  She tugged his shirt out of his jeans and ran her hands up inside, feeling his skin. He rolled her on top of him and sat up, so she was straddling him, holding her to him. It was when his hands slid up her shirt to her breasts that an irate father interrupted them.

  “For god sake, can you knock it off and take it someplace else? There are kids here.”

  Looking around, there were indeed “kids there” and horrified parents. One mother had her hands over her son’s eyes, but he was trying to push them away to watch, while other parents were forcibly dragging their children away from the park. She jumped off Riley and helped him up. He said, “Sorry man” to the father, grabbed her hand and started taking her to the truck.

  “We can go back to the farmhouse, Dina,” but she said, “I have to go to Mandy’s tonight.”

  He grinned. “Truck it is then.”

  They picked up in the truck where they left off with Christina straddling Riley in the passenger’s seat slowly taking off their clothing. Riley was shirtless and she was in her bra, kissing him passionately, when he pushed her back. “Have you been with others, Dina?”

  She glared at him. “Have you?”

  They stared at each other for a long time. The name was between them and neither of them spoke it. Stephany Gilmore. He had slept with Stephany Gilmore – someone she hated - to hurt her when he came back and she wouldn’t forget it. Stephany made a point of telling Bonnie and Mandy who, of course, told Christina.

  She knew it was inevitable they would sleep with other people, but that? More than once and in the farmhouse - their home? It had ripped her open like a knife wound and left her bleeding.

  His response was to grab her and kiss her so hard, she thought her mouth would bruise. He traced the hickeys on her chest with his finger and as his eyes met hers. “Whether you like it or not, we’re going to love each other forever and there’s not a damn thing we can do about it.” They then set about proving Riley’s statement, not through words, but actions.

  ********************

  She had no idea how long they were in the truck except it began to get dark and the windows were steamed up. Christina drew a smiley face on the window, making Riley g
rin. After 5:00 p.m., the park became a local make out spot and other cars had arrived in the park, which they’d been oblivious to. Hauling their clothes on, Christina waited in the truck while Riley went to use the bathroom.

  When he opened the truck door, lights flicked on and off in a form of salute from some of the other cars. Riley grinned and put a hand up in acknowledgement. He then jogged over to the bathroom, leaving a mortified Christina trying to hide her identity by ducking down and covering her face.

  They arrived at Mandy’s and Riley got out with her. He tucked in some of her clothes trying to make her presentable, but she feared it was a failure. They may as well have had ‘WE HAD SEX AND DEFILED YOUR PARK’ written all over them.

  Riley grabbed her bag from the back of the truck and carried it up to the Robinson’s front door. Christina tried to wave him away, but he insisted and pointed her on. At the door, Riley leaned in and put his forehead against hers. He put her bag down, kissed her gently on the lips saying, “I love you”, and left before she could respond.

  ********************

  There wasn’t a lot for Bonnie and Christina to organize because Asha was in charge. Christina suspected that if Asha had been in charge of the evacuation of the Titanic, everyone would have survived. The two bridesmaids were given a list to do and encouraged to get on with it. Her day was divided into 1) bridesmaid duties in the morning, 2) song practice in the early evening and 3) night-times spent with Riley. Christina was undecided on which was more harrowing.

  Asha had taken over the organization of the bridal shower and the bachelorette party because she didn’t want Mandy to drink too much, which made the three friends miserable. They promised each other they would make up for it another way, but Asha was a force of nature none of them wanted to cross. Mandy asked them to just go along with it, so they did. The night was awful. You could tell someone’s mother had organized the party and they couldn’t offer words of comfort to Mandy, so they just hugged her.

  To make matters worse, Asha had presented the Martins with a list of songs to sing at the wedding that were more reflective of her tastes than Mandy’s. For some reason the music edict annoyed Christina on Mandy’s behalf more than anything else, even the horror bridal shower/bachelorette party. She called Dave and asked him to meet with her family to discuss it.

  Although wary and reluctant, Dave turned up. They settled on some of Mandy’s favorite songs that the Martins would perform for her. Dave was worried about Asha’s reaction, but Christina said, “Blame it on us. This is our gift to Mandy and we want it to be for her.”

  Grinning Dave said, “I never thought I’d say this Dina, but right now I love you.”

  Then, there were the nights spent with Riley where they were supposed to talk, but didn’t get very far. Words were dangerous; full of recriminations and impasses. They would start arguing about their present and future while lying in each other’s arms, and end with Christina walking home in the early hours of the morning. Riley and Christina couldn’t communicate with one another about how to reach some form of compromise, so they always ended in a furious stale mate.

  “Come on, baby. Stop living someone else’s life. Move to Seattle with me. If you want to finish your degree, then you can do it there.”

  “I’m not living someone else’s life. I’m living mine. Why can’t you accept my choices?” Christina argued.

  He groaned and ran his hands through his hair. Trying to reason with him, Christina said, “I started my degrees late. I’m trying to finish them early. Transferring now will jeopardize that.”

  “BULL-shit, Christina. You can’t compromise – or you won’t compromise. It’s your way or the highway. I’m not moving to D.C.. There’s nothing for me there,” Riley snapped.

  Christina stared at him. “I’m there. You say you want to be with me, but you won’t come. I don’t understand this.”

  “I have a life in Seattle,” Riley snarled, “I don’t understand why you won’t come and be with me.”

  It was the same conversation nearly every night and they just couldn’t reach agreement. Both felt if they gave in the other one would win. They decided they loved each other passionately, but didn’t like each other very much anymore.

  ********************

  The day of the wedding arrived and it was one of the few times the three friends got to spend together without the watchful commandant approach of Asha. Mandy was stressed out, not because she was marrying Dave, that was the surest decision she’d made, but by the control exerted by her mother and the wedding organization. They dressed Mandy with love and care, keeping up a steady stream of chatter to show they were in her corner.

  Mandy gave them a set of earrings that matched her own to signify the years of friendship and bonds between them. Mandy put her hand out and each friend placed a hand on top of the others. “Mandy and Dave for the win,” Mandy grinned.

  They made their way to the church, a traditional half an hour late, gathering themselves at the doorway of the church and waiting for “Pachelbel’s Canon” to start. Organizing themselves, they straightened Mandy’s gown and veil asking her if she was ready. Mandy grinned and said, “As I’ll ever be.”

  When Mandy and her father entered the church, the sound of gasps filled the room. Nearly all eyes in the room were on Mandy. Dave stood at the front of the church openly gawking at her. It reminded Christina of the first time he’d ever seen her. The only person who wasn’t staring at Mandy was Riley. His eyes were on Christina.

  The ceremony lasted approximately half an hour and finished with a passionate lip lock between Dave and Mandy, with cheers from the crowd. When they finished, the party walked back down the aisle facing the guests in the church. Mandy and Dave were in the lead, with Bonnie and Johnny behind them.

  Riley put his arm out to Christina and she linked hers through his. “You look pretty hot,” she whispered.

  He grinned. “You don’t look so bad yourself.”

  As guests ambled off to the reception area for refreshments, the party went onto the church grounds to take photos. They had all their formal photos taken in the garden and then they let loose with some fun ones. Johnny and Riley produced some hip flasks and they all had a little drink before the photographer started his “relaxed” shots. Dave lifted Mandy’s leg up exposing her garter, while the rest of them made scary faces around the couple. It was the photo that appeared in all the papers where Mandy, looking glorious, had her head thrown back laughing with Dave looking at her like he was the luckiest man alive.

  There were photos of Dave surrounded by the women pulling his cravat, mussing his hair and making him laugh, the guys in Gangsta poses and the women pretending to be Charlie’s Angels. The final shots were of the guys sitting down on the ground in front with the women at the back. The women put an arm over the shoulder of the men diagonally and into their suit jacket. In the middle, Mandy placed both her arms outstretched over Dave’s shoulders, whose smile was so wide it almost split his face.

  As Christina walked behind Riley he quietly said, “Hello missus.” When her hand went into his jacket, he reached up and held it in place. She loved that photo of them. Unbeknownst to the other, they both did. It was the one photo neither of them threw away when they went through their purge phase.

  ********************

  The wedding was nearly over and so was Christina’s time in Shanwick. She planned leaving as soon as she could after the wedding and things with Riley were still unresolved. She was listening to Riley give his best man’s speech and he was excellent. At his most charming, Riley gave Dave a heart-warming speech full of selective anecdotes about a friendship that started in elementary school. His in-jokes were well received and he negotiated the fine balance of teasing Dave and Mandy, without humiliating them.

  Riley ended his speech telling everyone about the first day Dave had ever seen Mandy. Christina looked his way wondering if Riley remembered that day too. It was the day he said he fell in love with her,
but Riley was facing out to the audience and didn’t look at her.

  He told everyone how Dave looked dumbstruck and spent days afterwards chewing his and Johnny’s ears off trying to work out ways to ask out Mandy. To a great laugh, Johnny nodded his head in agreement, rubbed his chin in memory and looked up at Riley. Dave looked embarrassed and delighted, nudging Mandy with his shoulders and kissing her on the cheek.

  Riley ended his speech by uttering what everyone had always thought about Dave and Mandy: “that Dave was the luckiest man in the world.” Cheers from the crowd met this statement and when Riley raised his glass, everyone stood up with enthusiasm.

  Bonnie’s speech was full of self-deprecating and ribald humor with little in-jokes that those in the know giggled at. She told a selective account of how the three of them had met in elementary school. Bonnie and Christina had grown up together, living just down the road from one another, so they’d been friends forever.

  They became friends with Mandy when they were about ten. Mandy, beautiful even then, had moved to Shanwick in the middle of a school year and was being bullied. They found her crying and humiliated in the bathroom one-lunchtime, lamenting her family had ever moved here. It was the day the bullying stopped and friendships that last a lifetime began.

  Christina suspected this was one of the primary reasons why Asha tolerated their friendship in the beginning. They’d managed to stop the bullying when the Robinson’s complaints to the school had failed. The fear of Bonnie’s right hook will do that for you.

  On more than one occasion, Bonnie made Mandy blush, much to Dave and everyone else’s amusement, but she never went over the line, just went close to it. Bonnie wrapped up her speech by publicly referencing Riley saying, “We too, believe Dave is the luckiest man in the world and we’re not giving Mandy to you. We’ll all have to share.” Mandy started to cry when Bonnie said this and the audience clapped.