Lost in Flight (50 page)

Riley awoke with a start and to Andy James saying, “Hey-hey.”  Riley’s face had been pressed against the cold glass of the car window and he’d been dreaming of being left outside in the snow. 

He shook himself awake and looked at a grinning Andy.  “How long have I been out?”

“Ooooh nearly two hours,” Andy said, “she’s been out for an hour and she even snores musically.” 

Riley looked in the back seat and smirked.  Christina was slumped with her head back and her mouth partly open.  She was definitely snoring and there may or may not have been a bit of drool.  The two men looked at each other and chuckled.  

Christina’s eyes fluttered open at the sound and her lips came together in a smacking sound.  She wiped her face hurriedly and stared around trying to work out where she was.  When she saw Riley, she smiled.

He tapped Andy on the arm.  “Next gas station, how about we stop for coffee?  I could do with a gallon and Sleeping-snore Beauty in the back definitely needs some.” 

Christina’s eyes came into focus and she glared at him.  “I was not snoring.” 

Andy laughed.  “Yeah-you-were, Martin.  There was kind of a wheeze-whistle quality to it, combined with the classic-chainsaw every now and again.” 

Riley and Andy burst out laughing with Christina’s horrified “Oh my god” response. 

Andy looked at her in the rear-view and then said, “So, your brother isn’t the only musical one in the family huh, Christina?” 

Riley stiffened when he heard Christina say, “No.  Dad’s musical too and so is Gabby.”  He was about to snap, “what about you,” but Andy hit his arm. 

Shaking his head and smiling at Riley, Andy said, “This is the type of shit she says at work.  Ooooh, my
Dad’s
musical, my
sister’s
musical, but no mention that
she’s
musical.”  Andy looked at Christina in the rear view mirror again and said, “Lies by omission, Martin, lies by omission.” 

Damn straight, thought Riley.  He’d had enough conversations with Christina over the years about music that never ended well.  He was really proud of Andy for saying something that everyone thought, but had given up discussing with her.  “I mean,” said Andy, “shouldn’t you be singing, Christina?  You’re really good.”

Go Andy
, thought Riley,
go hard brother
.

Christina sighed.  “I wouldn’t cope with fame, Andy or the attention.  I’d hate it.  If it was singing somewhere in a little club,” she shrugged.  “Maybe.  But I couldn’t handle what Johnny does.  It would drive me crazy.”

“Really?”  Andy laughed.  “Well you’re going to love this.”

They pulled into a gas station and filled the car up.  They headed inside to get coffee and something to eat because both Riley, and Christina needed a caffeine fix.  When they were seated Andy got out his cell phone and handed it over.  Andy had a little smile on his face and he asked.  “Have you seen this?”

Riley and Christina stared at the screen, watching a badly filmed YouTube clip called “Johnny Martin and his sister.”  There was Christina and Johnny, singing at Pax that ended with them being pelted with food. 

“Oh no,” squawked Christina.  She turned away and Riley grinned at Andy.  “Oh my god, Andy,” Christina seethed.  “How did you get this?” 

“I created an alert for anything to do with your family,” Andy nodded, “and this came up.  Most of the traffic is on Johnny and the band, but I thought you’d be interested in this.” 

“Can you kill it?”  Christina asked. 

“Why would I do that?”  Andy frowned. 

“Um, so no one else sees – like people at work,” snapped Christina. 

The two men chuckled when Christina got up and went to the bathroom.  Andy checked Christina was out of earshot and said, “I don’t know why she’s so embarrassed.  It’s not like she sucks or anything.” 

Riley agreed with Andy, but didn’t say anything.  Christina acted these days like being musical was something to be ashamed of. 

Andy said, “It’s got 10,000 hits on its first day.  That’s pretty good.  I’m expecting more and have a look at the comments.” 

Riley scrolled down and wasn’t impressed with what he read.  Some were saying she was hot and others saying “not.”  Some said they wanted to do dirty things to her that he took offense to and would be over his dead body.  Most were positive, but there was one poster, TerminationCell1000 leading the anti-Christina campaign and another one, SonicBoomY3K, who was Christina’s greatest fan.  He gave up reading in the end because he’d seen enough. 

Unbeknownst to anyone, including the two posters involved, TerminationCell1000 was Mason Glenn and SonicBoomY3K was Andy James.  This led to an Internet war between the two men that would last years, was vicious, petty, full of geek references, insults to their intelligence, and involved a serious amount of hacking from both sides to try to find their real life identities.

When Christina came back from the bathroom, Riley made sure Andy put his phone away so she couldn’t read the comments.  Riley took over the driving for the last stretch to Shanwick.  Neither he nor Christina was looking forward to it and as they got closer to their hometown, she seemed to disappear into herself.  

Andy James, however, became more chatty, “So, what should I expect from your family?” he said with a grin. 

Christina said, “Oh, Andy.  Well, there will be music and food.  Most probably, bickering and other… things… it’ll be socially awkward and inappropriate.” 

Andy nodded and looked confused, “Okay” and when she didn’t elaborate, Riley sighed.  He glanced at Christina in the rearview mirror and grinned then he looked back at the road.  “I haven’t seen them altogether for a long time, but they’ll tease each until someone snaps or gets upset.  It’s usually Jack or Christina.”  

Christina went to deny it, but he shook his head.  “You know it’s true.  Then they’ll take sides.  Christina will go with the one she thinks is being picked on, usually her father.  Gabby and Johnny will form a team, and it’ll all turn pretty crazy from there.  They’ll get even later with pranks and embarrassing each other in public.  But if anyone else steps in – you know someone
outside
the family – then the Martins turn on them like a pack of wild beasts.”  Andy looked both amused and worried. 

Riley shrugged.  “We may get lucky.  They may try to control themselves because they have company, but don’t count on it.  I’m hoping now they’re older and more mature, that there won’t be bloodshed.  Christina here,” he pointed at her “and Johnny used to get into wrestling matches.  Christina would usually win them.”

“No way,” Andy gasped, making Riley laugh. 

“Oh yeah.  Don’t let her fool you.  In their younger days, her, Bonnie Howard and Mandy Robinson were the scourge of the neighborhood.” 

Christina protested her innocence the rest of the way home, but the men teased her mercilessly.  Riley gave Andy accounts of what she and her friends had done in their teens, refusing to stop even when she begged him to.  For once, Riley didn’t feel any sense of irritation when he entered Shanwick and he was in good spirits. 

He and Andy had even managed to cheer up Christina.  Maybe, he thought, their luck would change when it came to the void of Shanwick and it would be okay?  Unfortunately, it didn’t.

Chapter Twenty-three – Cabin Pressure

Christina, Shanwick, The Present, Saturday 13 October 2012

“Mrs. Gustafson, I apologize,” said Christina.

“For,” prompted her father. 

“For being rude, using inappropriate language, and swearing on the Sabbath,” finished a reluctant Christina. 

“Ditto,” said an insincere Riley.  Christina glanced at Riley, who was looking sullen and pouty.  His eyes were narrowed and he had his hands in his pockets with his shoulders hunched up.

Mrs. Gustafson gave a rictus grin baring her teeth to Dad and Riley.  When her eyes fell on Christina, they narrowed.  It was pretty clear whom Mrs. Gustafson decided was the instigator and it wasn’t Riley.  Mrs. Gustafson had her gray hair in a bun and her eyes were like washed out denim.  She was a large woman, tall, well-built and soft, where rolls of flesh connected her breasts and stomach.

The Martins had always lived next door to Mrs. Gustafson and she hadn’t changed very much, just become more washed out over the years, and meaner. Mrs. Gustafson had had a soft spot for Christina’s mother, tolerated her father, but couldn’t stand the children, reserving a particular dislike for Christina.  The feeling was mutual.

As soon as Riley, Christina and Andy had arrived at the Martin home, Dad had insisted they apologize to Mrs. Gustafson for their bad behavior, which was, according to Dad, “the talk of the town.”  Christina could imagine.  The town did little else, but gossip.  Why change the habit of a lifetime?

Both Riley and Christina protested, but Dad was insistent.  Usually, Dad would cave, but this time he was determined and wouldn’t back down.  Christina was pretty sure Tessa Marsh had had some influence on this.  Dad looked desperate, nervous, and wouldn’t budge, so a reluctant Christina relented for the sake of her father, dragging an even more hesitant Riley with her. 

They had been marched over to Mrs. Gustafson’s like school children, while Johnny, Andy, Gabby, Tessa and LiLi watched from the porch.  Now the apology was done, Christina grabbed Riley’s hand and pulled him away.  They left Dad and Mrs. Gustafson talking about the failings of the younger generation, and how they were so much better in their day. 

From out of nowhere a huge black and white cat appeared, rubbing itself around Christina’s legs.  She bent to pat it, but it bit her and she glared at it.  She liked animals, but they’d never been allowed to have any as children because their mother said they were too busy.

Christina watched the brute stalk into Mrs. Gustafson’s property, flopping down on the porch and staring at her.  She swore the damned thing was smiling and it gave her the creeps.  For the first time in her living memory, Mrs. Gustafson looked at Christina without malice. 

“Agh dat is Schubert.  He has some emotional problems and cannot get on vith the others.  He has da devil in him.” 

Mrs. Gustafson belonged to the Shanwick Animal Rescue Group and her house, although well kept, usually homed a number of rescue cats.  It was clear that Schubert was the king of the roost.  He’d be king anywhere.

Christina revised her opinion.  Perhaps Schubert was smarter than the average cat?  She’d never got on well with others in Shanwick either.  Or perhaps Schubert was reacting against his stupid name?  Schubert?  That thing should be called Maximus Brutus or Godzilla, not named after an Austrian composer.

Riley and Christina made their way back to the Martin house to find the others still waiting for them.

 “What was that about?”  Johnny grinned. 

“Nothing,” snapped Christina. 

“Looked like something to me,” smirked Gabby. 

“Well, it wasn’t,” growled Christina. 

“Ooooh touchy,” mocked Gabby.

“SHUT UP,” retorted Christina.  No matter how much she wanted them to, some things never changed.

********************

Dinner – was – uncomfortable.  Not only were there an audience, but also, a number of competing factors to be negotiated.  The primary one being:  her family was nuts.  It had been a long time since they’d all been together in Shanwick, under the same roof, and the Martin children had reverted to jostling for position in the family hierarchy by baiting one another.

Then there was Dad, who, decided to impart the Martin family history to his captive guests to the horror of his children.  He’d intoned on Johnny’s singing prowess and musical gifts, and was now onto other subjects of a more personal nature.  It appeared Johnny wasn’t the only showman in the room.  Dad had always liked to express himself to an audience as well, but unlike his son, he didn’t read a crowd very well.  Right now, core members of his “crowd” wanted to strangle him. 

“Johnny and Gabby take after their mother, but they all get their musical talent from my side of the family,” Dad intoned to Andy James.  “Christina takes more after my side, except they all have their mother’s eyes.” 

Christina had heard this story a thousand times and as much as she wished this would be the last, she knew that was a false hope.  She was also acutely aware they had guests and her father’s form of entertainment, differed vastly to hers.  Dad was an unintentional comic and had a tendency to make the most innocent comment an embarrassing double entendre.

They were all seated around a large table Tessa Marsh had borrowed from the church.  Riley was on her left and Andy further away to the end of the table on the other side of Riley.  Dad was in between Tessa and Johnny with LiLi seated beside him, and Gabby was beside Christina at the end of the table in her wheelchair.  Dad was leaning across the table giving Andy James all the Martin family history and Christina wished he would just stop. 

Andy was the first friend from her D.C. life that she had ever allowed to meet her family as a full complement.  He would also probably be her last.  She sometimes wished she’d allowed her roommate, Marie, to meet them all so she could give a psychological assessment afterwards.  Her real fear is that Marie would declare them all insane, including Christina.

Tessa Marsh had prepared a slow cooked chili, full of beef, and a vegetarian one for Gabby.  Although Christina questioned the wisdom of cooking food with beans for a group that would be stuck under the same roof together, she wasn’t complaining.  The food was delicious.  There was cornbread, corn cakes, rice, salad and cinnamon rolls for dessert. 
If only Dad would stuff his mouth full so he couldn’t speak
, thought Christina,
everything would be perfect
.

Christina had to admit, the house looked fantastic.  She’d thanked Tessa for her help and Tessa looked at her with a sad smile.  “Sometimes a place needs a woman’s touch, Christina.  Your father has been alone for so long.” 

She agreed.  Even though a small part of her felt disloyal to her mother’s memory, she was glad her father and Tessa had found happiness together.  Until now, her mother’s presence had always felt strong and over-powering – like she was there, but just out of reach.