Lost in Flight

by Neeny Boucher

  Riley opened the truck door for her and slung his arm over her shoulder when she got out. She placed her arm around his waist and they walked into the bar-grill to the stares of a few Shanwick residents. They found a booth and sat opposite each other playing footsies under the table.

  Christina hadn’t realized how hungry she was and ordered the double cheeseburger, fries, and chocolate malt. Riley ordered a double bacon hamburger, fries, steak meal, and beer. She raised an eyebrow at him and he shrugged. “With you around, I need my sustenance and by the way, you can help me finish it. You could use an extra ten pounds.”

  She started to protest, but he leaned across the table and kissed her, shutting her up. Christina and Riley were holding hands and kissing when they heard. “Ahem.”

  Looking up, Christina gazed into the face of a chunky biker who was dark haired, in his mid-thirties and had arms the size of tree trunks. Her mouth opened in surprise when the biker asked. “Are you shoe girl?”

  Christina blinked and then went bright red, making Riley laugh. “Agh, yes I am,” she smiled. She’d been called much worse in this town. ‘Shoe girl’ was almost polite and a term of endearment.

  The other biker – who was about her age, tall and skinny, with a blonde ponytail - pointed at Riley and asked her. “Is this your man?” When she nodded, he grinned. “You took my advice then? Good girl.”

  Biker 2 tapped Biker 1 on the arm and looked at Christina. “See Bones – never fails.”

  The bikers introduced themselves to Riley with a: “I’m Bones” (Biker 1) and “I’m Tommy” (Biker 2). The men shook hands and passed the time talking about the mutual people they knew in Shanwick, cars, bikes, and all manner of things Christina switched off to. As the bikers were leaving, Christina said, “I’m not sure which one of you I kicked the other night, but I’m really sorry. You were really sweet and thank you so much for helping me.”

  Both the bikers laughed and waved her comments away. “I’ve been hit worse,” said Bones.

  “Yeah. Me too,” agreed Tommy, “Don’t you worry about it.” They waved and left, heading toward the bar.

  Riley waited until they were out of earshot and looked at Christina, shaking his head. “You took relationship advice from bikers?”

  She shrugged and grinned. “No. I took seduction advice from bikers and clearly, it was good. It worked on you.”

  Riley laughed. “You are unbelievable, Dina. The shit that happens to you – it’s like you’re a magnet for everything weird.”

  Christina gave him a pointed look and raised her eyebrow. Riley nudged her with his foot under the table and grabbed her hand. “Only in this town, baby,” Christina said. “My life elsewhere has been quite sedate until you get involved in it.” Looking at him with a smirk on her face, Christina said, “You sure about this, Riley? We drive each other crazy sometimes, we’re going to fight and life will be tumultuous.”

  He nodded. “Sure. Then we fuck like rabbits and no one makes me laugh the way you do.”

  She laughed. “Maybe we should draw up a code of conduct?”

  Riley sat forward in interest. “I’m pretty good at negotiations and contracts these days. I’m in.” They were still laughing when her ever increasing family appeared in the bar and grill. Riley and Christina looked at each other. They’d had half an hour alone.

  Her family looked like some kind of mad menagerie of circus people with the tattoos, wheelchair, and the beautiful LiLi. Andy James was pushing Gabby in her wheelchair, bouncing on the balls of his feet, like he was the Energizer Bunny. Johnny was standing in the doorway with his arms folded and a lopsided smile on his face, totally unaware of his surroundings. Dad was so engrossed in a conversation with Tessa, he hadn’t realized Johnny was blocking the doorway and knocked straight into him, sparking an argument.

  Every eye in the place was glued to LiLi who even in casual clothing had an unearthly beauty. Gabby pretended they were looking at her and waved at them like she was royalty. Christina groaned and rolled her eyes, trying to hide her face behind a menu.

  “Speaking of weird,” she said, “my family have arrived. Hide! Hide!” Riley looked at her and squeezed his eyes shut trying not to laugh.

  Johnny spotted them and came over trying to sit in their booth, but Christina blocked him. “Move over,” Johnny snapped.

  “No,” snarled Christina, “go find somewhere else. We want some time to ourselves.”

  “Well, too bad,” said Johnny, “move over.” When she wouldn’t budge, Johnny sat on her and they started wrestling, pushing, and shoving each other like they did when they were children. Christina got her foot on Johnny’s hip and pushed him out of the booth, making him land on the floor with a thud.

  She shouted, “Dina, for the win!” with her arms pumped over her head.

  Johnny jumped up shouting, “Cheater” and trying to start round two. Gabby and Andy were watching, and laughing their heads off. Tessa looked embarrassed and LiLi frightened. Yes sweetheart, Riley thought. Get used to it because this is what you’re marrying into.

  Jack Martin came over shouting, “Oh, for god sake you two, cut it out. I can’t take you anywhere.”

  “Second time to apologize,” Johnny and Christina said in unison. Brother and sister looked at each other, pointing fingers. “NICE” they grinned at each other and laughed.

  Riley watched all this with a smile on his face. He’d had his chance to get out, but he wouldn’t swap any of it for the world. He looked at Christina who was laughing so hard she had tears in her eyes. There’s my girl, he thought, and when her eyes met his, his smile stretched wide across his face. He was home. They were home.

  Epilogue: Christina, D.C., The Present, Monday 22 October 2012

  There was a reason Christina was suspicious of happiness because whenever she threw caution to wind, it came back to bite her in the face. Christina had been back in D.C. for less than a week when everything changed and not for better. At first, Christina couldn’t believe how happy she was. In retrospect, she realized that was a mistake.

  Christina and Riley kept in contact every day, sending texts, ringing each other or calling via Skype. She took three pregnancy tests and even had a blood test to confirm what she already knew: she wasn’t pregnant. They’d both been disappointed, but agreed that it was too soon in their rekindled relationship to make plans for a baby. If things worked out between them, however, a baby was definitely in their future.

  The one area that Christina had reservations about was work. She knew things were difficult for Bindmans at the moment, and she wanted to relocate to Seattle, but feared she would take clients from the firm. Dad, Johnny, the band, and Riley would all move their business to wherever she went. Christina hoped she could come up with some compromise, but couldn’t see any way out of it. She had to leave Bindmans to be with Riley and they would follow her.

  Christina heard her phone and opened a text from Riley with a grin on her face. Riley was leaving today and going off-grid. She was going to miss him, but he told her he would check in with her once a week.

  They’d lasted nearly five years without each other. They could do this, but she already missed him so badly. She’d brought some of his t-shirts back to D.C. with her to sleep in, but it was no compensation for the real thing. The real thing, sending her dirty texts right now!

  Riley: Send picture of your boobs.

  Dina: No.

  Riley: No?

  She shook her head and giggled. She’d never been a naked picture girl – intentionally anyway – and she wasn’t about to start now. Riley, however, made her feel daring and naughty. Checking that she was alone, she sent back a text:

  Dina: Send picture of your dick.

  Riley: OK, as you wish…

  Then she chickened out and changed her mind:

  Dina: Jokes! I was joking. Don’t!

  Riley: ? L

  She thought that was the end of it and then her phone went again. Opening the message she burst out laughin
g. He’d sent a photo of his tongue with the stud in it.

  Dina: Nice!

  Riley: Leaving now. Miss you babe and love you xxx

  Dina: Miss and love you more J

  Riley: No way. Love you infinity. LOL

  Dina: Insult stealer! B safe k?

  Riley: Always.

  Christina worked solidly, trying to clear as much of the backlog of her work as possible, in a love induced haze. She was still smiling when she heard a commotion at her door. She looked up when she heard a knock at her door and saw Debbie Bindman and then her face froze.

  What the hell was he doing here?

  Debbie came in with a broad smile. “Christina, I believe you know…”

  “Massssssson Glenn,” Christina hissed.

  Mason Glenn stood smiling like a horrible, hideous troll in her doorway with his almost colorless eyes glinting with malice. “Chrisssssstina,” he hissed back.

  Debbie looked from one to the other with surprise and was visibly taken aback. They resembled two arch-nemeses cats that had run across each other in close confinement. One false move and there would be claws.

  “Oh, we know each other,” leered Mason.

  “I wouldn’t go that far, Mason,” snapped Christina.

  “Ahem,” started Debbie Bindman, “Mason Glenn has put a business proposition to the firm and is interested in coming on board as a client.” Debbie beamed at Christina and her heart sank. “It’s contingent on a few conditions,” Debbie continued, but Mason interrupted her.

  “Oh Debbie,” Mason smirked, “please let me tell her. It would be my pleasure.” Mason did a mock shudder and leered at Christina. “I’m jittering in anticipation.” Christina felt sick and almost dry-retched.

  He stared at Debbie’s breasts and was obviously unimpressed, so he turned back and looked pointedly at Christina’s. She wanted to cross her arms so he couldn’t look at them, but decided she wouldn’t give ground to the little pervert, showing weakness. His eyes lit up and he moved forward to Christina.

  “I need a lawyer on site in Shanwick for business interests – you know in our lovely little hometown.” If there was one thing Mason and Christina shared it was a loathing for Shanwick, but that was as far as any commonality between them went.

  Pointing at Christina he sneered. “And that lawyer would be you. Since you’re so used to the environment and all the players, I couldn’t think of a better, or should I say, more suitable person.”

  Christina’s mouth fell open and she looked at Debbie. “Is this some kind of joke?”

  Debbie shook her head. “I had no idea you would have reservations about this Christina, it seemed a perfect fit to me,” but Mason laughed over top of her.

  “She’s a perfect fit all right, aren’t you, Dina?”

  She wanted to punch him: repeatedly, hard and without stopping. There would be some good old-fashioned kicking thrown in for good measure too. It wouldn’t be the first time and she doubted it would be the last.

  Ignoring Mason and focusing on Debbie, Christina babbled, “I don’t understand.”

  “Why doesn’t that surprise me, Dina? You can be a bit slow in some areas,” Mason snorted. Christina raised her gaze slowly to Mason’s and stared at him with such loathing, she saw him gulp.

  Oh yes, you little prick she thought, now you remember.

  Mason grinned at her trying for nonchalance, but looking a bit nervous. “I saw you a couple of weeks ago in Seattle. You had an interesting outfit on.” He leered pointedly at her cleavage. “I’d go so far as to say it was endowed. Excellent choice, I thought. It detracted from your overall hideous personality.”

  “What do you want, Mason?” Christina snarled.

  “Apart from one night with Mandy, world peace, and Brokeback Mountain 2 starring Angelina Jolie and Charlize Theron… a meeting with you.”

  Christina stared at Debbie. “I’m afraid I can’t do this. You’ll have to find someone else.”

  Debbie’s face fell and Mason’s evil grin got wider. “There is no one else, Darth. It’s you, or we take our business elsewhere.” Sighing, Mason said, “You still haven’t forgiven me for your mother’s underwear, have you?”

  No. She really hadn’t. “Nope,” said Christina, “I haven’t and I never will.”

  “Pity,” Mason pouted and moved closer to her, making the hackles on the back of her neck rise. “I was actually after your bra. You can give it to me now if you want?”

  He put his hand out waiting, as if she would comply with his request. He was insane and repulsive. “Excuse me? I totally don’t want,” growled Christina.

  Mason’s eyes glittered and there was an angry tightness around his mouth. He moved forward and stood in front of her desk. “You got your revenge though, didn’t you?”

  She sat forward suddenly and smiled in satisfaction when Mason took a quick step backwards. “Apart from beating you up behind the bike sheds? I don’t know what you mean.”

  Mason rolled his eyes. “You didn’t beat me up behind the bike sheds. I let you hit me because it gave me an erection.”

  Debbie gasped and Christina almost gagged. Ugh, she thought, I hope that’s not true.

  Mason narrowed his eyes. “No, Chrissssstina, I’m referring to the little matter of you telling everyone I had three balls.”

  Oh. Yes. That revenge. Now she remembered. Christina shrugged and tried to act superior. “The medical term is polyorchidism, Mason,” she sniffed disdainfully.

  “Which translates as ‘MAN WITH THREE BALLS,’” he shouted. “Correct?”

  Christina stared evenly at him. “It could have been worse.”

  “How?”

  “I could have said you had anorchous, which translates to men with no balls,” she sneered.

  “Pfffft,” snorted Mason, “I assume the collective noun would be “Dina Martin’s exes?”

  “Hilarious, Mason,” said Christina rolling her eyes.

  Mason put on his patronizing face and voice. “I do try, Christina.”

  Christina shook her head. “Oh, I was talking about you using the term assume – you know you being a great, big fat ‘ass’ and all. You,” she pointed at Mason, “but definitely not me.”

  As if some signal had been given, Mason and Christina launched themselves at one another, snarling, hissing, and growling. This wasn’t Christina at 14. This was Mason and Christina at 12 years old. Yelling: “I know you are, but what am I” back at one other. The air was punctuated with “pervert”, “succubus” and all manner of other insults that only they understood leaving a horrified Debbie Bindman witnessing this assault aghast.

  Debbie Bindman gulped and started with an “As I was saying,” but Mason hadn’t finished. Wild-eyed and furious, he roared. “You got me suspended from school.”

  “I did not,” denied Christina.

  “Did so,” Mason snarled.

  “DID NOT,” Christina snarled back, “it had something to do with you exposing yourself at school assembly yelling, look there are only two.”

  Mason looked up at the ceiling in memory and then smiled. “Agh, yes. Quite right. One of my all-time favorite memories.” They stared at each for a bit and then laughed.

  Turning to Debbie, Mason asked. “Would you mind giving me five minutes alone with Christina, please?”

  Debbie looked at Christina for acknowledgement and she nodded. “I’ll be right outside the door,” Debbie said pointedly. Looking between Mason and Christina she left, closing the door behind her, but standing sentinel outside in case she was needed.

  Mason flicked his black hair out of his eyes and focused on Christina.

  “Why are you doing this?” she asked.

  Mason sighed. “You’ll have to ask your husband.”

  “Ex-husband,” Christina said meaningfully. Soon to be eviscerated ex-husband. He knew how much she hated Shanwick. What the hell was he playing at?

  “Him too,” Mason quipped. “Rumor has it he’s your new boyfriend? I tried to stop
you from getting your hideous tentacles back into him and sucking the life out again, but he seems to have some kind of defect that way. We have a project happening in our glorious hometown that needs some delicate handling. Your boyfriend doesn’t want to use our normal lawyers for it. Something about them being…”

  “Scum?” Christina asked. In the legal profession, Mason’s lawyers were notorious for the lengths and filthy depths they would go to for their clients. Clients, who were equally notorious, like Mason Glenn.

  “Riley wants a different type of moral compass,” grinned Mason.

  Christina felt pleased – she was still angry about being stuck with this project, but she was flattered despite herself.

  Mason saw her face and laughed. “Not yours, Darth. Yours is about as twisted as mine. We’re borrowing Debbie Bindman’s, but you’re going to take point.”

  Her eyes narrowed and her mouth turned downward. How dare he compare his moral compass to hers? He was a pervert on multiple levels and the Shanwick panty stealer. She was nothing like him.

  Mason looked at her and pursed his lips. “Riley wants this Dina. God knows why, but he does.”

  She was caught. There was no way she was getting out of this and maybe bringing Mason Glenn into the firm as a client for Bindmans would lesson the impact when she left.

  “Aagh,” sneered Mason, “Yes – you realize now don’t you? You’re well and truly stuck. You’re a smart girl, Dina. It’s one of the few things I like about you.”

  Mustering up a defiant smile, Christina said, “You know what I like about you, Mason?”

  She saw the surprise register on his face. “What?” he asked.

  “Nothing,” she snapped.

  Mason laughed and his eyes glittered. “Can’t say this has been pleasant, Darth, but I’ve enjoyed it. I’ll let you get on and I expect you in Shanwick by the end of the month.”

  One week, Christina thought, I have one week and then I’m back in purgatory. Mason waved at her and exited her office. She only just resisted the urge of flipping him the bird, but curbed her enthusiasm when Debbie Bindman came back into her office.