Family Ties

“You also make me feel all tingly inside.”

“Very.” She leaned down and kissed me. “Hmm, that’s kinda fun. I think I like being taller than you.”

“Lots of other possibilities with you up there and me down here.” I darted a glance at her small breasts, which were right at eye level. “But later. Right now we have a plane to catch.”

I opened the Comanche’s door and warned her not to step off the nonskid strip. Then I slid past her and climbed into the left seat. Once she lowered herself into the right seat, I reached over her to latch the door.

Then I gave her a quick rundown of what to touch, what not to, and what to do in case of an emergency.

“It’s more complicated than I remember,” she said.

“It isn’t if you know what you’re doing.”

“You make it look so easy.”

“Well, I cheat,” I said. I showed her the laminated checklist card and then offered it to her. “You wanna be my copilot?”

“Okay, you read the first part of each item and make sure I say the second part exactly like it’s printed. Ready?”

“Yes, sir, captain, sir!” She even saluted.

Then she read from the card,

“Preflight inspection?”

“Passenger briefing?”

I grinned a question at her.

“Complete,” she said with a nod. “Seats and belts?”

I checked both hers and mine. “Secure.”

I touched the handle. “Set.”

We went through the rest of the checklist until everything was complete.

“Ready?” I said at last. She smiled ear-to-ear and nodded. I scanned the

immediate area and then called, “Clear prop!”

The engine whined, coughed twice, and turned over.

It caught and settled into a steady thrum as the plane vibrated with power. We put on our headsets and adjusted the microphone booms.

“Check, check,” I said over the intercom. “Hear me okay?”

“Loud and clear, captain.”

The rest of taxi and takeoff was thoroughly routine as far as I was concerned. But Christy found something new to enjoy at every stage, whether I was talking on the radio or simply setting the throttle and mixture once we reached our requested cruising altitude.

At that point I set the autopilot and gave the instruments and airspace another quick scan.

We settled in for the ride and chatted for about thirty minutes, and I told her what it was like to spend summers at camp. I skipped over the sex, but she could tell I was leaving out plenty of details.

“That’s where you met Gina?” she asked.

“Yes,” I said cautiously. I wasn’t sure where she was going, but I didn’t want it to blow up in my face.