Road to Casablanca

by Leah Leonard

  “You didn’t answer my question.”

  “Yes, I have your parents’ number, your hotel number, the number of the agency who assured me they could find you and your soon-to-be new sweetheart at the snap of a finger should anything important happen…”

  Remembering her orange tabby cat, Cindy felt a new wave of anxiety grip the area around her temples and threaten to give her a splitting headache.

  “You forgot Max.”

  “No I didn’t. You interrupted me. I have the keys to your apartment, directions for the proper care and feeding of Max, and the keys to your mailbox. which will be checked on a daily basis. Your mail will be collected and neatly stacked on your kitchen counter awaiting your return. Anything else, Madame World Traveler?”

  Cindy shook her head and held her breath to keep from crying as she laughed at Victoria’s dramatic account of her duties.

  “It’s going to be the time of your life, Cindy, I promise. You did sign up for this, you know?”

  “Yeah, thanks to you.”

  “I know you plan to be indebted to me for life and that’s okay. Groveling is always a good thing to me and I enjoy exotic gifts…perfume, clothing, and of course jewelry…”

  “Very funny. Yes, I will find room in my bags to bring you a surprise or two back from the trip.”

  “The only surprise I want is another super hunk. If you see any, give them my MySpace address, okay?”

  “Yeah, whatever.”

  Victoria turned around and Cindy noticed a uniformed officer approaching her car.

  “Uh oh…Gotta run. You take care of yourself and have a super trip, okay sweetie?”

  Cindy reached out and clutched Victoria around the neck; her last connection with her familiar and mundane world was about to disappear.

  “Thanks for bringing me to the airport.”

  “No problem. Oh look, the cop is standing next to my car and he’s a cutie! Maybe I’ll get lucky after all. Bye!”

  Cindy walked toward the ticket counter, turning once to take a last look at her friend who was busy flirting with the officer.

  Cindy felt more tears welling up in her eyes and the lump in her throat threatening to choke her now as she watched Victoria’s little car speed away. She made her way to the long line of passengers waiting to check bags.

  The line moved quicker than she expected and within a moment, Cindy was standing in front of the ticket agent.

  “Passport, ma’am?”

  “Yes.”

  “And you’ll have to put your luggage here.”

  Cindy realized she was holding on to her bags for dear life as if they were the only connection left to tether her to the familiar surroundings of home.

  “Yes, of course; sorry.”

  “Here’s your boarding pass; the gate is just over there.”

  “Thank you.”

  The barrier through security seemed like yet another impenetrable wall taking Cindy further and further away from all that was familiar to her and into a brave new world.

  She felt the excitement of the morning return to her as she walked through the screening area, realizing now there was no turning back. She was about to go from small-town farm girl to international traveler in a matter of a few hours.

  The final act to seal her fate came when she stood in the line to enter the plane. As much as she tried to hold back the growing feeling of trepidation, Cindy found her limbs tighten up, her breathing become labored, and an undeniable feeling of dread and terror wash over her as she slowly crept down the accordion tube into the narrow aisles of the plane.

  The look of panic on her face must have been perceived as confusion, because the instant she put her big toe in the plane, Cindy found herself seizing up, unable to move another step.

  “May I help you find your seat?”

  Cindy didn’t hear the woman at first, the sound of her deep breathing filled the inner chambers of her ears, her pounding heart muffled the flight attendant’s soft voice.

  “Ma’am? May I help you?”

  Cindy stared at her, finally bringing recognition to her words.

  “Yes, thanks.”

  She followed the woman only a few feet from where she started.

  “Here you go, Ms. Brown. Welcome aboard.”

  Cindy was sitting in first class, assigned to a spaciously roomy seat which she hoped would be more comfortable and less traumatizing than the one on the only other flight she’d ever taken.

  “Thank you.”

  The small carry-on bag with her novels slipped easily under the seat in front of her and she closed her eyes, waiting for the moment of truth to arrive and her flight to begin.

  Would she be scared beyond all her wildest imaginings? Would she humiliate herself? Cindy hoped things would be different as she covered herself with a blanket, fastened her seatbelt and closed her eyes, pretending to sleep.

  The whole experience would only take fifteen hours, Cindy reminded herself as she tried to rest. Surely I can handle anything for fifteen hours.

  The calm state of mind Cindy worked so hard to create instantly disappeared at the thunderous sound of the engines. She sat bolt upright and stared wide-eyed at the tightly enclosed space, heart racing as she clutched the armrests so tightly it made her fingers hurt.

  Oh no, oh no. I can’t do this! I want out!

  Her breath quickened until she was near hyperventilation, and Cindy wanted nothing more than to get up from her seat and run kicking and screaming back down the hall and into the airport.

  She needed help. She knew that. Looking around at all the gadgets and buttons, she vaguely recalled the light above her head and pushed the button that sent her flight attendant rushing to her side.

  “How may I help?”

  “I…..don’t….feel….good.”

  Recognition of Cindy’s fears immediately registered in the woman’s face and she instantly put a reassuring hand on Cindy’s shoulder.

  “Have you ever flown before?”

  “Yes….once.”

  “Okay, good. Then you know how easy it is.”

  Cindy wanted to slap the smile off of the woman’s face even though she realized the flight attendant was only trying to do her job and that she was sincerely trying to help her. Nobody could know the terror she felt at being trapped in this mechanical bird that was about to take off and fly.

  “I…can’t.”

  “Yes, you can. Just take a deep breath, close your eyes and pretend you’re at home relaxing. Yes, that’s it.”

  Unsure of exactly what “it” was, Cindy knew for sure it wasn’t happening for her. Her head felt like it was going to explode and she had an incredible urge to crawl under her seat and assume the fetal position.

  “Breathe in through your nose, out through your mouth and just relax. Don’t look out the window; just relax. You’re going to be just fine. Remember to close your eyes and try to pretend you’re at home, relaxing.”

  Didn’t I hear this in a yoga class? It didn’t work then, it surely won’t work now.

  The engines screamed as the wheels began to turn. The flight attendant strapped herself into the seat next to Cindy.

  “There you go. I’m right here, and I promise you’ll be just fine.”

  Faster and faster, the plane careened down the runway until….

  “Agh. I can’t do this!”

  Cindy held her head in her hands, buckets of sweat pouring off her forehead.

  “Look! You’ve already done it.”

  Hesitantly, Cindy opened her eyes, amazed that the loudest part of the noise had died down and the plane was getting higher in the air every second.

  She tried to look as the ground got further and further away and familiar things faded into dots, but it was too much for her to deal with and she began to cry, breathing rapidly to the point that she felt dizziness begin to take over.

  “Let me close this shade. I guess that wasn’t the best thing to have you look at, but I wanted you to see that everyth
ing’s just fine. You made it, and in a few hours we’ll be there.”

  The flight attendant patted her knee as her words echoed in Cindy’s mind.

  A few hours….

  Hours? Cindy could barely stand the thought and wished she could be completely knocked out.

  In fact, the more she considered it, she realized surgery with full-blown anesthesia was far less cruel than air travel. Next time, she’d consider that instead.

  Chapter Six

  The flight landed slightly ahead of schedule at London Heathrow Airport, and Cindy had to admit she had never felt happier to have her feet planted squarely on the ground.

  “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome. I’m glad I could help.”

  “You most certainly did. I couldn’t have made it through the flight without you.”

  Cindy stood in the long line of slow-moving passengers as they moved into the terminal and through the customs gates. Finally, she walked to the gate where her flight to Morocco was scheduled to take off in an hour.

  It felt good to be on the ground again and Cindy knew now that she’d made it through the toughest and longest leg of her journey unscathed, and that the next flight would be far better.

  Cindy watched as the flight attendants gathered at her gate and she approached them to ask a question, accidentally overhearing their conversation.

  “Yes, it’s the biggest film festival in Europe besides Cannes.”

  “You sure? I’m not sure ’bout that.”

  “It’s true! I tell you, it’s true.”

  “That must be why we’re a dozen seats short.”

  “Yeah, the American director, Martin Scorsese is comin’ through with his group and they overbooked.”

  Cindy loved the British accents and hardly paid attention to their conversation until she noticed her flight attendant go to the gate and talk to the others.

  “I understand you need volunteers.”

  The greenish pallor of Cindy’s face had not gone unnoticed by the flight attendant, who saw her standing next to the counter.

  “Hi. How are you feeling now you’re on ground?”

  “Oh, so much better thanks.”

  The woman stared at Cindy in a way that made her feel strangely uncomfortable.

  “Hey, can I ask you something? We need some help here.”

  “Sure, what is it?”

  “Your flight to Morocco was accidentally oversold by the airline and I need a few people to volunteer.”

  “After all you’ve done for me, it’s the least I could do. What’s up?”

  “I need at least ten people to bump off this flight and go out in the morning, and after all you’ve been through, I thought you might be interested.”

  Panic filled Cindy’s heart at the thought of being late for such an important date.

  “But I can’t be late!”

  “I realize it’s a lot to ask and I wouldn’t if it wasn’t really important. Plus I know you’ve been through so much stress on the way over here it might actually be good for you to rest after the last flight.”

  “But why?”

  “There’s a film festival going on there now and we have some celebrities who somehow talked their way on the flight. They claim it’s life or death for them to get over there and apparently our carrier overbooked, probably hoping people would cancel, which they didn’t do.”

  “And you need how many people?”

  “From the looks of it, we need ten people to volunteer before we start bumping people with no compensation.”

  Cindy felt like the only answer she could give was yes, and nodded as her fate began to sink in. She hoped her date would not change his mind, or her absence would not ruin some plans he had. There was no way to know any of that now, and she simply had to go with her instincts which told her to help this woman in any way she could.

  “Okay, but I have to call and tell someone. I don’t want them worrying about me.”

  “We will take care of all of that. All expenses will be covered and we have a really nice, quaint little hotel where we stay during layovers where you will stay. Have you ever been out of the US before?”

  Cindy shook her head.

  “Then just think of it as a night you spent in London, one of the world’s great cities. The hotel is nice and I think you will enjoy it. I can almost guarantee you will feel a thousand times better for Morocco after you get some rest.”

  “Okay. I’m convinced, but when will I get to leave?”

  “I already checked and the next flight to Marrakech leaves first thing in the morning at 7:00 a.m., so you really won’t be missing that much. It’s only a few hours. You won’t make it to dinner tonight, but by lunchtime tomorrow, you’ll be on the ground, ready to enjoy your vacation.”

  Cindy searched every corner of her mind. She recalled packing the agency’s number and would have to figure out how to call them as soon as possible.

  She was not going to Morocco tonight. Period.

  As the facts settled over her, Cindy had to admit that the thought of keeping her feet on the ground, if only for a few hours, actually felt really good to her. The more she considered it, the more her tension began to release and she took the deepest breath she’d had in the past eight-and-a-half hours. She wanted to make a favorable impression on her date, and maybe this was the best thing for her.

  “Okay, I appreciate you thinking of me. I will do it.”

  “Thank you, thank you, thank you. You are really helping us out. Just step over here and I will get you all hooked up for your stay, okay?”

  Cindy waited while the arrangements were made and within a few minutes she was standing in front of the airport as a black car came and took her to the nearby hotel.

  London looked like a busy and exciting city. Cars whipped around traffic circles so quickly it was nearly as dizzying as her plane ride over. Soon, they were parked in front of a small, two-story stone brick hotel wrapped in the dense damp fog.

  The wall-to-wall carpeting in the lobby gave the hotel a warm, cozy feeling that insulated Cindy from the damp, humid air outside.

  “Good evening, ma’am.”

  “Hello.”

  “One night?”

  “Yes, thank you.”

  “Your accommodation has been taken care of, miss. Here is your key; breakfast will be served in this area to my right from 6:00-9:00 a.m. Anything else?”

  “I need to call the United States as soon as possible.”

  “Of course. Go to your room, pick up the phone and dial zero and I can patch you through wherever you like.”

  Cindy walked up a creaky flight of stairs and down a long hall, opened the door to her room and threw herself on the bed. It felt so good to lie down.

  Having had time to consider where her contact numbers were, Cindy instantly pulled out the Lovemore Agency phone number and called the front desk for help. She wished she’d had Erick’s number so she could call him directly, but the agency was clear about not giving out any personal information, so this would have to do.

  “Hello?”

  Cindy recited the number, thrilled she would not have to figure out how to use the international codes.

  “Please patch me though.”

  The phone rang several times and Cindy wondered if she would have to leave a message when a husky voice answered the phone.

  “Hello? Lovemore Agency.”

  Cindy thought she recognized the voice, but wasn’t sure.

  “Diana?”

  “Yes. Who is this?”

  “Cindy. Cindy Brown. You know the one who is going to…”

  “Yes, I know. What’s the problem?”

  Cindy heard the tension in Diana’s voice and it made her nervous, although Diana had made her nervous from the moment she’d spotted the gargantuan woman.

  “My flight is delayed in London. I’ll be arriving tomorrow morning instead of tonight.”

  “Oh, okay. Thank you for calling me. I will call Mr. Redmund r
ight away and let him know. Everything else okay?”

  Besides the fact she was scared to death?

  “Sure, everything’s just fine, thanks.”

  “Wonderful. Any idea what time you’ll be arriving?”

  Cindy gave the pertinent details of her trip and suddenly felt the exhaustion of the plane ride consume her as her legs began to give way underneath her and she leaned up against the small oak dresser, finally taking a seat on the foot of the bed.

  “Thank you for calling, Cindy. I’ll let Erick know.”

  “Thank you.”

  Cindy sighed with relief, lay down and fell into a deep, peaceful sleep.

  Chapter Seven

  “What do you mean, she’s not coming?”

  Erick paced the hotel lobby with his cell phone in his ear, watching as Hollywood A-listers and global film stars began filing in for the film festival. Diana Lovemore spoke to him in a slow, calming tone which did nothing to quell his anger.

  “I didn’t mean she isn’t coming at all, Mr. Redmund, what I said is that she won’t be coming today. She will be arriving late due to overbooking on her flight.”

  “That is absolutely outrageous! I paid to get her here on time!”

  “Yes, Mr. Redmund. I understand this is disappointing, but as I’m sure you are aware, there are several people from Hollywood on the commercial flights trying to get to Morocco right now for the start of the film festival.”

  “Yes, I understand that, but Cindy was to be top priority.”

  “I apologize, sir. The airlines assured me when I called her flight will be the first one out in the morning and you will have her there before lunch.”

  “I wanted her here now! I cannot understand how this happened. She is every bit as important a celebrity as whoever they have on her flight.”

  “Yes, Mr. Redmund, I agree, but….”

  “I should’ve picked her up myself in the jet.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Tell me; why her? Of all the people on that plane, why her?”

  “It wasn’t like that, exactly.”

  “Then please enlighten me. How was it/”