Page 39 of Too Much In Common
She added a smiling sun emoji and copied the message to her mother, Chris, and the group chat with Simone and Brit.
Her mother responded first.
Mom: Glad you made it. Will you please call your father? He resorted to sending me an email.
Tian: I talked to him on Wednesday.
Mom: Please.
Tian: Fine.
Tian opened a conversation with her father. His Merry Christmas wish to her was still on the screen. Above it was a single plea to call him. She still hadn’t listened to the three voicemails he’d left earlier. She sent a return text.
Tian: I am in Hawaii. I like the 787. I’ll be around all evening if you want to call.
From the side pocket of her suitcase, she pulled out a clear plastic zipper bag and dropped her phone inside. Reading novels on a phone app around sand and water required diligence—the perfect job for the quart bag required for TSA security. The only thing Tian lacked was a beach towel, which could be picked up at any number of tourist shops near the hotel. She double-checked that she had her key card, and her phone rang. A number she didn’t recognize.
“Hello?”
“Hi, peanut.”
Dad.“I didn’t recognize the number.”
“My battery is almost dead. I’m calling you from my hotel phone. I’m in LA.”
“Oh.” More likely, he hoped she’d answer an unknown number.
“I have something important to ask you, and I want you to think about it. Can you give me five minutes?” Something in his voice sounded desperate.
“Sure.” The bed sank as she sat on its side.
“You are getting your hours on the 787, right?”
“Yes.”
“I want you to be my FO on my flight to Paris on February 13th and return on the 16th.”
“Why?”
“Because it will be my last flight.” He paused. “I’m retiring.”
“What? You are only fifty-five.”
“-six.”
“Why?”
“My last medical exam didn’t go so well. They found cancer. Early stages.”
“Wait—should you be flying? Shouldn’t you have chemo or something?”
“Starting February 20th.”
A lump formed in her throat. She hadn’t been close to her father for years. No reason to be this emotional about someone she’d already lost. “What about flying?”
“I need to work through my next anniversary with the airlines before I retire. Your grandfather will get his wish that I take a position on the board.”
Valentine’s Day. Her father often mentioned his hire date was meant to be. “Is it safe for you to fly?”
