Tuscan Skies
Part 3
J.R. and Sue Ellen boarded the plane for their connecting flight in Cincinnati, Ohio. They would fly into Zurich, Switzerland, then into Florence, Italy. Sue Ellen gazed out the window while they waited for the plane to take off. J.R. watched her, wondering what she was thinking about. He reached for her left hand, as he played with the diamond engagement ring he had given to her a couple of months ago. Sue Ellen turned to face him when she felt his hand touch the ring on her finger. She looked into his eyes, and softly said, "J.R., I don't feel right about wearin' this ring, if we aren't going to get married." J.R. kissed the back of her hand, and said, "Nonsense, Sugar. I gave it to you, regardless of whether we get married, or not. It's my way of tellin' the world that you are spoken for." Sue Ellen smiled at him, as she leaned over and kissed him. J.R. inhaled, closing his eyes as the scent of her perfume filled his senses. Sue Ellen touched his cheek with her hand. The flight attendant informed them that there would be a slight delay in their departure time, because of an over booking error on another flight. J.R. asked, "Do you have any idea how long of a delay we're going to have?" The flight attendant smiled, and said, "According to the captain, it shouldn't take more than five minutes or so. Is there anything you would like while you're waiting, Sir?" J.R. turned to Sue Ellen and said, "Would you like something to drink, Honey?" Sue Ellen said, "Oh, yes. I'd like a glass of iced tea, please?" The flight attendant said, "Yes, Ma'am, and for you sir?" J.R. said, "I think I'd like a glass of iced tea, also." The flight attendant told them that she would see to their requests, and she would return shortly. Sue Ellen reached her hand behind J.R.'s head, and played with the hair at the nape of his neck. The flight attendant returned with two ice-cold glasses of iced-tea, two spoons, and sweetener packets. J.R. and Sue Ellen thanked the flight attendant for their drinks, and pored the contents of the sweetener packets into the glasses. J.R. lifted his glass, to toast Sue Ellen, and said, "To my lover." Sue Ellen tapped his glass with her uplifted glass, and said, "I like the sound of that." They each took a sip of their tea, as the voice of the pilot announced that they would be taxing down the runway for their flight to Zurich. The flight attendant retrieved their glasses, as they fastened their seatbelts prior to take off.
The lighted signal, informing the plane's passengers that they were free to roam about the plane, flashed overhead. J.R. and Sue Ellen removed their seat restraints, and relaxed in their seats. J.R. asked Sue Ellen if she was hungry. Sue Ellen pondered his question, and said, "Now that you mention it, I am fairly hungry." The flight attendant returned to their seats with two fresh glasses of iced-tea, and told them that they would be serving lunch in a few minutes. J.R. smiled, as he was reminded how traveling first class was much more enjoyable than any other seating arrangements the tourism industry had to offer. Sue Ellen touched J.R.'s hand, and asked, "Darlin', would you excuse me, please? I'm going to freshen up before lunch." She stood up from her seat and walked into the aisle. J.R.'s eyes followed her every step of the way. He admired her feminine curves, and smiled appreciatively as her hips swayed with each step she took. You are one lucky man, J.R. he thought to himself. He picked up his glass of tea, and took a drink of the refreshing beverage. He sat up straight in his seat when he saw Sue Ellen walking back toward him. She took her seat next to J.R. He touched her leg, and asked, "Have I told you how beautiful you look today, Sugar?" Sue Ellen grinned at him, and said, "Thank you, Darlin'. You look devastatingly handsome, yourself." J.R. reached for her hand, as their flight attendant approached their seats with a cart carrying lunch for the first-class passengers. J.R. ordered for Sue Ellen, while she was freshening up. Sue Ellen said, "Thank you, Darlin'. This looks wonderful." They enjoyed their lunch, while the flight attendant kept their drink glasses filled.
J.R. reclined his seat after their meal. They had several hours before they were scheduled to arrive in Zurich, and he wanted to feel fresh when they landed. Sue Ellen read through a magazine, occasionally glancing at J.R. while he slept. Sue Ellen removed her laptop computer from her carry-on bag, and placed it on the fold down tray. She powered it up, and waited for the log in prompt. She hadn't checked her e-mail for a couple of days, and figured that she could use the time while J.R. was sleeping to catch up on some computer work. She frowned when she read who had sent the first e-mail. Don had sent her an e-mail the day of Miranda's trial. Sue Ellen wondered if Don had seen her, or if the taped deposition she gave was for the attorney's sole benefit. J.R. had told her not to feel responsible for what happened to Miranda Barrington, but she felt a twinge of guilt for what she thought Don might think about her. She shrugged her shoulders, J.R. was right. Miranda had it coming to her. Don had been very nasty toward Sue Ellen in their last conversation. He could go to hell, she thought. She was about to delete the message, when she was notified about a new e-mail. She opened her inbox, and opened the new mail folder. She started to read the message from Don. It started out civil; "Dear Sue Ellen, I hope you are well. I do so wish you were here with me to share in the fate that awaits poor Miranda...' Sue Ellen thought, "poor Miranda?" Don must be out of his bloody mind. His civility ended there, the next line contained a string of curse words aimed at her, and J.R. She tagged the message for deletion, and moved the mouse over the delete tab. She took great delight in deleting every new e-mail, and stored e-mail Don had ever sent to her. When she had finished, she sent Don a message. She instructed him what he could do with future correspondences to her, and how he should manage following her instructions. She smiled a fiendish smile, as she imagined his reaction when he read her e-mail. She powered off her computer, and replaced it in the carry-on bag. She arose from her seat, and lifted the bag into the over-head compartment.
Sue Ellen reclined her seat, and leaned her head against J.R.'s shoulder. She soon joined J.R. in a much-needed nap. Her peaceful slumber was soon interrupted with dreams about Don, and Miranda. Don was yelling at Sue Ellen, blaming her for Miranda's plight. Sue Ellen shook her head, trying to shake off the dream, and trying to tell Don that she was not at fault. She kept saying, "No, It's not my fault." She could hear J.R.'s voice in the distance, calling out to her, "Sue Ellen...Sue Ellen." J.R. had heard her cries, and tried to wake her. Her eyes were filled with tears as she opened them, and stared blankly at J.R. J.R. had his hand on her arm. He said, "Sugar, you were havin' a bad dream." Sue Ellen wiped at her eyes. She said, "I'm sorry, Darlin'. I had no intention of wakin' you." J.R. touched her cheek, wiping away a stray tear. She smiled at him, hoping that J.R. wouldn't ask what she had been dreaming about. She tried to divert J.R.'s attention away from her dream, and asked, "How much longer until we land in Zurich?" J.R. lifted the sleeve of his jacket and looked at his watch. He said, "We should be landing in Zurich in about four hours." Sue Ellen stretched her arms above her head. She leaned forward in her seat, while J.R. rubbed her lower back. She muttered, "That feels heavenly, Darlin'." J.R. invited her to take off her jacket. She declined, she had a tendency to feel a chill whenever she rode in a plane. J.R. said, "I can have the flight attendant bring you a blanket." Sue Ellen looked at him, and said, "I wouldn't mind a blanket. Thank you, J.R."
The flight attendant brought J.R. and Sue Ellen a couple of pillows, and two blankets. J.R. helped Sue Ellen remove her jacket. He placed the pillow behind her head. She said, "Thank you, but what about you?" J.R. said, "Your comfort is all that matters, Sugar." Sue Ellen shifted slightly in her seat so that she was facing J.R. He covered her with the blanket, and put the other blanket over his legs. J.R. reached under the blanket, and rested his hand on Sue Ellen's knee. He kissed her, as she leaned her head against his shoulder. J.R. watched her, until he was sure that she was asleep, before he closed his eyes. They slept peacefully, until the captain's voice came over the speaker, informing the plane's passengers that they would be landing in Zurich, Switzerland, within the next fifteen minutes. J.R. gently tapped Sue Ellen's knee, trying to slowly wake her up. Sue Ellen said, "Hmm? What? Oh, I'm sorry, Darlin'. Did you say something?" J.R. chuckled at her response, and said, "No, Sugar. We're gonna be landin' soon. You might want to put your jacket back on." Sue Ellen covered her mouth with her hand, as a yawn escaped her. J.R. helped her with her jacket. She leaned forward in her seat and put her shoes back on her feet. J.R. handed their blankets and pillows to the flight attendant, thanking her for the use of the items. The plane started its descent. J.R. held Sue Ellen's hand, as they waited for the plane to land. Sue Ellen glanced out of the window, and said, "J.R. look how beautiful the mountains are." The mountains were snow capped. Their appearance lent a stark contrast to the green valleys below. J.R. smiled at Sue Ellen. He was thrilled that she enjoyed the view. The captain's voice was heard overhead, thanking the passenger's for flying with British Airways, and wishing them a pleasant stay. J.R. stood up from his seat and opened the overhead compartments. Sue Ellen said, "I can carry my bag, Darlin'." J.R. said, "Absolutely not, Sugar. I can carry both of our bags, and still hold your hand." Sue Ellen smiled at him, she enjoyed seeing the romantic side of J.R.
They walked hand in hand through the terminal to the gate for their flight to Florence, Italy. They had an hour or so to wait, before their boarding call. Sue Ellen said, "J.R., would you mind if I went into the gift shop, and bought a souvenir for Miss Ellie and John Ross?" J.R. smiled at her, and said, "I'll wait right here for you, Sugar." J.R. watched as Sue Ellen walked across the terminal to the duty-free gift shop. He smiled as he remembered watching her walk to the restroom in the plane. Sue Ellen had a way of shifting her hips with each step that caught his attention from the first time he saw her when she was a contestant in the 1967 Miss Texas Pageant. The way she moved when she walked still turned him on. She returned from the shop carrying a bag with a picture of the Matterhorn on the side of it. She held two cups in her outstretched hands. She said, "Here you go, J.R.," as she handed him one of the cups. J.R. asked, "What's this?" Sue Ellen smiled at him, and said, "Coffee, Darlin'. Swiss coffee." J.R. smelled the aroma in the steam rising from the vent in the lid on the cup. He thought, it smelled good. He lifted the cup to his mouth and took a sip. He said, "Damn, Sugar. That does taste good. Thank you." They sat down on a bench sipping their coffee, while they waited for their boarding call. Sue Ellen lifted the bag onto her lap, and reached inside. She had purchased a set of miniature spoons embossed with the names of various locations in Switzerland for Miss Ellie, and a sweatshirt for John Ross. It bore a picture of the Swiss flag, flying over a panoramic shot of the Swiss Alps. J.R. looked at the sweatshirt. He smiled and said, "John Ross will love that, Sue Ellen." Sue Ellen said, I thought so, too. What do you think about the set of spoons for Miss Ellie, Darlin'?" J.R. said, "You know Mamma, she'll tell you how wonderful they are, and how thoughtful it was of you to think of her." Sue Ellen laughed, and said, "You sounded just like her, J.R." The announcement for the flight from Zurich to Florence Italy, on Al Italia Airlines came over the public address system. Sue Ellen put the items she had purchased back into the bag, and waited while J.R. lifted their carry-on luggage onto his shoulders. They tossed the empty coffee cups into a trash receptacle, as they handed their boarding passes to the attendant at the gate, and walked through the jetwalk to the plane.
J.R. lifted their carry-on luggage over his head, and placed the bags inside the overhead luggage compartments. He sat down in the seat, next to Sue Ellen. He said, "We're almost there, Honey. How do you feel?" Sue Ellen was giddy with anticipation. She said, "Thank you for understanding how I felt about gettin' married, J.R. Thank you for this trip to Tuscany. I've wanted to travel to Italy for years." J.R. squeezed her hand. He remembered every destination Sue Ellen had said she wanted to go to. He said, "I'm glad I could be the one going there with you, Sue Ellen." Sue Ellen cupped his chin in her hand, and teasingly licked his lips. J.R. flashed her a wicked grin, and whispered, "I hope that's an indication of things to come, Sugar." Sue Ellen kissed him, parting his lips with her tongue. J.R. pulled her to him, wanting more. Sue Ellen pulled away from him, lowering her eyes, and said, "I almost forgot where we were, J.R." J.R. grinned at her and said, "You're a tease, Sugar. You made me an offer that's far too temptin' for me to turn down. You're gonna make good on that when we get to Tuscany." Sue Ellen smiled provocatively, and said, "Don't you worry 'bout that, Darlin'. I'll deliver." J.R. sat back in his seat, as the plane taxied down the runway for takeoff. Their plane would be landing in Florence in an hour and a half. They would take a taxi from the airport in Florence to the villa J.R. had rented for their stay in Tuscany. Sue Ellen would deliver, he would see to that...
