Hi friends! Here is chapter 11! I am sorry that it has taken so long to get up, but I have been ill, and pretty much just exhausted. Thanks to simbagirl and MRsprofile for the reviews, and to everybody who has followed and favorited. You guys make my writer's heart happy. Anyway, I hope that you enjoy this next chapter. Please drop a quick review! Thanks!
A loud cargo plane flying miles above the Atlantic Ocean was not anywhere near Filip Telford's list of favorite places to be. If given the option, he would much rather be back in the bed he had awoken in this morning, with his wife curled next to him. Or maybe he would like to be on a bike going about 80 down a back road. Hell, even sitting in front of the television with Kerrianne as she watched one of her outrageously terrible shows would be better than this. Yes, he would much rather be about a million other places, but nevertheless, this shaky plane was where he found himself.
Chibs took a moment to weigh a couple of options. Since take off, roughly thirty minutes ago, he had been sitting stock still in one of the fold down seats, not moving a muscle, in hopes that the food he had eaten earlier would somehow stay in his stomach. Now, he was faced with the choice of whether or not it was worth the risk to move and try and find something other than worry to occupy his mind. He eyed the small duffle bag sitting about five feet to his right. It was purple and had clearly seen better days, but his Kerrianne had handed it to him right before he boarded, telling him that she had packed him some things to keep him busy on the flight back. He smiled at the recent memory and decided that it was probably worth the risk.
Taking a deep breath and moving as cautiously as possible, taking time to find his footing on the unstable ground of a moving plane, he covered the two steps between him and the bag. As quickly as possible, he dragged the bag back towards the seat. Whatever was in this bag, he hoped that it was enough to take his mind off of the constant worry. He worried over whether or not his family would be okay in Ireland without him. He worried about when he would see his beloved girls again. He worried about the boys who would be in prison for the next year or so. He worried about the Club and how they would manage with most of the members gone. He worried about the teetering tower of stability they had built up that could literally fall at any moment. Compared to all of that, his worry that this plane could very easily just fall out of the sky seemed silly. Still, he figured it was best not to chance it and secured himself firmly in the seat.
Chibs pulled the purple bag into his lap and opened it, immediately revealing a letter in his daughter's messy scrawl. He grinned as he picked up the pink paper and unfolded it, eager to read every last word written.
Hi Da!
I guess you are probably reading this on the plane. At least I hope you are, because that is what this letter and this package are meant for. Me told me that you really don't like planes much and you are terrified of flying, so I thought that maybe I could pack you some things to make it better.
He scoffed. He was NOT 'terrified of flying', he just had the good sense to prefer solid ground.
So I put a bunch of stuff in here that I thought might be good. There are a couple of books, but I wasn't sure what kind you liked, so I just put ones I liked in there. The first one is Twilight, which is a vampire love story. You will probably hate it, but do you really have anything better to do? The other is by Charles Dickens and it is called Great Expectations. I have never read it, but Ma picked it out and said it was about time you actually read it, whatever that means.
He actually laughed. Years ago, so long that it seemed like a different life, he and Fiona had been partnered together to read the old book and write a paper. He had managed to not even crack it open and Fiona had done the entire thing herself, fearing for her grade. He had paid for his slacking with a swift and painful kick to the shins, but really, he hadn't minded much.
I also put my old iPod in here, because I am pretty sure you don't have one, which is weird because like, everybody has an iPod. Anyway, don't worry, I already loaded some music on it that I thought you might like. I know you didn't really like all of the music I made you listen to while you were here, but you didn't seem to mind some of it, so I picked a few songs that I thought you could listen to. Ma helped me pick out some other stuff that she thought you might like. It's got to be better than listening to plane engines, right? I put directions about how to use it on a sticky note. It's not hard.
His girl was most definitely right about the engines, and he was touched. She had put a lot of thought into making sure he was happy and comfortable, and he was grateful for that.
You said that you were going back on a cargo jet (Really, is that safe? Because what was wrong with the plane that you came over on?) and I didn't think that their snack services were top notch, so I packed you some snacks. I put pretzels in there because you like them. There are almonds and trail mix and stuff too. Ma said we should put healthy stuff, but don't worry, I put the good candy in the bottom. I also put in some of the oatmeal cookies that we made. They turned out really good, and I read an article online that oatmeal helped to calm anxiety, you know, because of the plane. There is some water and I managed to snag you some Irn Bru too, but don't tell Ma. She says it's neon orange sugar water. Hopefully it will at least get you back to California.
He hadn't even considered the fact that there was absolutely no food on this plane. He had been pretty stressed out and concerned about leaving; he had been worried about making sure they were alright and he hadn't given a second thought to his own needs. He smiled to know that somebody else was concerned for him. It was good to be loved
There is also a crossword puzzle book, because I looked it up on the internet and it said that Americans liked to do crossword puzzles. They seemed ridiculous to me, but if you like them, then I guess it will help. In case you don't really like crossword puzzles, I put a couple of good comic books in there. No matter where you are from, comics are cool. There is one that is Doctor Who and one with an outlaw vigilante out for justice. They are both good and I think that you will like them.
His daughter had a secret weakness for comics, and it made him smile. There were many, many worse things she could be into, like ballet or pole dancing. Comics were definitely a good thing.
Okay, so that is about all I could think of to put in there. Hopefully, it will be enough stuff for you to do so you won't have to worry so much. Everything is going to be fine, Da. Planes are designed to stay in the sky and they are actually really safe and it won't be so bad. I promise. Even if the plane trip is awful, you have to say that it was alright, because I really want to come see you in California, okay? And if you tell me how awful the trip was, I won't have the guts. So just think good thoughts and stuff and I am sure that it will be fine.
It did something to his heart to know that his daughter wanted to come see him. He would never admit it, but that thought made him practically giddy.
I suppose it's about time for me to finish this letter off, because I can hear you and Ma getting stuff into the car to leave, and obviously this has to get loaded in as well. Thank you for coming to see us, Da. I know that you have a life in California and other responsibilities, but I have loved having you around. Ma and I are going to miss you so much, but I promise that we will take care of each other and be okay until you come back and we can be together again. I am not going to get into fights and be insane, so you don't have to worry. Everything is going to be okay. I love you so much, Da, and I hope to see you really soon.
XO, Kerrianne
Chibs finished the letter before reading it a second time, and a third, finally tucking it safely away inside his pockets and closing his eyes. Leaving his daughter, and Fiona as well, had been really hard. It went against every instinct he had as a man, a father, and a husband. There was something tangibly wrong with the idea of his family being so far from him, where he couldn't see them or hug them or protect the, and it created a definite hole inside of him. However, the fact that he had clearly left behind a fucking fantastic kid filled him with hope that maybe Kerrianne was right. Maybe everything would be okay.
The plane lurched, hitting a bit of turbulence. Chibs grasped the armrests for dear life, before making a conscious decision to ease up. His daughter was just a kid and she had asked him to think good thoughts and not hate this entire trip, and as much as he hated flying, the least he could do was not be a coward about it. He hated flying, but seeing his girls was well worth it. Besides, he was going to have to give his girl details of the trip when he called from Charming tonight, so he figured he had better relax a little bit and not be miserable. Fiona had an uncanny ability to tell when he was lying, and there was every chance that Kerrianne had inherited that ability.
He pulled the headphones and the bag of pretzels from the bag. Hopefully the music would distract him and drown out the noise from outside. He began to ponder the reading selections. The comics were a good option, but they were quick reads and it would only be an hour or so before he was finished with them. He wanted something that would really distract for a while. He briefly considered the Dickens. Fiona had mentioned that she was going to buy him a copy and had offered up some very tantalizing rewards upon completion of the book. However, a cargo plane a million miles from the earth's surface was really not the best place for him to ponder those rewards. It looked like the vampire romance was going to have to work for now.
He pulled his reading glass from his pocket and opened the bag of pretzels, figuring the sooner he started reading, the faster the trip would be over.
Tess was not one to generally put up with idleness. Since her accident and the subsequent time in the hospital and the hours spent 'resting', she preferred to be busy and in motion as often as possible. Usually, she had no problems maintaining her preferred lifestyle. Whether she was reading or jogging or cooking or playing ridiculous video games on her Wii, she was pretty much able to keep going, going, going as often as she wanted to. Right now, though, she was behind the desk as Teller Morrow Garage, and she had absolutely nothing to do.
When she had begun working at Teller Morrow three weeks ago, everything had been an unholy mess. There had been paperwork everywhere, some dating back months. The filing system had been very difficult to find under all of the random papers shoved here and there. There were customer bills that had never been sent out. There were random shop related bills that had been overlooked. The computer was on its' last leg and the entire accumulation of shop records seemed to consist of a single, battered filing cabinet that Tess couldn't even get open.
In the past few weeks, she had been in work heaven. She had organized all the paper work. She had balanced the books, paid bills, and managed to keep the electricity and water on. She had sorted and filed every last bit of necessary scrap of paper in the office. She had invoiced customers, and made more than a few nagging phone calls convincing people to pay up on some long overdue bills. Hell, she had even made several pots of coffee and had broken down and cleaned and dusted the entire office. All of that was long since done, and as much as Tess really hated to admit it, she was bored.
Part of her wondered if she should go and confess to Opie that there was really no reason to have her around full time at the garage anymore. The organizing and sorting and cleaning was already done; now it was really just maintaining order, which she could easily do in ten hours each week. The problem was, she couldn't live off the wages she would make in ten hours each week. She needed a full time job in order to support herself, so she didn't have to go crawling home. It would be possible for her to find another job here and stay in Charming, but in truth, she really liked it here at the garage. Everybody treated her well and she had even been invited to dinners. They took an interest in her life, and she liked that. It was almost like having a family again, which made her feel even more guilty taking home the amount of money she was taking home for doing a job that a trained ape could probably handle.
Tess jockeyed back and forth between staring at the clock and praying for it to move faster and trying to figure out what, if anything, she should say to Opie and Gemma. In fact, she was so busy being incredibly bored that she didn't notice Kozik approaching the door until it swung open, causing her to shriek and jump a foot in the air.
"Hey, easy there!" Kozik exclaimed, holding his hands up in a surrendering manner. "My nut sack can't take any more of your irrational panic attacks."
"Holy Christ," Tess breathed, putting a hand over her still racing heart. "You scared the shit out of me!"
"Well, at least you didn't punch me this time," Kozik answered, lowering his hands and grinning. "I didn't even mean to sneak up on you. I was being loud and everything."
"Well, next time," Tess advised as she relaxed her tensed up muscles. "Be louder."
"Got it. I will start banging on pots and pans every time I come near you," Kozik joked as he sat down in the chair across from her.
"You could go all Lloyd Dobler and carry a boom box around," Tess suggested lightly. "Blare some Peter Gabriel song at all times. I think it would be classy."
"Yeah, I have no idea what you're talking about," Koz admitted easily. "But Peter Gabriel sucks."
Tess's jaw dropped. "Take that back right now!" she insisted. "And what do you mean? Are you seriously saying that you have never seen Say Anything?"
"Yeah, I'm not really a movie guy," Kozik told her with a shrug. "Well, unless they are violent and have lots of naked chicks in them."
Tess rolled her eyes. "So not Say Anything. That's so lame. My favorite movie in the entire world, and you have never seen it because it doesn't have any tits in it. It's a shame; I was really starting to like you, too."
"Well then let's watch it," Kozik suggested, trying to sound casual but he came off like a kid at Christmas. "You. Me. Movie. Right now. My place or yours?"
The suggestion caught Tess completely off guard for a moment. "Um," she stammered. "No."
"Why not?" he asked, with a teasing grin. "Are you scared that your favorite movie sucks?"
"No!" came her indignant reply. "It does NOT suck. I just…can't."
"Again, why not?" he said, toying with her. He had a hunch that she would give in to his request, and he was having fun.
"Because it is 3:00 in the afternoon and I am at work!" she explained, knowing that it was a weak excuse. "And so are you, for that matter!"
"Yeah, you look so busy," Kozik told her, raising an eyebrow. "In a perfectly straight office with zero cars on the lot and no paperwork whatsoever."
"Well…" she huffed. "What am I supposed to do? I am on until 5:00. I can't just leave!"
"Yeah, you can," he told her, grabbing her hand and pulling her up from the office chair.
"No I can't! Who will handle the customers? Who will cover the phone? Who will-," Tess started to argue, but was quickly cut off.
"-sit and stare into space?" he said sarcastically. "I am sure we can find somebody. Dog can handle the phone and there are no customers. Come on."
"But…" she trailed off, knowing that she was running out of excuses. "Don't you have anything better to do?"
In truth, the answer was yes, he had about a million things he should be doing, but he wasn't going to actually do a damned one of them. Instead, he was determined to get this girl to watch a stupid movie with him.
"Not at all," he lied, throwing an arm over her shoulder. "So, my place or yours?"
Tess sighed, but was unable to deny the spark of excitement in her gut. "Mine," she told him. "And I', driving."