It had been an uneventful flight; Jan had slept against Jack's shoulder most the way. After gathering their bags, Jan had wondered what Jack was doing when he'd stepped out onto the curb, pulled out a keychain, and pressed a button on what looked like an oversized car alarm beeper. There had been little talk on the plane as she'd finally succumbed to sleep, but now he was talking about where he lived and fussing over a refrigerator that might or might not be empty. After about 10 minutes, she noticed him watching a van as it pulled to the curb, and she suddenly realized, it had arrived for them. Just as quickly, she realized there was no driver.
With the press of a button, the side door opened and the passenger door unlocked, Holding it open, Jack invited her to slide in. There was a small hesitation as she scanned the driver side and confirmed there was, in fact, no driver as the van sat there idling - lights on, blinkers flashing, heater working and warming nicely with music coming from the stereo.
Jack closed her door and put their bags in the side door before it closed with a solid click by itself. Walking around, he slid into the driver's seat and was met by a face of amazement as Jan watched him push a few buttons, take the controls and drive off. Making his way out of the airport, he explained some of the special 'features' of the van. Then pointing to a sticker on the windshield, he further explained that it was an annual pass to all city and county parking places, and it contained a barcode that was readable by many public lots or parking lot attendants, when needed, allowing the van to enter and exit parking garages without the assistance of a driver.
"We need to find a store open. I have to buy something."
"Kind of late, don't you think, Jack; it's almost two in the morning. What do you need that's so important?"
Just then, he saw one of the large retail chain stores with their lights on and a smattering of cars close to the entrance, and he eased off the freeway into the parking lot. "Probably take me 15 minutes if they have what I need. You want to come along?"
"Sure."
Jan followed Jack in and watched him search out the manager to ask about something. A minute later, they were standing in a section dedicated to the handicapped, and Jack had picked out a normal-looking, green, vinyl-covered wheelchair. Having paid in cash, they headed back to the van, and Jan watched as Jack opened the side door and pushed another button, causing a lift to come down. Sitting in the wheelchair, he wheeled onto the lift and pushed another button; this time, the driver's seat folded away, allowing him to move in behind the steering wheel.
The simple act of sitting in the wheelchair had transformed Jack. Jan noticed his legs rested relaxed with no movement at all as he moved around, preparing to drive from the perspective of a paraplegic. Was this really the same man that had held her in his arms, opening her legs with his, as they made love in her bedroom the previous evening?
His voice brought her back. "There's not much traffic; let's see what this thing will do." With that, he touched a computer screen which was set into the dash and worked his way through the menu until he pushed a bright, yellow square labeled 'Take me home'. Immediately, the van slipped into gear, released the brake, and headed out the parking lot with no assistance from its driver. Jack seemed vigilant but not worried as the steering wheel moved by itself. As they pulled up to a stoplight, the van stopped, obediently, and the left turn signal began blinking, indicating they would be making a left turn as soon as the light changed.
It took about 10 minutes plus the sound of Jack's voice before Jan could relax completely in the van. But finally, she stopped watching the steering wheel and road in front and quit wondering when they would swerve into a guardrail or the back of a semi.
After about 45 minutes, they came to a road that left the main state highway, and they turned off to the right. Stone pillars stood on each side, and a black iron gate swung open as the van neared.
As they traveled down a winding, two lane road with no markings, Jack pointed out small white reflectors in the grass that guided the van and allowed it to continue to use its steering system. A building - well-lit but not excessively, plainly built but substantial - loomed ahead as the van drove around a circular drive and stopped at a swing gate entrance to an underground garage. Jack hit an icon on the screen, and the van sat there, without moving, while Jack lowered the window.
"Hi, Mr. Pond, we heard you'd be back sometime this morning." A security guard walked over from his booth and smiled at Jan as Jack asked how things were. After a brief exchange of pleasantries with the support crew but no mention of his guest, they were off.
Pushing another button, they moved into a well-lit, underground parking garage where the van pulled up to the curb of an off-loading area and opened the side door again.
"Jan, the building is full of security cameras until we're inside my apartment; so for the moment, I would ask that you help me with the bags and smile for the cameras." Leaning over, Jack kissed her on the cheek before maneuvering his wheelchair back onto the lift platform to be lowered to the concrete. Jan grabbed the bags and followed Jack to the elevator as the van closed its doors and drove off.
Arriving at the penthouse, the elevator doors opened, and Jack withdrew his key. Rolling out into a small foyer, he turned to Jan, and she followed his glance up to the right, noticing the camera. "Smile," Jack said. "It will make them wonder what we did on the ride up, even though they already have a tape of us."
Glancing around, Jan could see that the view out the windows beside the elevator was breathtaking with the skyline of Manhattan on one side and lush forest giving way to water on the other. Opening the door to his apartment, Jack rolled aside to invite her in, and then rolled around again to shut the door, locking it before standing. "There, now I can walk again."
"They can't see us now?" Jan asked as she glanced around.
"Not unless someone installed new equipment while I was out."
The release was clearly visible as she exhaled and moved to the couch to set her purse down. Walking over, Jack embraced her tenderly and kissed her once more before whispering, "I'm glad you came."
Neither one of them had noticed the black antenna farm on wheels as it had pulled to the side of the road about 100 yards from the turnoff, just as they had turned into Jack's lane.
*****
Jack awoke to the ringing of the telephone. Glancing around the room in the early morning light, he looked at the clock and saw that it was 7:30 in the morning. He could feel the disorientation of traveling without enough sleep as he answered the phone and said, "Hello." He was back in his fortress. The fireplace was cold, and he suddenly wondered if it had all been a dream - if maybe Jan existed only in his mind.
"Jack,
pinché pandejo
, how was your trip?" Juan's voice boomed over the phone, and Jack felt reassured that he must have gone somewhere after all.
"Good, Juan." The smell of bacon, frying, also hinted that maybe it wasn't a dream. Looking around, he found clothes strewn on the floor and saw Jan's bag open by the bathroom door. "It was good, Juan, great actually. What's up?"
"Good to have you back, Jack. I wanted to know if we could get together later in the morning. Sorry for the early call, but I'm off to meet with our friends and see what I can negotiate."
"Sure, Juan. What time do you finish up with your meeting?"
"Around 11. How about lunch?"
"Sounds like a plan. Come on over; I seem to have food in the fridge so maybe I can whip you up a pizza or something." There was a small chuckle as Jack waited for Juan's response to such an insult.
"
