Determined: To Love: (Part 2 of the Determined Trilogy) (14 page)

We walked down the street and back, and at that point I decided to go back inside. It was too chilly to be out there in pajama pants.

Back inside, everyone else had gotten up, and my dad and Erin were seated at the table, tucking into pancakes. Pancakes were the special birthday breakfast at our house, mainly because Mom didn’t have patience to make them any other time. I walked over to my dad.

“Happy birthday,” I said, kissing him on the cheek.

“Thank you, honey.”

“So guys, what’s the plan for the day?” I said, as my mom put big plates down in front of Elliot and me.

“Well, there is this hiking trail up off of highway 17…”

“John,” Elliot interrupted.

Everyone’s faces whipped over to his. Understandably. He hadn’t said much since he arrived with me. He continued.

“I apologize for interrupting, but Mr. Keith had a message he wanted me to pass along, since he couldn’t be here.” He pulled up his phone and started reading.

“Sharp family. My apologies for not being able to celebrate with you. Angela, I hope you will forgive me for what I’m about to do.” Elliot raised his eyebrows at my mom and then returned to reading. “John, I know you are an airman through and through, so I’ve arranged for a special birthday surprise for you at Moffett Field. Elliot will lead the way.”

He put down the phone, and looked up at us. Our heads then turned collectively to my dad. His eyes were sparkling.

“Well, you heard him. Finish your pancakes everyone; we’re going to the air field.” A grin broke out and completely overtook his face.

~

“Promise me you won’t do anything dangerous, John,” my mom requested, nervously, as we drove in through the gate at Moffett Field, a smaller airport in Silicon Valley.

“Ang, you know I can promise no such thing,” my dad said dramatically. It was clear he was high on excitement for what lay ahead.

We pulled up onto the tarmac outside a large hangar. Elliot turned off the car, and opened the back door, letting my mother out first. My dad jumped out of the front passenger side seat, and stood, his hands on his hips, drinking in the scene around him.

“You know guys, NASA actually owns this airfield, but I’ve only been over here a handful of times. The guys at Google keep their planes here, too.” He beamed proudly, very content just to be on the tarmac.

The trip to the airfield would have been enough excitement for the day, but David had more in store. Elliot led us into one of the vast hangars. Inside waiting for us was a small, old plane. Or at least that’s what it looked like to me. It couldn’t have been any more than thirty feet long, and had a funny looking glass roof. It sort of looked like a cartoon plane.

“A Beech T-34!” my dad exclaimed with the excitement of a child. I was glad he knew what we were looking at, because I sure as hell didn’t. “Guys, do you know about these?” he asked, without looking at us. His eyes were trained on the plane in front of him.

“Uh, no Dad, what is it?” I asked.

“Pilots all over the world used to train in these. Ang, I think I have a photo of my dad in one of these somewhere back at the house.”

“Are they safe?” My mom asked the question we were all thinking.

Elliot piped in to answer. “Uh, yes, Angela. David wanted me to let you know that he had his flight crew personally double check the work of the maintenance crew. Everything is in tip-top working order.”

My mom raised her eyebrows and inhaled deeply before my dad cut in.

“You mean we can take it up?” He exclaimed with excitement. I realized he would have been content to just sit in it while it was still on the ground.

“That’s kind of the point.” A rough voice with a New York accent spoke up behind us. We all turned around to see who it belonged to. “Hi there, Russell Williams. I’m the one who’ll be taking you up today.” He extended his hand to my dad who took it enthusiastically. Russell was dressed in navy blue jumpsuit and boots, and looked like he belonged in that plane.

“Nice to meet you, Russell. I’m Angela, John’s wife.” My mom stepped in as my dad was too dumbfounded to speak. “So, can you tell us how this works?”

“Sure thing, Ma’am. But it’s basically up to John. The plane can take me and one other person at a time. We can go up as many times as you like. I suggest doing a loop around the valley. You’ll get some nice views in, and get a good feel for her.” He said, looking up at the plane.

“Is there a place I can wait and watch?” my mom asked nervously. She had never been a fan of flying.

“Sure thing, Angela. There’s a viewing room just over there. You can have a cup of coffee and get a good view of the take-off and landing.

“Ok. Great. All right, who’s coming with me while your father enjoys what might be the last birthday he’ll ever have?”

My dad’s grin spread even wider.

~

I opted out of the flight option and decided instead to keep my mom company in the viewing room. Watching that plane take off was crazy. It was so old and utilitarian, nothing like the Gulfstream I was used to flying in with David. I was surprised it got off the ground. I Googled the plane while we waited. They had started making that model in the 1940s. I decided to
not
share that fun fact with my mom.

Erin decided to try one flight. We waved as they roared down the runway and zoomed into the air. When she came back, she was positively giddy with excitement as my dad went back for one more round.

“You guys have got to try that. It’s so different from other planes. It’s so loud, and you can see all the way around you. The pilot did this turn where we were almost upside down. It was crazy!”

“Shh… Erin, you are going to freak Mom out.”

“Too late. I can’t watch anymore.” She got up and started pacing. “Let me know when he’s back on the ground.”

Elliot sat in the back of the room and I was pretty sure he was amused by us all.

I took out my phone. I decided to text David. If he didn’t respond, he didn’t respond.

Hey, my dad loves his present. Thank you. (PS: how on Earth did you find this guy?)

I was surprised when he texted back almost immediately.

I’m glad. Tell him happy birthday for me. Just a guy who owed me a favor.

Can you send me a copy of that photo?

I didn’t want to press my luck, so I kept my text back strictly business

Right. Will do.

I scrolled through my phone and found Linda’s contact info. I asked her to forward the picture of the graffiti she had shown me the day before.

I waited. Nothing. Her phone was probably on silent at the bottom on her bag. She had never been one to fully embrace the technology. She’d find the message later and get it to me when she could. Until then, David would just have to wait. I put the phone back in my purse just as my dad came in for a landing.

After the flight, the pilot took us on a guided tour of the airfield. As he sat in the back seat, he pointed out the frame of a giant airplane hangar that was on the National Registrar of Historic Places, as well as the hangars that kept the fleet of Google planes. It was actually a pretty cool place. I couldn’t believe I’d never been there before. I looked around the cabin of the car; my mom looking lovingly at my dad, my dad still bright-eyed as a kid, and my sister enthralled as well. All that was missing was the man who made the afternoon happen. The man, who I had to admit, however reluctantly, constituted my happiness. My David. I stared out the window as we were chauffeured from point to point.

As Elliot drove, my dad turned around and faced us.

“So Russell, how do you know David?”

I swallowed.

“He’s on our board at UCSF. And his dad and I used to play golf together.” Ah. Dr. Russell Williams. Of course. Just calling in a favor. I silently wondered how much this favor had cost him.

~

It was almost four o’clock by the time we were done at the airfield. We said our goodbyes to Dr. Williams and headed back to Saratoga to grab an early dinner.

The new Mexican place my dad wanted to try was in downtown Saratoga. We found a parking spot on the street one block away, and while we were walking over, Erin started peppering me with questions.

“So, Sam, why isn’t David here?”

I looked over to my mom who shrugged her shoulders at me. She wasn’t going to make me share more than I wanted to.

“David had to be away on business today.” Simple. Easy. But not enough for Erin. I should have known.

“Why Sam? Doesn’t he like us?” Erin, like my friend Carrie, had a way of cutting through the crap, right to the heart of things.

“Of course he likes us.”
Or at least he likes you guys
, my subconscious whispered. “That’s why he set us up with that fun plane ride.”

“Oh.” She took a moment to digest what I had just said. A couple of teenagers stared at Erin as we crossed the street towards the restaurant. I reached out and wrapped my arm around her.

“You like David, don’t you Erin?” I said.

“Eww Sam, not like that. Don’t be gross.” I laughed at her earnestness. “But he’s kind of like, awesome, you know?”

I knew.

15

We met the hostess and were shown to a table in the heated back patio area. La Bonita was cute. It was in a historic building that used to be occupied by a bar. Luckily, they had preserved a lot of the character of the place when the new owners moved in. The main restaurant was paneled in dark wood, and the ceilings were vaulted with huge brace beams. There was a long bar along one side of the room, which proudly displayed a wide variety of tequilas and other liquors. The back patio had brick floors, wooden tables and was lit primarily by little lanterns.

A slim young man with long dreads and thick glasses ambled over to us.

“Hi guys, my name is Diego, and I’ll be your server. Can I get you guys anything to drink while you look at the menu?”

My dad looked up at our waiter, and then at my mom, a hopeful smile on his face. My mom nodded her head ever so slightly.

“I’d like a margarita. Anyone else?” He looked around at the table.

“Sure,” I said.

“Might as well,” my mom agreed. Elliot shook his head.

“I’ll take a strawberry one,” Erin chimed in.

“We’ll take three margaritas on the rocks, and one
virgin
strawberry daiquiri.”

Diego nodded and walked back toward the bar.

“What’s a daiquiri?” Erin asked.

“You’ll like it, trust me. So, what is everyone getting?” my dad said, as he pulled open the menu.

I was debating between the seafood enchiladas and the taco salad when my phone buzzed. It was David asking for the picture from the children’s center again. Boy, this guy could be quite a nag when he wanted to be. I asked my mom to order me the enchiladas, and I excused myself.

In the hallway outside the restroom, I wrote him back.

Linda hasn’t sent it yet. I’ll send it as soon as I get it.

He texted me right back.

Thank you. Please do.

I paused, hoping for something more. I got brave and decided to go first and see if I could elicit a response.

What are you doing now?

And as soon as I had sent it, another text came in.

I miss you, baby.

Stuck in a meeting.

I hate how we ended things. I need to talk to you.

Didn’t you get my note?

What note?

I left a note next to the bed before I left.

No, I didn’t see it.

Ok, I am going to call you after this meeting.

Ok, please do. Thanks.

I went back to the table, and there was a plate of enchiladas in front of me. Fortified by my conversation with David, I ate freely and with abandon.

After the plates had been cleared, we all leaned back in our seats in a happy food-induced stupor. The sun had gone down by now, and the restaurant was full of folks wanting to try the newest place in town. All of sudden, our faces moved toward a noisy ruckus on the far side of the patio.

It was a small crowd of people, all staff at the restaurant. They were clapping and hollering and a pretty young woman was carrying a small cake with a sparkler in it. They came over to us and launched into a brief rendition of Feliz Cumpleanos, directed at none other than the birthday man himself, my dad.

And he ate it up. Many people would be mortified, but not my dad. He loved all of it, including the pretty young thing that gave him a kiss on the forehead after he blew out the candle.

I looked at my mom. “Did you plan this?” I asked with my eyes. She shook her head no as her brow furrowed in confusion.

Diego brought us coffee, and we ate small slices of the cake, pushing our stomachs right up to the breaking point. When we could finally eat no more, we pushed our plates away and groaned. My dad got out his credit card and motioned to the waiter. He came over and put his hand on my dad’s shoulder.

“I just wanted to thank you all for joining us tonight. Happy birthday to you again, Mr. Sharp. Dinner tonight is compliments of Mr. Keith. Please have a wonderful evening.”

Everyone at the table let out a little whimper of confusion before smiles erupted on their lips. My dad grinned as he put his credit card back in his wallet and threw some bills on the table.

“You’ve got a class act there, Sammie,” he said as we stood up. I just smiled.

We were headed out toward the front of the restaurant when my phone buzzed again. This time it was Linda. She had forwarded the picture. I looked at it again, the crazy mess of red curving lines, and I shook my head.
Jerks.
I forwarded it to David.

“Ma’am?” Diego came running up behind me. “Ma’am you forgot your jacket.” He held up a dark blue jacket. It was Erin’s.

“Hey, Erin,” I called ahead to her as she was almost out the door. She turned around, and I indicated Diego with a nod of my head.

Her eyebrows went up and she walked back toward us. “Oh, duh, sorry. Thank you.”

“Hope to see you guys again soon.”