by Henry Morgan
She waved at the lone security guard and drove into one of the hangars, inside which sat a small white plane with twin engines. A man was busy cleaning its windows.
Monique jumped eagerly out of the Land Rover. ‘All done, Joe?’ she asked.
The man smiled at her before pushing the rag into a pocket of his overalls. ‘Everything’s dandy, Miss Petain, got straight to her the second you called.’
‘That’s good, Joe, thank you. There’s some parcels in the trunk. Would you be a dear and load them up for me? I’ve just got to go see Joe senior so he can log in my flight plans.’
David had little in the way of belongings except his computer, a suitcase full of clothes, and a second suitcase stuffed with money. The other parcels belonged to Monique.
‘There you go, mister,’ Joe said after he had finished loading the plane. ‘Have a good flight.’
David thanked him, and then stood around for about another twenty minutes waiting for Monique to return.
‘Sorry, David,’ she apologised when she finally reappeared. ‘There are so many formalities to attend to before they let you take off. We’ll be on our way in a few minutes. You go park the car in the lot and I’ll meet you out near the runway. I’ve got a long list of checks to run through before we can take off.’
David had flown many times before, though only on commercial airliners. The intimacy of the small plane, and sitting next to the pilot, gave this journey an added touch of excitement, and he climbed into his seat with childlike enthusiasm.
‘First time in a private plane?’ Monique asked him indulgently when she saw his smiling face.
He nodded.
‘Well, let me tell you, the fun never wears off.’ She hit the throttle, and David jerked in his seat as the plane lurched forward onto the runway. The engine screamed, his heart thumped, and the ground fell away.
‘Miami, we’re on our way!’ Monique exclaimed with infectious excitement.
The noise of the engines was surprisingly loud, but it eventually faded into a background drone as the plane reached cruising altitude. The sights below them were breathtaking. Green islands studded the blue waters of the gulf, and huge flocks of birds took to the skies, disturbed by the engine’s unmelodious rattle.
‘This is quite an experience for me,’ David said with feeling. ‘I don’t know how to repay you.’
‘I think you already have. Running the plantation is very hard work. It’s so easy to forget you have a life.’ She adjusted some controls and, to David’s alarm, got out of her seat and made her way to the rear of the plane. ‘Don’t worry,’ she smiled at him over her shoulder, ‘it’s not only jumbo jets that possess the marvels of modern navigation. We’re quite safe.’ She flipped open a hamper, and pulled out a bottle of champagne along with some cheese and crackers. ‘Here,’ she said, ‘hold this.’
David took the bottle from her, and watched as she prepared a small picnic on one of the seats.
‘That’s quite a feast,’ he complimented her. ‘I don’t think we’ll eat it all. What’s in the other case?’
‘That’s for my return journey. We’ve got some hours before us yet.’ She handed him a glass, and poured him some champagne. ‘Help yourself.’
David got out of his seat and joined her in the back. He took a sandwich, and while he was eating it, he watched the throttle stick moving by itself up in the cockpit. It was an eerie feeling to be up in the air having a picnic and drinking champagne with no one flying the plane.
‘When do you return to England?’ Monique asked him between bites.
David kept his eyes on the stick. ‘I don’t know if I ever will.’
‘You have no one waiting for you there? No job? No responsibilities?’
He looked out of a window. There was nothing but miles of ocean below them. ‘No. I was going to settle in Miami and enjoy the sun, but now I’m not so sure.’
‘You’ve been bitten by the travel bug.’ She winked at him, and then kicked off her shoes, leaned back in her seat, and put her feet up on the pilot’s chair. ‘I’m not so lucky. I have many people who rely on me. To get away like this is so wonderful. I wish I could travel all my life.’
‘Oh, travelling came relatively late in life for me. I took a job in Pakistan years ago and, well, things just seemed to escalate from there. I never planned to travel like this, it just happened.’
‘You’re very lucky,’ Monique insisted fervently. ‘That’s why I came to your table last night. Luck has blessed you.’
‘Yes, it has.’ He leaned forward and kissed her lips, which were pink today.
He had made love in many places, but this was the first time he had done so floating up in the sky. The environment was unique, and the danger only enhanced the excitement. Monique undressed slowly, revealing more and more of her lovely body between mouthfuls of cheese and sips of wine. They ate, drank and made love as the plane cut across the sky. For hours the purring cabin travelled between sea and sky while its two passengers enjoyed each other, and for the duration of that flight, they were the only two people left alive.
Then suddenly the radio crackled and a voice called out. The sound startled them both, but then Monique giggled and slipped naked into the pilot’s seat to speak with the Miami control tower. As she was talking to them, David kissed her neck and fondled her breasts.
The tower gave her instructions about which runway to use, and Monique replied that she understood. Her voice was calm, her manner professional again, and David respected the change in her behaviour. He passed her clothes to her, and then gathered up his own. Soon they were both dressed, and the remains of their picnic had been packed away. He then returned to the co-pilot’s seat and they began their descent.
When they had landed safely, they taxied onto a small runway where a row of other small planes sat beneath the penetrating sunlight.
Monique smiled at him. ‘Welcome to Miami, David.’
‘Are you coming to meet my friend?’ he asked her. ‘I’m sure he would be delighted to meet you.’
She shook her head. ‘I have to buy some more fuel and register for my trip back. If I stay away too long, who’ll run the plantation? Besides, we can’t all be as free as a bird.’
David leaned forward and kissed her lips one last time. Then he climbed out of the plane and on to the next leg of his journey.
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