The Promised Land
As soon as the pilot announced they were on approach to LAX, Alvin snapped on his seatbelt.
"We've still got a good twenty minutes before we land, honey," Mary said. She smiled to herself. She had to admit that she was taking some enjoyment from Alvin's nervousness. After so many months of being the outsider, the one constantly being guided through new experiences, she was entering into her element and he was the lost lamb.
She knew that he had never flown before, but she was surprised at how unsettled he had been since they entered the terminal in Portland. He asked her multiple times if she had their boarding passes, whether she was worried that they might miss their connecting flight in Philadelphia, if there would be bad weather over the midwest.
When they took off, she held his hand, and his grip was tight. "It's going to be alright," she whispered to him.
"Oh, I'm fine," he said, not sounding fine.
"You are safer in a plane than you are out on your boat."
"That's not the point. I can't control what happens, that's the point."
"Maybe letting go of control once in a while is a good idea, Alvin."
"Well, if you feel that way, we could just buy you a whip and some handcuffs, we don't have to go through all this."
Mary picked up her magazine and flipped it open as the plane reached cruising attitude. "Plenty of places to buy that stuff in L.A.," she muttered.
Alvin looked out the window. It was a crystal blue morning. He could see the Atlantic in the distance and made a game of picking out locations along the coast. Soon, however, their route went inland and his view was obscured by clouds.
He felt foolish at his nervousness.
"Mary, I'm sorry to be a pest about all this."
"Just tell me it's about not having flown before and not about meeting my family," she said without looking up from the magazine.
"It might be some of each," he shrugged.
"Well, man up, big boy. I went to your family with an open heart, I expect the same from you." He started to speak, but she cut him off. "And before you say a word, let's remember that Charlotte wanted to kick my ass back to California at first."
"Well, that's so." He sat back and tried to relax, but before long they began their descent into Philly, and his stomach turned over as the plane lost altitude. For a brief moment he thought he might vomit, but it passed, and once they were on the ground, he felt fine.
The Philadelphia airport was packed with holiday travelers. Alvin stood in line for coffees and a Cinnabon while Mary went to the Ladies Room. When she returned, she had changed from her jeans and sweater into a floral patterned ankle length dress. She carried her parka over her arm.
They found seats in the crowded waiting area and split their bun.
"Don't you look like spring come early," Alvin said, admiring Mary's dress.
"It's going to be..." she checked her phone, "...seventy degrees and sunny in L.A."
"Isn't that pretty much what it is all the time?"
"Close to it. And still, you are wearing, what, three shirts?"
"I can pull them off if need be."
"Well, I don't have that luxury," she laughed.
They boarded their connecting flight. Alvin felt more relaxed on the take off, now that he knew what to expect.
"I think I'm starting to get the hang of this flying business," he told Mary.
"Well, you're a veteran now, this is technically your second flight."
"That's so."
"But you are still squeezing my hand too tight."
"Oh sorry," he said, loosening his grip.
They began to gain altitude and Mary fished a pack of gum from her purse, unwrapped a stick and put it in her mouth. She held another out to Alvin. He looked at it and shook his head. She shrugged and put it back in her purse. A few minutes later, Alvin felt his ears pop.
"Ow," he grumbled, shaking his head, "Damn, that hurts."
"Should have taken the gum," Mary said without looking up from her book.
Alvin settled in, and began to relax. He dozed for a while, but perked up when the flight attendant came by with beverages.
"Say," he whispered to Mary, as they sipped their sodas, "Did you ever think about that mile high club thing?"
"Nope," she said, "Don't even try."
Alvin laughed, "It was just a thought. You ought to consider it a compliment."
She rested her head on his shoulder and spoke in a low voice, "Honey, I have fucked you on your boat, I have sucked your dick in the car. Don't push your luck."
"Fair enough," he replied, "But maybe we ought to take a train ride some time."
"That, I might consider," she said, kissing him on the side of his face. She returned to her book, and Alvin looked out the window. The land below, once a deep green flecked with white, had faded to a dull brown as they traveled west. He watched with fascination as mountains rose beneath them. He looked up at the endless sky and imagined himself flying in and out of the clouds, with Mary wrapped in his arms before him.
***
Alvin had thought the airport in Philadelphia was a madhouse, but it was a faint foreshadow of Los Angeles. He understood that there was some underlying organized scheme to things, but it all seemed like chaos to him.
They worked their way through the crowds to retrieve their luggage, then made their way to the exit and passed through the automatic doors into bright sunshine. They boarded a shuttle bus which circled the terminal, crossed a long, full parking lot and dropped them off at the car rental agency.
Alvin waited outside with their luggage while Mary entered the agency. He pulled off his jacket and squinted up at the sky. It had a bit of a brown tint. He drew in a deep breath through his nose. Frickin' air smells like car exhaust and hot asphalt, he thought.
Mary came back with a wide grin on her face.
"You look like the cat that got in the cream," Alvin told her.
"My turn to pull off the surprises." A moment later, an attendant zoomed up in a white Mustang convertible. Alvin laughed when he saw it.
Mary climbed in the driver's seat and Alvin got in on the passenger side. Mary was beaming as she made her way out of the airport and on to a wide boulevard, lined with modern glass and steel buildings and towering palm trees. Alvin was fascinated by the palms. They reminded him of the masts of tall ships.
Mary took a ramp on to the freeway and stepped on the gas. Within minutes, though, traffic slowed to a crawl.
