Chapter 20
Bob called Ann's room early Saturday morning, "Ann, we'll get breakfast and then go to Orly. I'd like to takeoff about ten o'clock. Home is about six hours behind Paris so we'll land in Cleveland in early afternoon. Brenda is going to be waiting for us at the airport when we land."
When they walked into the restaurant is was crowded and they had to wait a few minutes. The maitre de saw Bob at the end of the line and motioned for him to move forward.
"Mr. Long you reservation is ready. I'll take you to your table."
As they walked to their table Ann leaned to him, "Is there anyone in Paris that you don't know?"
They sat down and Bob asked Ann if bacon and eggs, orange juice and coffee were Ok. Ann nodded and Bob asked the Maitre de to give their order to the waitress as they were in a hurry.
A waitress came hurrying to the table with their orange juice and coffee. She left the coffee pot on the table as Bob had asked her.
"Ann, I'd like to apologize for the other night when I kissed you. I guess you think that I was forcing myself on you. I apologize."
"You have nothing to apologize for," Ann replied.
Ann could see that Bob was uneasy with the way that the conversation was going, "I'll be glad when we get back home. I've really enjoyed this trip but I miss talking to Brenda. I know that she's only hours away but I feel like she's on another planet and I can't reach her."
Bob looked at his watch, "You'll see her in about eight or nine hours. We'll refuel in Gander and then fly to Hopkins Airport in Cleveland. We'll get Brenda on the airplane and fly home from there.'
Ann nodded and smiled, "I guess Dorothy was right... there's no place like home."
Bob laughed at Ann's reference to the Wizard of Oz. The waitress brought their breakfast and they ate and talked about the proposal that John and Paul were working on for the Swedes. After they finished Bob took Ann's room key and told her to wait in the lobby while he had a bellman bring down their bags.
When they started to get into the limo, Ann paused for one last look at the Eiffel Tower. As they pulled away from the hotel, Ann stretched to watch the Tower under she could no longer see it.
At five minutes after ten the airplane lifted its wheels and in a few seconds Ann heard the wheels latch in the wheel compartment. The plane climbed until they were above the clouds and then leveled off. The ride was smooth and in a short while they were over the Atlantic Ocean.
Ann looked out of the window for a while and Bob started working on some of his paperwork. After about a half an hour he put the paperwork down and rubbed his eyes.
"Would you like to fly the airplane?" he asked.
Ann gasped, "of course not. I don't know the first thing about airplanes."
Bob took her hand and pulled her out of her seat, "Come on. Landings and takeoffs are hard but it's not hard keeping it on the straight and level. Come on and try it. It'll give you something to hold over Brenda's head."
They walked to the front of the airplane. Bob explained that Ann would like to learn how to fly the plane and the pilot smiled and got out of his seat. He pushed Ann toward the seat and she resisted sitting in the pilot's seat.
"Go ahead Ms. Simmons. Roger will show you how to keep it flying."
Ann sat in the pilot's seat and Roger started to talk to her, "Now it's really not hard at all keeping the airplane in the air." You just have to remember that you make only small corrections. Now remember how, in those dogfight movies, you see the pilot pull the controls all of the way back and the plane would climb to attack the enemy? Well, if you pull the stick all of the way back and hold it there you'll do loops. This is a fine airplane but she really isn't built for acrobatics. If you want to climb pull the stick gently back and then bring the stick back to the neutral position. The plane will climb until you push forward on the stick. Remember that you always have to return the controls to the neutral position. Now take the controls."
Ann hesitated and then put her hands on the wheel, "Now Ms. Simmons, look at that instrument that has a horizontal line across it with the thing that looks like a stick airplane. Keep the stick airplane dead on the horizontal line and the plane will fly straight and level. If the airplane is above the line you're climbing. If it's below the line you're descending.
The airplane hit a patch of turbulence and the plane shuddered and Ann yelled, "What was that?"
The pilot was standing behind Ann and he looked at Bob, "Maybe I'd better break out the parachutes. It looks like we're going to have to jump."
Ann got a terrified look on her face and weakly said, "No."
The three of them laughed, "That was just a little turbulence. It was nothing to worry about. We don't carry parachutes on this plane."
Roger kept giving Ann instructions and in about fifteen minutes she was keeping the airplane flying straight and level. Bob could see that she was enjoying the experience.
Ann flew the airplane for about a half an hour before she asked the pilot to let her return to her seat. Ann got out of the pilot's seat and walked back to where Bob was going over some of his paperwork. As she sat down she had a big grin on her face.
Bob smiled when he saw the grin, "Ann, I'd suggest that you try to get some sleep if you can. You're going to be flying for eight or nine hours. You took off at ten o'clock am. When we land in Cleveland it will be about one o'clock pm Cleveland time. Jet lag is going to hit you hard if you don't get some sleep."
Ann stretched out on one of the bench seats. Bob got a blanket from the overhead and covered her up. Within minutes Ann was asleep. She woke up when the wheels of the plane screeched to announce that they had landed at Gander Airport.
They got off of the airplane to stretch their legs. The pilots checked the plane while it was being refueled.
Bob turned to Ann, "I've been doing some thinking while you were asleep, how about you and Brenda coming to the farm on the twentieth instead of waiting until Christmas. I haven't decorated the house in a couple of years and you and Brenda can decorate to your heart's content. You and Brenda can stay until after New Years."
Bob could see Ann start to hesitate, "You said that Brenda loves horses. She can ride every day as much as she wants. Besides, I'd really like to decorate the house this year. I can't decorate worth a damn. I need your help."
"I'll see if Brenda is Ok with it," Ann said.
Ann stood and watched the refueling process but her mind was elsewhere. She didn't relish spending Christmas in that tiny apartment; it just wouldn't seem like Christmas but then again, Brenda had never met Bob Long and Ann didn't know if she would like him or not. Brenda would probably love to have the chance to do some horse back riding though.
The fuel truck packed up the hoses and began to pull away. Bob motioned for Ann to get on the airplane. They buckled their seat belts and in a few minutes the plane began to taxi. They sat at the end of the runway for several minutes before they got the go-ahead to take off. The plane lifted into the air and they were on their way to Cleveland.
"In a few minutes, we'll be flying over the Continental United States. We'll be over the US for the rest of the flight. We'll land at Hopkins in Cleveland in about an hour and a half or so. I guess you're anxious to see Brenda, aren't you?"
Ann nodded and smiled. She started getting anxious. She missed her daughter and as the airplane got closer to Cleveland her anxiety grew. As the plane began to circle for the approach to Hopkins Airport she strained to see if she could see the limousine that held her daughter.
The plane rolled to a stop in front of the business terminal and a limousine pulled from behind a building and slowly approached their airplane. Ann was standing at the door when the door opened. She hurried down the step and reached the car just as the door opened and Brenda get out of the car.
"Mom, did you have to send a limousine to pick me up? Everyone was stretching their neck to see who was in the limousine with me."
Ann threw her arms around her daughter, "Gosh, I've missed you."
Brenda hugged Ann, "Yeah, I'll bet. You haven't called me in two days."
Ann let Brenda go, "Well, I've been very busy... in Pairs. I climbed the Eiffel Tower and went to the best restaurants and night clubs and I went to the Louvre."
Brenda got a quizzical look on her face, "Paris... I thought you were in Stockholm. Why did you go to Paris?"
Ann grinned, "Because I made the company so much money. They were about to loose the contract and I saved it for them. Bob decided that I needed a bonus so he took me to Paris."
Brenda got an incredulous look on her face, "I'd better meet this Bob Long."
Ann took Brenda's arm, "Brenda, be on your best behavior. Don't say anything out of the way."
"Mom, you know me. I'm always on my best behavior."
Ann took Brenda to the airplane and as they entered the airplane Brenda asked, "Who owns this, Mom?"
Bob Long was standing just inside the door, "Paladin Security Sources, Inc. owns the airplane. Actually I own it and lease it to Paladin; it's a tax thing. I take it you're Brenda. I'm pleased to meet you."
Bob put out his hand and Brenda turned to her mother, "Gosh Mom, you're right he is a hunk."
Bob looked at Ann and saw that her face was turning beet red, "Maybe an older hunk. I can't compete with the twenty-year olds anymore. We'd better sit down. We're going to take off soon."
They sat down and buckled themselves into their seats. The plane was soon lined up on the runway. The pilot released the brakes and the plane began to gain speed as it rolled down the runway. The wheels lifted off of the ground and the plane climbed toward the clouds. Within several minutes they were flying above the clouds.
Brenda turned to her mother, "Now tell me, how did you make this company so much money?"
Bob answered for Ann, "Your mother saved the day for us. We walked into this meeting knowing that we didn't have a shot at saving the contract. Your mother began to play poker with them; she bluffed and they fell for it. We'll make millions off of that contract."
"Wow, I guess that was worth a trip to Paris."
Ann kicked her daughter's foot.
Bob saw what had happened and smiled, "I hear that you like horses."
Brenda nodded, "I've always wanted horses of my own. One of these days..."
"I have a farm just west of Manassas. I've got two horses. I've asked your mother if you two would come and spend the holidays with me. You can ride the horses every day if you want. I have a care-taker that takes care of the farm, and a cook that will keep us well-fed."
"Do you raise thoroughbreds?"
"Tennessee Walkers. I belong to the Tennessee Walking Horse Breeders and Exhibitors Association. The one horse that I have has a natural running walk gait, the other one I'm still training. I didn't have to train the natural at all. I also have six llamas."
Brenda looked at her mother, "What have you told him?"
"I told him that I'd talk it over with you. If you'd feel comfortable with it, it's fine with me."
Brenda turned to Bob, "Are you serious about letting me ride the horses?"
Bob nodded and Brenda said, "Looks like you're going to have company then."
"Good, just remember to bring your bathing suits; I have an enclosed pool and a hot tub."
Ann and Brenda began talking and catching up on what was happening to them while they were apart. Brenda almost panicked Ann when she told her that she was seeing a young pre-med student that was a year ahead of her in college.
Bob walked forward and asked the pilot if he wanted to take a rest.
The pilot almost jumped out of the chair. Bob sat in the pilot's seat
and began to fly the airplane. Brenda saw him get into the pilot's seat
and made a comment to her mother about how he seemed to be able to do
everything.