The sun was starting to sink in the west, somewhere behind the thick cloud cover. An unmarked FBI Learjet 45 was parked outside an unmarked hangar, its twin fanjets idling in a silky, high-pitched whisper. The pilot and co-pilot were walking through their pre-flight checklists, while John the steward gave the main cabin a once-over in preparation for takeoff.
The split clamshell hatch was open and the integral staircase of the lower half was getting rained on. John had a stack of towels to clean up after it was secured. He didn’t like having a puddle on his clean carpet, no matter the weather. He glanced at his watch; it was time to scoot. He craned his head to look outside.
Mas was standing under her mother’s oversized black umbrella, hugging her goodbye. Mas’ briefcase was stacked on her carry-on close beside her. The wind was up and they were both getting wet from the hips down. She would have to towel off her luggage when she got on board. She knew John, and for all his good manners, he ran a tight ship. He was a local boy and she still didn’t know how he ever made it through Katrina. Not so much the storm, but the ungodly mess afterwards. He didn’t strike her as the happy camper type.
Beth pulled her head off her daughter’s shoulder and looked in her eyes. “Call me when you get there. I worry.”
Mas grinned. She’d been hearing that ever since she could remember. “You’re the mom; that’s your job.”
She remembered something else. “My landlady’s taking care of Junior, but could you stop in and see him? He adores you.”
Beth smiled at the mention of his name. The poor little beast, she thought. She’d have to stop by on the way home. She might even spend the night, maybe the whole weekend. The landlady wouldn’t mind, and Junior was such good company. Beth’s place got to be so lonely sometimes.
“Of course!” she told her daughter. “He’s part of the family.” Beth held her by the shoulders and took a good, long look at her, then got up on her toes and kissed her forehead.
“Your father would be so proud of you.”
Mas held back her tears, but when they hugged once again, they both shed more than they thought they would. Yeah, real tough Fed, crying on mamma’s shoulder, Mas thought with a wry smile, and gave Beth a final firm squeeze before they broke apart.
Mas stepped backwards into the rain with a farewell smile and turned toward the jet. She knew that if she didn’t go quickly, it would just be harder on them both.
Beth clamped a hand over her mouth just in case, to keep from calling out something she shouldn’t. As she watched her daughter go, her brow puckered in a sudden pang of despair.
She felt so utterly alone under her big umbrella, with no one to love and cling to, not even someone to simply be with and watch the world go by. It’s always like this, she thought, every time my Chrissy-girl goes away. Why should this time be any different?
Behind her, Kaddouri pulled up in his scratched Land Cruiser and got out. He was dressed in a London Fog, but the rain had picked up something fierce and by the time he was halfway to the jet he was already soaked.
The clamshell hatch was closing. John secured the hatch from inside, and a moment after that the brakes were released, allowing the idling fanjets to propel the small plane forward at a genteel crawl.
Kaddouri broke into a run, dashing right past Beth, but he didn’t have a moment to say hello. She would understand; she knew how he felt.
Beth watched him sprinting in a dead heat for the plane, and her heart soared. She was wondering when he was finally going to make his move, and maybe this would be it. She hoped so; she dearly wanted grandchildren.
As foolish as it was, and as silly as it may have looked, Kaddouri was trying to run down a jet. It didn’t matter to him; he just wanted to say goodbye one more time. He already said it casually, back at City Hall, but he wanted to say more than that, even though he still wasn’t sure exactly how it would come out.
He drove to the airport in rain-clogged traffic, even driving on the shoulder and using his flashers, because he knew he wouldn’t be able to live with himself if he didn’t at least try. However awkward it might be, he knew that if he just put himself in the situation, if he just threw himself into it, the words might come out right, if they even came out at all. And if they didn’t, just showing up would be saying a lot all by itself, so what the hell.
Mas had just taken her seat when she saw him on the tarmac, pacing the aircraft. She broke into a smile and he waved, elated that she caught sight of him. If she hadn’t, they would have kept right on going.
He saw her turn to the steward in the aisle, and then get to her feet. A moment later, the jet slowed to a halt, and a moment after that the hatch cracked open. Mas was standing at the threshold. She came down the steps, even as they were locking into place.
John was behind her, a wad of towels in his hand. He was going to have a wet carpet all over again, but he was a romantic at heart and thought it was a sweet gesture, whoever this hunky guy was.
Kaddouri stood in the rain, out of breath and smiling at Mas as she stepped off the ladder and stood before him.
“I... I... I...” he stammered, and grinned in embarrassment. He was at a complete loss for words. She grinned back, waiting for him to spit it out.
The co-pilot appeared at the threshold behind her, watching along with John, but they didn’t have time for this hearts and flowers nonsense. They had to go. Now.
“Agent Mas, we’re next in line for take-off,” he informed her.
She nodded, and reluctantly went back up the steps. She wanted to give Kaddouri just a few more seconds, but she didn’t have any say in the matter. She had asked for a big enough favor as it was, getting them to stop in mid-taxi for a goodbye chat.
“Your contact is Agent Nadege Francine from the U.S. Embassy,” Kaddouri shouted to her as the engines spooled up. “She’s an old friend of mine from the Academy. She’ll be there when you land.”
Mas stood in the threshold and flashed a puzzled grin at him, pretending to hold a phone to her ear as if to say, You came all the way out here to tell me that?
He grinned back and shrugged, but they both knew exactly what he came to tell her. He’d been working up to it for a long time.
John closed the hatch again and secured it, then dropped his towels on the floor and moved them around with his foot to blot up the water. He could see Chrissy’s suitor outside in the rain, watching them go.
Kaddouri back-pedaled, retreating to a safe distance as he kept his eyes on the cabin windows. He saw her sit back down in her seat and buckle up as she ducked her head to spot him through the tiny window.
She saw him standing alone in the rain, with her mother far behind him under her umbrella. Mas was soaked, but she didn’t care. She could change in John’s immaculate restroom as soon as they were at cruising altitude.
She waved goodbye and saw Kaddouri waving back, until the pilot steered into a right turn and eclipsed her view.
“I love you,” Kaddouri finally said, watching the Learjet fading away in the rain-streaked twilight.
It turned once again and paused, positioning itself at the foot of the runway. A moment later, the engines spooled up to full power, the brakes were released and it raced away. It soon became a white blip on the runway, faster and louder, and then the nose came up and it launched itself into the sky with a hellacious roar.
Beth was standing under her umbrella behind Kaddouri, watching him watch the plane take off. Aside from dinner with her daughter, it was the best thing that happened to her all day long, seeing the two of them together. She said a little prayer; there truly was a lot to be thankful for.
He finally turned back to her and smiled hello. Beth smiled back and walked toward him as he approached her. She held her umbrella high and he stepped under it, pecking her on the cheek. She took his arm and they walked to his SUV.