A Formal Affair by Patrick Councilor
Dinner was delicious. Daphne had never imagined having such a great meal on a flight. The tastes were bold, yet not overdone. The savory tastes almost left them wanting more, even though it had left them full and very much content.
The plane descended and landed. As they taxied along the airstrip, Daphne looked out of her window to try to discover a clue that may lead to their where-abouts. "Where are we Niles?"
"We're in Oakland."
"California? We're spending the weekend in Oakland?"
"As a matter of fact, we're leaving immediately."
She looked at him with a puzzled look. "What are we doing here then? Do we need to catch a connecting flight?"
"Be patient my love. You wouldn't want me to give away all of my secrets now, would you?"
She shook her head, flipping her sassy hair unintentionally as she did. A smile soon followed. "No," she said as she looked longingly into Niles eyes that glistened when he looked back into her eyes.
The aircraft slowed to a stop.
Elegantly, her hand found his and it warmed her so. Her thumb touched his wedding ring in overwhelming appreciation. She brought the back of his hand to her soft lips and she kissed it so tenderly. Her heart was racing. She loved him so that she would follow him to the ends of the Earth. When he stared back into her eyes like this, she seemed to melt like a little hollow chocolate bunny.
He leaned over to her and she leaned in and turned her head to hear what he had to say. But instead of a whisper, he slowly and gently kissed her neck. The touch of his lips and his warm breath on her skin took her away to a place as pure as heaven.
The aircraft's engine seemed to lower in pitch and the cabin light came up. "Shall we, my love."
She stole one last kiss that seemed to get wisped up in time like a kite on the windiest of days.
"We shall." She batted those beautiful warm eyes at him as she stayed just a nose distance from his lips.
When they stepped off the plane, there was a minivan waiting there for them. There was someone there to load their bags onto the van. Just as soon as they were buckled in, the van pulled away.
"How was your meal?" he asked his wife.
"I couldn't have imagined a better meal."
"Just as soon as David is a little older, we will take a little tour of Paris."
"That sounds wonderful." She rested her head on his shoulder as she held onto his arm.
The van stopped and Daphne was so comfortable on his arm, she almost didn't want to move. When she did sit up, she found that they were facing a helicopter.
"You weren't kidding," she said. "We're not staying in Oakland, are we?"
"I have something I want to show you," he said as he opened the door and stepped out to take her hand in assisting her out of the vehicle. They hurried over to board.
The co-pilot handed them headsets. "Once the props start up, you'll need these to hear each other. They're set on channel two, but if you would like to talk to the pilot or myself, switch to channel one."
Daphne's hands were trembling as she took her headset. "My, this is exciting."
Niles said something, but she couldn't hear. She had just put her headset on.
When he put his headset on, she asked, "What did you say Niles?"
She could hear him now through the headset. "I said that I love you."
They didn't have to wait long for their luggage to be loaded and a quick check to make sure the door was latched properly.
There was a clicking sound in their headsets. "Good evening Dr. and Mrs. Crane. My name is Dale; just like air-dale. I'm your pilot. I'll just be on channel two for a few seconds here to welcome you aboard The Green Headed Hummingbird. I chose the name for my helicopter because hummingbirds can hover like a helicopter and they also have green heads just like my oldest son experimenting with the color of his hair. If you have any questions, just switch over to channel one. 'Slim-Jim' is the name of the guy who set you up with your headsets. We'll be happy to answer any questions at any time during the flight. Are you buckled in?"
They confirmed.
"If you've never flown in a whirly-bird before, it may seem a little crazy at first, but believe me, you will slowly get used to it. I'm heading over to channel one now."
Daphne was on the right side of the helicopter with her right hand holding onto her seat belt and her left hand was holding Niles' hand so tight, it was turning his knuckles white.
The engines kicked up and the blades started spinning. The helicopter started shaking. Daphne's stomach flip-flopped as they lifted the ground with great power. It was like a fair ride someone dared her to go on. She watched the airport go from large to fare to small and even smaller.
Niles stroked her arm with his free hand. "Are you okay?"
She nodded. The truth was, it was going to take some getting used to. She realized he was asking for her concern and also for concern of the circulation in his hand she was crushing. She managed to loosen her clutch, but she wasn't letting go of his. She wrapped her arm inside his. The honest truth is, she would never set foot on a "do-hicky" like this with anyone else, but she was safe. She was always safe with Niles.
