Page 13 of Arrogant Arrival

“You’re a pilot, aren’t you?”

“How’d you know?”

“Your phone buzzed. I was worried it was important since you said you’d just gotten off a work call and started to bring it to you.”

“So you read it along the way?”

“I glanced at it. I didn’t swipe the screen or anything. But you knew I vowed not to sleep with another pilot and still…you bastard, was it a challenge for you then? A game? Did you get a good laugh, Jim?” I’m seething with rage. I want to slap him. I want to throw things. Most of all, I just want away from him.

“Absolutely not! It’s not like that, Jo!” he shouts.

“Don’t call me Jo! We’re not friends! We’renothing!” Jim walks toward me with his arms out. I hold a hand up. “Don’t you dare touch me.” I speak through gritted teeth.

“So you’re going to throw away last night and this morning over what I do for a living? That’s discriminating and judgmental. And you are making assumptions about me that aren’t true at all.”

“Really?” I turn in a circle trying to rein in my rage. I place my hands on my hips and face him. I can hear the venom in my voice. “Not true at all, huh? This might’ve gone differently if you’d been honest up front. I’m not discriminating that you’re a pilot. It’s that you lied to me. Now I don’t know what to believe. What part of any of it was real…was any of it the truth? Have you been honest with me at all?” Before he can speak, I hold a hand up. “Don’t. Just don’t. Save your words.”

I go to walk past him and he grabs my hand and places it over his chest. I feel his heart beating. “Don’t listen to my words then. What about this? What do you feel? Is that a lie?”

His heart is beating hard against his chest. “Trying to prove you have heart? You know what you’ve proven? Every man with a pulse lies.” I jerk my hand free and turn to get the hell out of here. I don’t know what to feel anymore. All I know is that despite promising myself I’d keep my heart safe, I let myself down yet again. I grab my carry on and hurry to the elevator and wait until the door closes to allow myself to cry for the last time over a man.

Jolene

Dear Journal,

I did it again. I told myself I wouldn’t, but here I am. Making a complete fool of myself. I’m so damn weak. Not only did I have a crappy flight where I was propositioned by a man to have a three-way with his wife, but my connecting flight gets canceled, so I go out and sleep with the first pilot I find. Just great. That was yesterday. Today, I won’t worry about yesterday. Today is going to be awesome because I have an international flight to…wait for it… Paris, France. The city of love. However, I’m not looking for love in a man. I am going for coffee and macaroons. I will tour the Louvre and get lost in a world of beauty, forgetting my ugly past for a few days.

I close my journal and board the plane with Lana and Renee. We are back together to work this leg to Paris. Of course, they want all the amazing and awful details about Jim.

“You’re kidding?” Lana asks.

“I wish I was! He was a pilot this whole time and heknewhow I felt about men in that profession.”

“But didn’t say a word,” Renee snarls as she shakes her head.

“Not a word,” I confirm.

“Well, screw him,” Lana says.

“She already did, and it was apparently amazing,” Renee snickers, but then sees my glare. “Sorry.”

I shove my luggage in the overhead bin as I make my way to the cockpit to introduce myself to the pilot and co-pilot working this flight. Next, I go through my pre-flight safety check of the emergency equipment, oxygen bottles, fire extinguisher, and finally get my flight safety demonstration items ready. I check on my phone for this flights’ passenger count, and it looks like a full flight. Thankful for that, as a full flight means I stay busy and keep my mind off of Jim the Lying Greek god.

The passengers begin to come aboard. I smile and help people stow their luggage. Once our flight is taxiing, I go through the safety instructions. When I’ve finished that, I go through one more time to make sure everyone has everything stowed away and their chairs are in the correct position for takeoff.

I stop short when I spot a gentleman turned to the aisle with his socks and shoes off. I look around to see if anyone else is seeing this. The man is sitting there and clipping his toenails in the aisle.

This is going to be a long flight…

Dear Journal,

Paris is everything. The city is very clean and absolutely lovely. I didn’t spend much time sight-seeing since I spent HOURS in the Louvre museum. I still didn’t see everything, and I have no idea how I’ll manage to work my flight tomorrow because my feet are killing me. The Egyptian section is beyond fascinating, and I think it was my personal favorite. Although, in the Denon wing, the statue Psyche Revived by Cupid’s Kiss was by far my favorite piece of history in the entire museum. There was something so romantic and intimate about the pose. My eyes and heart were captivated by the piece. Of course, I did see the most famous piece of art, the Mona Lisa. It was much smaller than I expected. But I’ve read where other people have said the same thing. At sunset I took a walk along Ile de la Cite. There I saw the Notre Dame, and it is breathtakingly beautiful. There simply wasn’t enough time for me on this layover. I hope to one day return to this stunning city of love.

Jimmy

After Jolene left, I was hurt and angry with myself. But now, sitting here in the night club, I’m angry with her. I’m frustrated that she didn’t give me a chance,usa chance. She just stormed out of the hotel room—and my life—without even letting me explain myself. It’s not like I told her Iwasn’ta pilot. It’s not like I said I was a chef or car salesman. I never got a chance to say what I did for a living.Okay, I did get a chance.I’ll give her that. I should’ve been honest up front, but I was scared. I wanted her so bad, and that’s wrong too. I’m man enough to admit I fucked up, but she did too. She couldn’t let me speak for five minutes to apologize and tell her I omitted the fact that I’m a pilot out of fear she’d reject me immediately. I wanted a chance to at least show her what we could have. I guess I only showed her that I’m like every other douche she’s come across. Damn it. It’s been two days, and I’m still thinking about her. This wasn’t supposed to happen. I wish now it’d never stormed, and my flight hadn’t been canceled. At least I can find comfort in that we won’t ever cross paths again. If I’m lucky, anyway.

I might’ve dodged a bullet. I will go on being a carefree bachelor flying around the world and meeting beautiful women to spend my nights with. Beautiful women who don’t have some crazy aversion to pilots. No, I’ll be with women who love the fact I’m a pilot. I can take them to new heights in both the bedroom and outside the bedroom. I silently nod to myself and take a shot.That’s right, motherfuckers, I’m back in action.

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