Equal Time Point Read online

  The chief immigration official on scene watched the process and mentally urged them on. He wanted to be done with this and get his personnel back to the terminal, where several international arrivals were due within the hour. The attendants began rolling the wheelchairs, side by side, toward the waiting ambulances, and the little girl leaned over to whisper something to the older lady. The immigration official, being married and having three daughters, instinctively concluded what that conversation was about. The patients, being female and consuming a steady flow of liquids while being subjected to the constant vibration of a helicopter ride, would logically be discussing the advantages of having landed on a civilized island with modern plumbing facilities. The older lady raised her arm like a wagon master in a western movie who intended to halt the entire pioneer westward migration. She spoke to the attendant pushing her chair, and he swiveled his head around as if she had informed him that they were surrounded by Apache. The wheelchairs pivoted in place and began rolling toward the hangar, which was the only structure in sight that might feature such a convenience.

  The movement caught Jenny Kramer’s attention, and she looked out at the approaching formation. It was as if she were attending the country club’s annual fundraising ball and someone had showed up wearing the same identical dress. The lady in the wheelchair was wearing a Tri Con flight attendant uniform just like Jenny’s, although it consisted of several more yards of sky blue material. They stared at each other and were speechless. A casual observer might have mistaken the scene for a silent movie set, because both their mouths were open and their lips were moving, but no audio was being produced. Had it actually been a silent movie, the hokey music would undoubtedly have been building to a melodramatic crescendo.

  The impasse of sensory anemia and vocal paralysis was broken when little Elisha Martin screamed, “Nana!” She ran across the ramp at full speed, and the wheelchair attendant backed off as if the Apache had actually attacked. His apprehension was compounded when first Jenny and then the entire Martin family charged his position.

  The reunion for Bertie and her family was tearful, joyful, and emotional, but for Mandy it was something totally different. Many of the people in the hangar had escaped the airplane with camera phones on their belt or in their pocket, and the entire event was well documented. In every photo of Bertie, Mandy could be seen clinging to her like a parasite.

  By the time the initial excitement had passed, the airplane and everyone’s passports had arrived. Bertie’s family was cleared first, so they could accompany her to the Hospital Santo Espirito in Angra de Heroismo. Mr. Martin and Mandy accompanied Bertie in one ambulance, and the rest of the family was transported in the other. Before they left, Bertie took the time to explain to Jenny and Colt how she and Mandy had escaped the airplane. The ceiling and air conditioning equipment had collapsed into the galley and aisle and left the two of them trapped but unharmed by the door. She had tried to dig through the wreckage to help the passengers, but couldn’t move the heavy debris. Ultimately, her only choice was to open the door and deploy the slide raft for their escape. She and Mandy had learned while on the carrier, that almost everyone else was safe.

  Much to the relief of the chief immigration official and the hotel concierge, everyone and their baggage were eventually loaded onto the tour bus with a great deal of festivity. When the bus finally drove away, the official was left standing on the ramp, mopping his brow with a handkerchief, and breathing diesel fumes. His portable radio beeped, and he was informed that he and his crew should return to the terminal posthaste because over a hundred TV and print reporters were waiting to be cleared.

  The excitement aboard the Karuk grew more intense by the hour as the morning passed. No one complained about the crowded conditions, and the crew did everything possible to make the passengers comfortable. Captain Maxwell arranged tours of the ship, including the engine room and the bridge and all the kids had been given a turn at the helm. Some of them asked to fire the ship’s cannon, which drew a huge laugh from Maxwell.

  Early in the afternoon, Terceira came into view on the horizon, and everyone anxiously watched as it grew larger and more verdant. It took several more hours to approach the port. Two miles outside the mouth of the harbor, Captain Maxwell gave the command for all stop, and the harbormaster’s boat came alongside. The Portuguese harbor pilot came aboard and made his way to the bridge to guide the ship to the pier.

  Captain Maxwell assembled the Tri Con passengers and crew on the upper decks to keep them clear of the deck apes who would be scrambling around the main deck to secure the ship to the pier. The handicapped passengers were seated on the mess deck where they watched the action through the open hatches and portholes.

  When the ship passed through the seawall that protected the harbor, they could see the huge crowd gathered to greet them.

  Pattie could not remember when she had been so excited. She had tried to nap at the hotel, but it was impossible. A long shower and a nice lunch had helped pass the hours, but she had waited impatiently until it was time to board the bus for the trip to the port. She and Melissa took seats together when they left the hotel and listened to the concierge lecture about the history of the port and its commercial importance to the island. When they drove onto the quay, it seemed like Mardi Gras was in progress. There were at least ten tour buses angled together and parked in formation. Several of them were under contract to various news organizations, and two of them had transported high school bands to perform for the welcoming ceremony.

  When the bus parked, a representative of the local police came on board to explain the plan that had been devised by the governor and the mayor. The families would be escorted to a roped-off VIP area, very near where the ship’s gangway would be placed. There, they would wait with local officials for the arrival of the ship. Another area had been reserved for the high school bands and yet another for the news media. The families were accommodated with folding chairs while they waited. The news media was extremely irritated that they were confined to their bullpen and couldn’t interview the family members.

  There was a flurry of activity in the bullpen when two taxi vans arrived, and Big Bertha and her family got out. The media had been alerted by reporters at the hospital that she and Mandy were being released. Bertie was still required to rest in the wheelchair, but the fluids were no longer necessary. Her oldest grandson chauffeured the wheelchair into the VIP area with Mandy sitting in her lap. They were greeted with hugs and kisses from everyone. Mandy’s grandparents had been notified and were en route from Madrid to pick her up.

  There was another stir in the crowd when the Karuk entered the harbor. Cameras began rolling and one of the bands cranked up with a Portuguese tune that no one recognized. The harbor pilot maneuvered the ship so that the starboard side was next to the quay. As they approached the mooring bollards, the engines were reversed and the ship was within twenty feet of the quay. The deck apes threw small lines to men on the pier, and they used them to haul the big hawser lines from the ship to be looped over the bollards. The ship’s electric winches were then used to tighten the hawsers and snug the ship up to the quay. The family members were shouting to the crew on the gun deck and there were tears and laughter as they shouted back. Pattie and Charlie just waved and blew kisses.

  Several deck apes began rigging the gangway while others connected the shore power cable and fresh water lines. Mrs. Fowler pointed out Britt to Mrs. Johnson and then they began a flurry of whispering back and forth when Mrs. Johnson pointed out Tony, who was standing beside her. There was a brief lull after the gangway was secured while the handicapped were being prepared to disembark. Cameras began to roll and flashbulbs popped at the first sign of activity at the ship’s rail, but it turned out to be just one man bounding down the gangway at full speed. At first the reporters thought it was a Navy enlisted man, because he was dressed in bellbottom dungarees and a blue work shirt, but then they saw the short pants, boots, and baggy shirt and decided he w
as part of the entertainment. So they continued filming. The guy had a nice opening trick as he tripped over a water hose and slid on his belly for six or eight feet, drawing a roar of laughter from the crowd, but after that, he faded fast. He got up and looked around wild-eyed like he didn’t know where to go or what to do, and everybody lost interest as the first passengers appeared on deck and prepared to disembark.

  The Tri Con crew had moved to the head of the gangway where, along with Captain Maxwell, they would say goodbye to their passengers. Britt and Tony were still side-by-side, which caused more whispering at the VIP ropes. When the passengers actually began coming down the gangway, the mayor rolled Bertie and Mandy to the bottom so they too could say goodbye.

  All the survivors would be medically evaluated and caught up on their prescription drugs that had gone down with the airplane. After that, they would have the option of hotel accommodations or transportation on Air Portugal to the destination of their choice. Once the handicapped were off the ship, the other passengers came down the gangway without assistance. They were escorted past the media bullpen, and only a few chose to stop and be interviewed. One of those was the old lady with the broken arm that Charlie had rescued. She gave him and the crew a glowing testimonial which, as far as anyone could tell, was never aired.

  Colt, who was now in civilian clothes, blended in with the crowd and limped up to the bullpen to be interviewed also. The reporters crowded around him and stuck microphones in his face, whereupon he produced a card from his pocket proclaiming himself to be a deaf mute. After several minutes of frustrating hand signals and grunts, they lost interest and looked for more fruitful targets. The family that had pulled Pam from the airplane and cared for her in the raft received special hugs from each of the crew and was told that they would be honored with an exclusive ceremony at Tri Con headquarters at a time to be determined.

  At last the crew came down the gangway as the band played what someone thought might be an off-key rendition of “America the Beautiful.” It was most recognizable by the chorus, which was played by a solo tuba. Some of the reporters remarked that the deaf mute guy was the luckiest man on the quay.

  Nancy and Pam came down the gangway first. Nancy used a pair of US Navy crutches due to her swollen ankle. They were greeted by their husbands, and after speaking to everyone and receiving hugs, they moved off to the bullpen to speak to the press. Neither of them really wanted to answer questions, but they had witnessed Allen Smallwood’s headfirst slide into an imaginary second base on the quay, and they were determined that he get credit for his performance as a Tri Con executive. This information caused a feeding frenzy among the reporters, who had excellent footage of the sprawl, and the girls provided his title with the company and his purpose for being on the flight. When asked to spell his name, Pam said, “S-m-a-l-l-m-a-n.”

  Meanwhile, Alice Elon and Mary Dobson were greeted by their families and moved away to join Nancy and Pam on the bus. Candace Whitton and Shelia Graham came next, and Shelia had her hand behind her back. When they reached Bertie and Mandy, Shelia revealed her hand and the teddy bear that she had retrieved from the sea. Mandy squealed so loud that the emergency medical technicians ran over to tend to her. For the first time in days, she let go of Bertie and held the bear.

  Britt Fowler and Tony Johnson came down the gangway hand in hand, to the great delight of their four parents. Formal introductions were made and informal speculation and encouragement began immediately. All four parents looked at Mandy with her teddy bear and wondered if their prayers would soon be answered.

  Molly Jackson walked onto the pier next, where her mother embraced her and cried tears of joy.

  Robby waited at the top of the gangway while the two captains shook hands and said goodbye.

  “Charlie, few men are ever given the opportunity to know the limits of their courage and ability. It’s a privilege to know a man who has been tested and found worthy by all, in every respect. You, sir, have met the challenge with great success.”

  “I’m not sure success created from failure should be celebrated, Max, and I think anyone would have done the same under the circumstances.”

  “In that case, consider yourself first among equals, sir.”

  Robby slowly walked beside Charlie in case he needed help, but the captain refused assistance and moved along with an erratic cadence holding the rail. Patti met him halfway. He put his arm around her and leaned on her for support, just as he had been doing since they were teenagers. They joined Robby and Melissa on the pier, and Charlie stopped to look back at the Karuk and the sea beyond.

  He somehow felt a kindred spirit with the seagulls gliding gracefully through the sunlit sky. Captain Charlie Wells thought, Tri Con Eleven has reached its final destination; my passengers and crew have not.

  OTHER BOOKS BY HARRISON JONES

  Tri Con Airlines has nine thousand pilots and they need more. When Tri Con hires eight new pilots and assigns them to a pilot class, they find the ground school and flight simulator challenge more than expected. The class is a mix of former military pilots and civilians with varying experience, including a former female flight attendant. Who can survive The Pilot Class and meet the challenge of flying the line as a Tri Con first officer? Personal relationships, a married flight attendant with an abusive husband, a major airline accident, and the federal government are all obstacles that stand in the way of The Pilot Class.

  OTHER BOOKS BY HARRISON JONES

  America’s security may depend on a young flight instructor from rural south Texas. Kyle Bennett’s charter flight disappears without a trace, along with a female student and the charter passenger. The mysterious disappearance cannot be solved despite the best efforts of the Civil Air Patrol, the Coast Guard, and the FAA.

  When a Tri Con captain, Bud Gibson, and one of the airline’s mechanics, Matt Pierce, go missing, the two cases merge. A conspiracy to complete the 9-11 attack is underway and, the terrorists are sure they can defeat all of America’s security measures. Only Kyle, Bud and Matt stand in their way.

  About the Author

  Author, Harrison Jones began his aviation career in 1967 when he was employed by a major airline as an aircraft mechanic. While working as a mechanic, he took flying lessons and obtained his commercial license with multi-engine and instrument ratings. Soon thereafter, he became a flight instructor and taught flying for more than ten years. Along the way, he was licensed to fly gliders and seaplanes. In 1972, he accepted a position with the airline as a pilot ground school instructor and taught aircraft systems until 1976 when he began flying the line as a pilot with the company.

  As an airline transport pilot, he was type rated in the DC-9, B-727, DC-8, MD-88, B-757, B-767 and the MD-11. He retired as an international captain with more than 20,000 hours in the cockpit, after extensive flying to Asia, Europe, South America and the Middle East.

  His aviation career, along with a previous enlistment in the US Navy, lends credibility to his writing in Equal Time Point and his second novel Shadow Flight. Realism and plausibility are major ingredients throughout the novels.

  After being away from home for countless holidays, birthdays and other family celebrations, Harrison now lives in Georgia with his wife, Diane, and enjoys writing and spending time with his grandchildren with emphasis on the latter.

  Harrison can be contacted at www.harrisonjones.org