Chapter 7

Cindy’s turn:

Mr. Wally is REALLY bossy, but there’s a goal in his bossiness, and it’s obvious: he REALLY wants us to be safe -- he says he doesn’t want to be collecting body parts. He’s right of course. By nature I’m NOT bossy, but sometimes you have to be, and after meeting my Dan, I developed enough confidence to do it when I have to. And I know a couple of others who did the same. And there’s trouble percolating in my mind, and here at the Pavilion, I see exactly who I need to help me sort it out -- she’s over there, eating with HER Dan. And she’s finishing her dinner about the same time I’m finishing mine. I excused myself and walked over.

“Nikki, if you’re done, let’s get some coffee and talk for a few minutes. I’m smelling a rescue, and I need your help.”

She looked at me for a couple of seconds, nodded, got up, and we went to get fresh coffee. And then settled at an unoccupied table in the corner. “So what’s up, Cindy?”

“Nikki, when you think about Tara, do you remember how shy and scared she looked?”

“Yeah, kinda reminded me of me - before my Dan.”

“Me, too. Now, think about this: Mizz Patel got the letter from her lawyer, and immediately called us. Why do you think she did that? Why us?”

“I wondered about that, Cindy. If you were to ask her, I’m not sure she could tell you -- I’m betting it was instinctive on her part. After all, when it comes to rescuing and being rescued ... But I’m sure she’s hoping we can help, and she thinks we have the resources. She’s right, of course.”

“Exactly, Nikki. Now, think back to your time before Dan. How do you think Tara feels right now?”

“I know exactly how she feels, Cindy. She’s scared to death, afraid to do anything, because so much has happened that she can’t see a path forward. But what’s your point?”

“Nikki, here’s what I’m thinking: Mizz Patel is going to call her either tonight or tomorrow, offer the prospect of a solution, and then call me to report the discussion. What do YOU think we should do, after that call? And remember, Tara barely knows us.”

“Cindy, I’m pretty sure we need to fly out there and visit with her personally, and see if we can get her to come back with us. If we get her here, I think she’ll brighten up some.”

“Nikki, I’m going to punch up the timeline a little. A lot will depend on what she says over the phone, but if I can manage it, I think we need to go collect them and bring them back here, ASAP. And I’d do it tonight, if I thought we could pull it off.”

“WOW! Do you think she’ll do it?”

“Nikki, right now, I think she’s praying for someone to tell her what to do next, and while she barely knows me, I think I can make her listen. But here’s what I’m thinking: Let’s pack our overnight bags, and borrow Susan’s 182. I’ll do a flight plan, and after tomorrow morning’s phone calls, we’ll get this show on the road.”

“If I were her, I’d think you’re a red-headed angel. You’re probably right.”

8:30am -- a little early, but breakfast is done, and dishes put away, and Dan is probably already in his office, although I think he has to go out to a field assignment later today. He told me he might need the 180. But my phone buzzes, and it says “Mizz Patel”.

“Good morning, Mizz Patel, and how are you?”

“Thank you, Cindy, and I just got off the phone with Tara. She is NOT doing well, and I think a call from you would cheer her up a little -- would you mind giving her a call?”

“I’d be happy to, but what do you suppose she’s upset about?”

“Cindy, I think it’s just general depression, mostly from the loss of her parents, and the responsibility of caring for her little brother. Let me give you her number.”

I wrote down the number, and said, “Mizz Patel, this is mostly intuition, but I’m wondering about your schedule, and wondering if you might have a few minutes tomorrow morning to meet with Tara?”

“Goodness, Cindy. Isn’t that a little sudden?”

“Probably so, Mizz Patel. But if this thing is worth pursuing, why fiddle around with it? Why don’t we just do it?” I thought for a second. “Let me verify a few things, I’ll go get her and Derek, and we can be back this afternoon. ‘Just waiting’ makes no sense to me, nor to anyone around here. When we see something that needs to be done, we just do it right away, and then get on to the next thing.”

“OK, Cindy. We’ll try it your way, and see what happens. Let me know.”

“Thank you, Mizz Patel, and I hope I’m not messing up your schedule too much.” And now, I swallow hard, and punch up Tara’s number.

“I remember you,” Tara said. “And Nikki ‘n’ Tina. And the blonde girl and her guy.”

“Susan ‘n’ Jason,” I said. “They have a baby boy. Tina and Alan have a baby girl. We still have the greenhouse, but our office isn’t next door any more. We built across the street.”

“Doctor Patel said you were part of a very successful business.”

“Tara,” I said, “that’s only part of the truth about us. We have the business, but outside the business we have a lot of other things going. But how about you?”

“Dad’s insurance is going to keep us going for a while. We have this house, free and clear, but Cindy...”

“Yes?”

“I really don’t want to live here. It was Dad’s house. It was bad enough when we lost Mom, but with Dad gone, I can’t open a cabinet door without a flood coming in on me.”

“So do something different...”

“Dad’s brother, my uncle ... I said something. He thinks I should keep the house – it’s in the family...” She paused significantly. “I don’t see it that way.”

“Tara, you’re what, twenty-one?”

“Twenty-two...”

“You can do what you want. If he thinks so strongly about it, offer to sell it to him.”

“Mizz Patel said you want to try and get back into college,” I posed.

“I do. But it’s gonna be so hard, Cindy. I’ve tried to study a bit, tried to keep my edge going, but I don’t know...”

“Uh, can I come visit with you? We might be able to work something out.”

“What kind of thing?”

“Well, you knew about the greenhouse.”

“I did. I was gonna ... But things went so badly off track, Cindy...”

“And you want to come visit me?”

“Wouldn’t that be easier than you coming here?”

“I guess. It’s a drive, though...”

Giggle. “I was planning on flying.”

“We’re a long way from Atlanta. Savannah.”

“I can do Savannah,” I said. “We already looked.”

“Oh, that airport’s a LITTLE thing. The airlines ... They have just a couple of flights in from Atlanta.”

“I don’t need airlines,” I said. “We ... me n’ Dan, we have our own plane. I could be there in a couple of hours.”

“Your own plane? Who flies it?”

“Me, silly!”

“I could pick you up there.”

“Can I bring one of the others? Probably Nikki, maybe somebody else? Gives me somebody to talk to on the trip.”

“I don’t mind. Nikki’s fine. You said that Tina and Susan are mommies now?”

“You wouldn’t believe the changes, Tara. Of course, you didn’t get into what it was when we first hit Auburn, but now...”

“Doctor Patel...”

“MIZZ Patel,” I corrected. “She tells us to call ‘er that.”

“Mizz Patel says that y’all have a bunch...”

I ran down the list. “The Munchkins.”

“They’re Derek’s age,” she said. “Derek...”

“Let me ask you a frank question, Tara.”

“Sure.”

“How smart is Derek?”

“Smart? Darned smart, and that’s not any of that ‘he’s my baby brother’ crap,” she bragged. “After he got to where he could get back to school, they put him in remedial classes to fill in the gaps from the schooling they arranged while he was out. Cindy, there WERE no gaps. I’m no dummy. Neither is my brother. Why?”

“Well, the munchkins, they’re kind of precocious...”

“Doc ... Uh, Mizz Patel said some of that. College level? I don’t know if I’m college level any more, much less my grade school aged brother. Are you worried he’ll fit in?”

“I think the munchkins would try very hard to fit him in. Did Mizz Patel tell you about our website?”

“And the Youtube videos ... Derek watched some of it with me. He got excited.”

I found that encouraging. I didn’t think that Derek would have to be a young genius to fit in with the Munchkins, but I was hoping for a bit above normal intelligence.

“That sounds good. What’s your schedule look like?”

“Only thing I have going is getting Derek off to school every day. What do you have in mind?”

“I dunno, just yet. I need to check on who my co-pilot will be. Can you do us the favor of picking us up and dropping us off? Or can we rent a car?”

“Rent a car?”

“Yeah, we do that a lot. Car rental places will usually get us one to the airport.”

“I’m your wheels. Just one day?”

“Or two. We can stay at a hotel...”

“You will NOT. I have rooms. Beds.”

“Whoever I bring can sleep in the same bed as me,” I said. “We do that all the time when husbands are on the road.”

“It’s starting to sound like a plan, Cindy.”

“Tara ... Okay ... Frank speech, again?”

She sounded apprehensive. “Sure...”

“Bad habits. No drugs?”

“Absolutely not. No alcohol, no drugs, no smoking, no tattoos. I have pierced ears, one hole on each side. I’m not a freak. I have a younger brother that needs a full-time sister slash parent, not some trashy excuse for one.” All that came tumbling out in a splash.

“I’m sorry. Harsh question, Tara...”

“No, it’s not. Mizz Patel said that you guys were an island of sanity in a screwed up world. You don’t want to mess that up.”

“I don’t, Tara. Right behind my husband, this community is the best thing that ever happened to me. I’m part of something bigger than all of us put together. We’ve added to it since it started, but every time it’s been people who just sort of fell in with us.” I paused as a thought dawned. “You might’ve just fallen in.”

It was the next morning that I called her back.

“Change of plans, Tara. I’m thinking it might be a good time for me to come get you and Derek, and bring you over here for a short visit. You can stay with me and Dan, and you can go visit with Mizz Patel in the morning. Does that sound like fun?”

“Umm. Cindy, I’d like to do it, but this is pretty short notice.”

“Tara, I can fly over there this morning, and we can be back here this afternoon. Look, why don’t we do it this way: Stop whatever you’re doing, and go get Derek. Bring him home, and then both of you pack a bag for the weekend. I think you’ll see some things that might give you ideas of where you want to go., and we can fly you home Sunday afternoon.”

“Just like that?”

“Yep, pick ‘im up, get your stuff together, then go out to Savannah International and meet me at Signature Flight Support -- it’s an FBO, and you won’t have to clear security. I should be there around 1pm. Can you do that?”

“Cindy, this makes no sense! What are you doing, and why?”

“Look, Tara. I’m setting up a meeting with you and Mizz Patel for tomorrow morning, and Derek will probably get more education tomorrow than he would get in a year, where he is, while you’re on campus. It’s time for you and him to get off your dead butts and get it in gear, dear! This is your LIFE, and it ain’t no rehearsal! Now, are the both of you going to meet me at 1pm?”

“Jesus, what an attitude!” she gasped. “OK, Cindy, we’ll be there.”

“Good, we’ll see you in a while. We’ll call you when we’re an hour out.” I paused, thought about how I must have sounded. “Tara, this is a GOOD thing. I promise.”

And now, a call to Nikki: “Good morning Nikki, and are you ready to go?”

“Are you talking about Tara?”

“Yes, Doctor Granger.” We laugh about calling each other by our titles. I explained the plan to her. She agreed.

“Now, get it in gear, dear.” I have to stop using that phrase, I guess. I’m really NOT a slave-driver, it’s just that sometimes I get a bit too focused on my plans. I’ve been told that by people who love me, so I imagine that if I come off that way with them, then to people who DON’T know me I must sound like a monster. Imagine that – a monster. Four years ago I was a scared child in an Alabama RV park.

So, phone calls to the Dans, and to Mizz Lee, and Beck. I’m annoyed that there’s no obvious small airfield around Savannah, and I detest all the air-traffic stuff around the big ones. But whining won’t solve the problem.

A call to Signature to confirm a refuel, something that’s becoming an issue at larger airports. They’re not used to seeing that many gasoline-fueled aircraft at some of the bigger FBOs, so I check, and we’re off. Then, over to the airfield, to do the pre-flight. And Nikki joined me about ten minutes later, just as I was towing the bird out onto the apron.

“Good morning, Doctor Richards. Do you want left seat or right?”

“And good morning to you, Dr. Granger. Right seat, I guess. Savannah requires ATC junk, so we’ll have to play by their rules. Not a big deal, I suppose. I already packed snackies and coffee -- you ready?”

“Always ready, sister.”

And we load up, roll to the north end in honor of the southerly breeze, get airborne, and head for the east coast. And I have to giggle a little -- both of us, without prior discussion, have chosen sloppy Auburn T-shirts, attire which may get us burned at the stake in Georgia. And, a bit more than two hours later, having negotiated all the ATC stuff at Savannah, we land on 19, take the second exit, and roll up in front of Signature, where we follow ground signals to a tie-down and a fuel truck.

“Nikki, if you’ll supervise re-fueling, I’ll go find Tara. Then we can both hit the restroom and head back home.”

Heading inside, I saw Tara, older, bit stressed looking, and a young boy, looking quizzically at all the planes and movement out on the tarmac. “Tara! Good morning!”

She turned, and nearly RAN over to me, and gave me a hug. “Cindy! God, it’s SO GOOD to see you! This is my brother, Derek.”

Derek held out his hand for a shake, and said, “Good afternoon, Mizz Cindy. Tara told me you were coming to give us a ride, but she didn’t say how young you look. I think Tara is older than you.” Blue eyes, piercing. This kid is both cute and dangerous. And the same age range as the Munchkins.

“Derek, MOST people are older than me, but right now, that doesn’t matter. I need a bathroom for a few minutes, and so does Nikki. Are both of you ready to go?”

Having refueled the 182, Nikki walked in, and got more hugs and a handshake, and then Tara said, “You guys don’t know how much I missed those Auburn T-shirts! It ain’t really ‘old home week’, but it’ll do.”

We made use of the facilities, paid for the fuel, and headed outside, where we stowed the bags, and placed Tara and Derek in the back seats. We advised them about the seat belts, head-sets, and barf bags, and then strapped in and fired up the engine.