"Higher daddy, higher!" Trixie squealed, giggling uncontrollably.
"You got it sweetie," Her father said, grinning at his young daughter. The dusky sunlight splashed across their faces, his eyes obscured by black sunglasses. For most fathers and daughters going higher meant being pushed on the swing set or being tossed in his arms. For this family, going higher meant in a helicopter, piloted by him.
"Mike quit being a show off," Her mother teased, hearing her daughter's and husband's laughter in her headset, smiling just as much as he was.
This was how many of their Saturdays went. They would drive to their private hangar and take their personal chopper out for a spin. This was how Trixie Tredwell-Shimura learned about geography and navigation, getting a birds eye view. As she would grow older, her father test her, asking her to find north or what the instruments in cockpit were saying.
Her father owned Shimura Aviation, a world wide company that built and designed aircraft. He himself had a fascination with aircraft since he was Trixie's age. Eventually, he began to work on aircrafts and that led him to breakthroughs in safety technology and efficiency. In a blink of an eye Shimura Aviation became a Fortune 500 company and he married his high school sweetheart. Tricia would say he looked just as good in a designer suit as he did covered in oil and jeans. Not long after, Trixie came along and quickly became as fascinated in aircraft as her father. She came to work with him, even sitting in on important meetings and was there when he worked on the aircraft. He had already began teaching her everything he knew in order for her to take his place one day.
He landed the chopper expertly. He felt a wave pride, looking upon his family, his beautiful wife that put up with him through his company's rocky beginnings, and his little girl Trixie, barely five years old who was bound to follow in his footsteps one day. She beamed up at her father, missing teeth and all, arms open wide as he extricated her from her safety belts, carrying her on his hip. He kissed her forehead and wrapped his arm around his wife's waist, walking back to their car.
Years later, the adult Trixie could handle a chopper just like her father. Below her a rally race was ending, but her mind was not on the race. Speed was going to win and the finish line was in sight, so she allowed her mind to wander. She was the sole person in the craft, but she knew she was not alone. She could feel her parent's presence with her. She felt them the strongest when she flew. They both loved flying and Trixie was practically raised in choppers and other aircraft. She was home in the air. People may joke that racing is Speed's mistress in their relationship, but she felt the same way about flying as he did racing. However, they both made a promise long ago that nothing was worth more than their relationship; not flying, not racing.
She pulled herself out of her reverie to see him cross the finish line, Trixie smiled with pride, "Bring her in babe, you won," she said to Speed over her headset radio. After she spoke, the rest of team could be heard on his and her headsets, celebrating.
"Couldn't have done it without you. See you in the Winners Circle for that kiss, Trix."
"Wouldn't miss it for the world."
