Blue Skies (28 page)

“Let's start with her showing up, unannounced, with her suitcase, as though we should all have been expecting her. And acting as though she's just part of one big
happy family. And talking as if she has this chummy little relationship with you, and—”

“I imagine she thinks she does,” he said, exasperated. “When she was nineteen, I found that quality so adorable.” He made a grunting noise. “It's like this, Nick. She calls whenever she wants something, but she never asks for anything. The calls have come more often since Mayer died and she's alone, and I have to admit, I let her talk without paying much attention to what she's saying. Now and then I'll even nod off, but that's never really bothered Opal.

“She does things and then makes out like it was your idea. She shows up and has fourteen reasons why you invited her and should have been expecting her. She talks too much, she's meddlesome, and she exaggerates the truth….”

“She
lies!
”

“She isn't a malicious liar. Like her saying we talk all the time. It's not a malicious lie, because for her, all the time is whenever she wants to—but I've called her three times. When the kids were born and when Drake died.”

“Really?” she asked, strangely mollified.

“What's got your undies all in a knot about this?” he asked.

“God,” she said, annoyed. “Everything.” And nothing. There was nothing any different about Opal's behavior now than during Nikki's entire life. “If we had something a little harder than this coffee, it would be easier to articulate. She ran out on us, Dad. She left us but she won't stay away. She keeps showing up to criticize and manipulate, and annoy the shit out of me. She calls Carlisle that charming young homosexual—”

“I call him Tinkerbell.”

“But you do that with affection, and he knows it.”

“Has he complained about Opal calling him that?”

She didn't answer because the answer was no. “Why am I the only one who is completely bent out of shape by her?”

“She annoys everyone, Nick, but you just cave in and let it drive you crazy.”

“She complimented my taste and style when she saw the new house, but has she said one goddamn word about me being the chief pilot of an airline?”

Her dad leaned toward her. “You think she has any idea what the chief pilot of an airline
is?
”

Well, there. Of course not. Besides all the annoying things Opal was, she was also somewhat simple-minded. “What am I supposed to do with her?”

“Let her stay awhile and spend some money on April and Jared. Don't let her get too comfortable. She'll get bored soon and go home where there's bridge and mahjongg, her friends and shopping.”

“I suppose.”

“And I'll be staying at the Station Casino right down the street. A little bit of Opal goes a long way.”

She glared at him for a moment.

“I'll come to dinner and drop off Pistol for Jared. I'm a good sport, but I'm not crazy.”

C
rucial to NCA's certification was the flight attendants' mini-evacuation, which would be timed and evaluated by the FAA. It took place after training was completed and before the pilots started their proving flights, and was one of the final hurdles before the airline could take on passengers.

The test was done at night, and the purpose was to ensure that any group of randomly chosen flight attendants could find unblocked aircraft doors in the dark and blow the slides for passenger evacuation. The FAA required that all the flight attendants who had been hired and trained in the first class gather at dusk in a prear-ranged area at the airport. Two pilots, also evaluated by the FAA, would bring one of New Century's 757s to the designated place, out of the range of airport ground traffic. The FAA would draw names to select four flight attendants from the gathering to board the aircraft, go through their checklists and do their demonstrations with safety cards, seat belts and oxygen masks, just as if this were a typical commercial flight full of paying passengers. They would secure the doors to close up the aircraft and take their seats. The pilots would likewise simulate a takeoff by doing all of their preflight work.

The FAA inspectors would then take their places—two would already be in the cockpit examining the pi
lots' performances, and eight positioned themselves in the cabin, one by each of the 757s exit doors. The inspectors each had a large peel-and-stick circle—four white, signifying an unblocked door, and four black, for a simulated blocked exit. When the pilots shut the engines down and killed the lights, simulating an emergency requiring an evacuation, each inspector would slap a sticker on his exit. With the aid of the emergency flashlights and floorboard running lights, the flight attendants had to find four unblocked doors, open them—not the easiest thing to do quickly—and blow the slides.

All in
eleven seconds.

It was something of a tradition among start-up airlines for the entire employee group to show up for the event, and NCA was no exception. There was a carnivallike atmosphere in the air, and despite the fact that security was heavy, people arrived in droves, electric with anticipation. Nikki brought the kids, Carlisle was in town and wouldn't miss it, and thankfully Opal could care less. The sun had not yet set when the crowd began to gather on the far side of the airport between two hangars.

Some sixty flight attendants, dressed casually in jeans or sweatsuits and tennis shoes, were broken up into smaller groups, where they grilled one another on checklists, demo speeches and emergency procedure. They ranged in age from twenty-one-year-old kids with no previous airline experience to fifty-year-old, seasoned flight attendants furloughed from other carriers. The groups would occasionally burst into a cheer, not unlike team huddles at championship football games.

The stakes were high. This test had to be passed, no matter how many times it took, and if the slides were blown, but the task exceeded the time limit, the cost of repacking them was four to five thousand dollars each,
and couldn't be done quickly. Twenty thousand dollars and another day delay for each failure.

Nikki noticed that many of the pilots were present, including all her movers, Ken, Jeff and Sam. Dixie found them and joined the group, as did the Wrench, Mark Shows. When Crue arrived with her boys in tow, Nikki waved her over so the kids could be introduced to her two.

The sun was lowering in the sky as still more people arrived. A group of FAA inspectors gathered and stood in a tight knot at the edge of the gathering.

“Why aren't you bringing the plane over, boss?” Jeff asked.

“Danny and Eric are doing the honors. I wanted to be out here with my own stopwatch and my kids. They've never seen one of these mini-evacs.”

“What about the inaugural flight?” Sam asked.

“I'm doing that, with Danny as copilot, and these two in the back.” She put an arm around each of her kids. “I didn't do this alone. April and Jared have really made it possible.”

Someone shouted, “Here comes the plane!”

Lumbering across the ramp, its new paint job shining in the dusk, the rotating beacons, wing and taxi lights bouncing brightly along, the 757 approached—forty-four feet high and one hundred fifty-five feet long, able to hold as many as one hundred and ninety-five passengers. The cheers that rose from the crowd were loud and proud.

Nikki cheered, as well, but for her, the greatest charge of excitement came from being with these people, the starters, all gathered in one place, rooting for the airline's success. She felt a huge swell of emotion in her breast that she'd never experienced before. Even Crue, usually
so reserved, was jumping up and down, hooting in excitement.

“God, this is amazing,” Sam said, and Nikki realized he was standing beside her. She wanted to grab on to him, but resisted.

“It's infectious, isn't it?” she said. “Indescribable, really.”

He bent a little so that his head was at Jared's level. “I've never seen anything like this, either. Pretty awesome.”

“After they blow the slides, we can get on the airplane and go down 'em,” Jared informed him. “They'll be thirteen feet from the ground. I can't wait.”

“The only way I'm going down one of those slides is if there's an engine fire,” April said.

Sam traded glances with Nikki. Jared knew every detail about this plane and many others. He was already flying with his papa. April knew her share, but the details of the plane were not nearly as important to her as, say, what the flight attendants would be wearing.

“Hey, look who's slumming,” Dixie said, sidling up to Nikki.

Nikki glanced over to find Joe Riordan mingling with the troops, and beside him, in boots and rather snug jeans, was Jewel. She also wore something else they never saw much of—a smile. Not a big smile, but nonetheless…

Before the airplane stopped and the chocks were placed behind the wheels, the first flight attendant was chosen—a female who looked to be in her thirties. Nikki hoped that meant she was experienced. The next was a young man who jumped around in a Rocky imitation to the cheers of his peers. Then came a very young woman, who was immediately enveloped in a group hug. And
finally, a woman who was surely tipping the calendar at fifty and might even be the oldest new hire they had. She must have been laid off from another airline and very experienced, because at her selection, wild cheering rose up, as if she was their ringer.

A flight attendant supervisor gave them last-minute instructions while the air stairs were brought to the plane. By the time the inspectors had boarded, the crowd was vibrating with energy. The selected group and their supervisor held hands in a tight circle and did some kind of prayer or motivational affirmation that ended with a shout—“Yes!”

Joe Riordan's voice came from behind Nikki. “The last time I was at one of these, it was imperative that we pass because we had just enough time to complete proving flights and start boarding passengers—we couldn't fail and take a delay.”

She turned around. “Hey, Joe. Jewel. Pretty exciting, huh?”

“Or tense, depending on your perspective,” Joe said.

“They're going to do great,” Jewel assured him, again with a smile. Nikki and Dixie both kind of frowned, staring. But Jewel and Joe didn't notice, since they were busy introducing themselves to everyone present.

Then suddenly the crowd stilled as the flight attendants boarded the aircraft behind the inspectors. The doors were closed and the stairs pulled away. The aircraft was still lit within and without. Everyone waited tensely. Nikki pulled out her stopwatch. Minutes passed. Inside the plane, the flight attendants would be going through their preflight duties, explaining safety procedures to their mock passengers, the inspectors. What seemed like hours actually lasted less than fifteen
minutes, and then the aircraft went dark except for the flashing emergency wing lights.

Nikki clicked on the watch. Everyone in the crowd was mentally ticking off the seconds. Eleven, ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five—A door cracked and slowly began to open. Another door cracked. Then a third. A slide billowed out, and then rapidly, three more followed, all four exploding into view.

Nikki stopped her watch. She was right at ten seconds, but she wasn't sure she had started and stopped with the inspectors. She held her breath and waited with everyone else.

The flight attendants suddenly came into view in the doorways, then shot down the slides, screaming yahoos, arms raised above their heads in victory, and their compatriots charged toward them. The spectators roared, whistled and hugged one another with the enthusiasm of Superbowl winners. Although NCA was not even airborne yet, its founders were alive with the exhilaration of giving birth to a giant.

In the happy chaos, Nikki somehow ended up being bounced up and down in Sam's powerful embrace. It was perfectly natural; people were hugging one another all over the place. But in that moment she was incredibly aware of him, and wished it would never end. When she broke away, she hugged five more pilots with enthusiasm, lest anyone get the idea Sam was someone special.

 

After people toured the inside of the plane—many of them checking out the trip down the slides—the entire gathering moved from the airport to the Tail Spin Bar and Grill, an establishment catering to airport and airline employees. It was so near the end of the runway that it
periodically trembled as jets passed over on their way to land.

Dixie and Carlisle went straight to the bar, while Nikki made a side trip to drop her kids off at home. The place was already bursting at the seams and rocking with music and laughter by the time they arrived. A man Dixie recognized as one of the pilots lifted the pretty young flight attendant who had taken part in the inspection up onto a table. She took a few bows to the cheers of the crowd. The waitresses scurried around with heavy trays loaded with sloshing pitchers of beer. Many a toast was being raised.

“Great place for a fear-of-flying clinic, huh?” Dixie shouted.

“I'll get us drinks,” Carlisle said. “Find a table or a lap or something.”

Looking around the packed bar, she was pretty amazed by how many people she knew. Every pilot present had been run by her desk in the application process and made frequent stops after being hired for everything from uniform orders to picking up the business cards she had printed for them. Flight attendants were in and out, as well, and after several weeks in the office, Dixie knew all the other executive assistants and secretaries.

She was looking around for Danny when she caught Jewel's eye. The Gatekeeper was sitting by herself at a table in the corner, and she extended one long finger, inviting—or maybe commanding—Dixie over. Dixie actually looked behind her to make sure she didn't mean someone else. After all, Jewel never came around Flight Ops. Dixie touched her chest, mouthed “Me?” and Jewel slowly nodded. Ah, it appeared the ice queen desired her company.

“I don't mean to keep you from your friends,” Jewel said. “I thought you were looking around for a spot.”

“Yes, I was,” she said with fake enthusiasm. She was afraid it would not only bore her senseless to sit with the aloof Gatekeeper, but also keep her from finding Danny.

“No, take this chair,” Jewel said, patting the seat beside her. “The view is spectacular.”

Feeling a bit odd, Dixie did as she was told. For a split second she feared Jewel was going to make a pass, but then she realized Ms. Goddess wanted her to take in the room from the same vantage point she had. Ah, yes. Airline crews at work and play.

In the corner, Bob Riddle sat at a table with four pilots and they seemed to be having a serious conversation. At the other end of the bar, a sexy young flight attendant was being hit on by a couple of pilots. There was a little swing dancing, a little dirty dancing. And straight ahead was…

Dixie squinted as the woman, a brassy blond in a tight black dress cut low on top and high on the bottom, seemed to be grinding her pelvis against a guy. He wasn't moving away, either. His arm periodically went around her waist as if to encourage her.

But then the most bizarre thing happened. He moved away to the bar and began talking to a couple of people there. The blonde gave her shoulder-length hair a sweep upward, let it fall, and turned to the man on her other side. She spoke in his ear and began grinding
his
thigh.

Jewel leaned toward Dixie. “She is going to have the worst headache.”

“Who is that?”

“You can't tell?” She gave a short laugh and leaned back in her chair. “She's been doing shots.”

At that moment the woman turned to face them.
“Shanna,”
Dixie breathed. She also sat back. “Great little window on the world.”

“I thought you'd like it. Knowledge is power. Remember that.”

Dixie watched Joe Riordan work the room. He was at once the big boss and one of the guys, glad-handing and slapping shoulders. He raised his mug and toasted over and over, but the level on his glass never seemed to get any lower.

He walked over to the table where Bob Riddle held court, and all five men sprang to their feet as if the general had just dropped in, each one taking his turn at a lengthy verbal ass-kiss.