Chapter 8: Airborne

Flight from Naples to Frankfurt

We sat in the back of the plane, next to a blonde German businesswoman who looked like a Barbie doll dressed up like a librarian, complete with her hair pulled back in a bun and glasses. She typed furiously on a laptop. Edward elbowed me and gestured at her, waggling his eyebrows. I let him sit next to her, so at least her typing would be safe from any violent seizure of mine.

Then I leaned over Edward and said to her, "Hello, I'm Eric."

She looked at me, confused. "Hello. My name is Elise." She had a very noticeable accent.

"I'm suffering from uncontrollable seizures. If you see me start twitching or moving around in my seat, don't worry or panic. It's not contagious, and I'm flying to a doctor to get it treated." I tried to give a comforting smile. "Didn't want to worry you."

She smiled back. "Thank you, Eric."

Edward just looked at me in astonishment. He whispered, "Dude, she's hot. And you talked to her! You didn't stammer or stutter or anything."

I shrugged. "So? I didn't try to pick her up. I've always been more comfortable with warning labels than with advertisement."

He laughed. "Still, dude. You grew some balls. Congratulations."

Elise gave him a dirty look. I just smiled an apology at her. She shook her head and went back to typing furiously.

Just as the plane was taking off, I started to have another episode. Elise looked over, her typing slowed, a concerned look on her face, but Edward just told her it was okay, it was what always happens. I just nodded an affirmative, gasping a little. They were getting stronger, more painful. I tried to keep silent, not wanting to accidentally alter her mind with a few words. I remembered how a few slips with the twins turned into a worrisome situation.

"Oh," Edward said to me. "Thanks for helping out with Ingrid. Greatest gift ever." He grinned, beaming, then leaned in and kissed me.

It was incredibly uncomfortable and unpleasant. If the seizure hadn't taken so much out of me, I might have pushed him off instead of just making small refusal grunts. I'm sure my eyes went wide in shock. After a few moments, Edward seemed to realize what he was doing, and he pulled away. He laughed, awkwardly. "Uh, sorry to get all gay on you, dude." He shook his head, bewildered by his behaviour. "I don't know what came over me."

After recovering from the shock, I said. "I think I do, Ward." I ran my hands through my hair, frazzled. "Hell, I think I did."

Edward made a whooshing sound as he passed a hand over his head. "Dude, you lost me."

"I told you about Rami, right? The brother of the shopgirl?"

He shook his head no, so I filled him in.

"Okay, so the dude's a perv and is okay with you screwing his sister. What's the problem?"

"That's the problem! He should be protective, especially with that culture, especially as devout as he appeared to be. Don't you see?"

"Nope!" He shook his head. "Not following."

"I'm saying I think men are affected too. It's not just the girls." I shrugged. "Obviously, guys aren't getting all glassy-eyed, but between Rami's uncharacteristic behaviour, and then you kissing me..."

"Oh! I get it, dude." He scrunched his face up. "At least, I think so."

"Seriously, Ward. Think about it.

He opened up a packet of free peanuts. "Nah." He threw some in his mouth. "You know I think that's a bad habit." He grinned. "Thinking's like a drug. It's addictive, and it'll ruin your life. Peanut?"

"No thanks."

I spent most of the two hour flight chewing on the implications. When we landed, I had another episode.

As I was being wheeled out into the airport, Elise came up to me and wordlessly gave me her card - Elise Barbie it said. The company's name - ILYSKN was embossed on the card in gold lettering, as was an hourglass beside it. An international number was on the card, as well as a website and her email address. "Thanks," I said. She just smiled and walked away.

Edward leaned over to me. "What was that about?"

I watched Elise walk off. "I have no idea."

He chuckled. "Lucky dog."

Frankfurt Airport

The layover at Frankfurt was three hours. They had a train to take us from our arrival gate to our departure gate. It was all very modern and futuristic. Edward insisted I stay in the wheelchair.

I turned the business card Elise gave me over and over in my hands, contemplating it. Once we reached our departure gate, I got up and started looking around for the nearest pay phone.

Edward was a bit startled by my sudden movement. "Dude, sit down." Then he saw me looking around. "What's up?"

"Just looking for a phone." I waved the card.

"Dude," he laughed. "You're supposed to wait 3 days before you call."

I shrugged. "I'm curious. It's her work number, anyway. I doubt she went straight there, so she won't be around to answer."

"Okay, dude."

"Want to come listen?"

"Sure." He glanced around. "Oh hey, there's one!"

So we headed to the booth. I pulled out the calling card I'd bought to call home from Italy - I didn't need it anymore. I dialed, then as it was ringing Edward and I held it up to our ears. Three rings, then I experienced a high-pitched whining noise. It filled my head; it felt like I'd bleed out of my ears. I dropped the phone and held my hands up to my ears.

Edward grabbed the phone. "Dude! What's wrong? Is it another seizure?"

I almost shouted. "Don't you hear that!?"

"Hear what?"

"Hang it up!"

He did. I heard the ‗click' as the phone was returned to its cradle. "Thank you," I said. "What was that?"

"What was what? Three rings, then a click, then silence." He shrugged. "Except for you freaking out."

I grabbed my calling card and the business card from the floor where I'd dropped them, and put them in my wallet. I pulled out a 10-euro bill and gestured to a nearby pretzel stand. "You hungry?"

"Hell yeah," he said. "Just get in the damn chair."

"Fine," I laughed, and sat down again. He wheeled me on over. Soon enough, we were munching on pretzels and wursts. Edward even found a group of students from Oxford to chat up while we waited for our planes. Embarrassingly, I choked on a sausage in front of them as another episode overtook me. At least half the terminal didn't turn into zombies. Finally, it was time to board.

Flight from Frankfurt to Atlanta

Because of the urgency of our trip, the tickets we got were only standby. The seats we managed to get were scattered through the plane, but Edward insisted on sitting near me. If it wasn't for Olivia and Jessica, he wouldn't have even managed to get the seat across the aisle from me. But between the four of us, we managed to talk someone into changing seats. Unfortunately, I sat next to a woman and her little angel. The mother wanted the window seat, so I got put next to the kid, a precocious little girl maybe six years old. Both spoke in a strong English accent. "My name's Candace Carolyn Cambridge, but everyone calls me CeeCee. This is my mommy."

Her mother gave me a wan smile, one of those indulgently apologetic ones only parents (and pet owners) seem to have.

"I'm five years old," CeeCee said. "I'm turning six this month. On the 25th, I'll be a big girl."

I laughed. "I'm sure you will be." Then I smiled. "June 25th? That's my birthday." First Bobbie, now this little girl. It was eerie how many people I was meeting with my birthday on this trip. Of course, that's the trick of the birthday paradox, right?

"Nuh-uh," CeeCee said. "It's mine."

Her mother just gave her an indulgent smile. "Of course it is, sweetie" she said. "But it can be this gentleman's too." She held out her hand. "I'm Lorelei." She reminded me a little of Kate, the character from Lost.

"I'm Eric," I said to her, and then started describing what they might expect. Lorelei was an RN, so when I did my whole spiel about my seizures, she was more than understanding. It took the two of us to explain it more clearly for CeeCee. In the process I learned that the father was out of the picture - apparently, he died of an aneurysm in the brain - so the phrase "like daddy" came up quite a few times.

Finally, the plane started taxiing out of the airport. we got to watch Olivia and Jessica tell us where the exit doors were, and how to buckle our seatbelts, and all the rest of that rigamarole. I laughed at their banter and antics. I can't say whether or not the additional stresses of takeoffs and landing triggered seizures, but that's what appeared to be happening. Of course, I only went up three times before it all ended. Either way, once the plane took off, I had another episode.

CeeCee looked at me, concerned. "Mister Eric? Are you okay?" She looked at Lorelei, tears in her eyes. "This looks like what happened to Daddy."

Gasping and catching my breath, I glanced at them and nodded. "Yeah," I said.

"You didn't panic, CeeCee," Lorelei said. "You were a good girl today."

CeeCee beamed. I nodded. "Yeah. You were a very good girl."

She nodded fervently and smiled a glassy smile. "A good girl." I winced, realizing what I'd done. Well, I hoped that'd make Lorelei's job a little easier as a mother. Lorelei smiled at us and said, "Yes, she is a good girl." She looked proud of her daughter. Then she looked at me with a smoldering expression and said, "Just like her mother." Now, I've never been all that skilled at picking up signals from women - oblivious, one might charitably say. So imagine how blatant the heat must have been coming from her for me to notice it. I just bit my tongue, waiting for the effect to pass.

Finally, the glassy look left their eyes. Lorelei excused herself, saying she needed to go to the bathroom. She ran her hand along my arm as she passed me, then looked at Edward and said, "Keep an eye on my daughter, will ya?"

Edward leaned over and whispered, "Go on, dude!" At my questioning look, he said, "Dude, do you need an engraved invitation?" He shook his head in disbelief. "You're about to join the mile high club if you just follow her!"

"What's the mile high club?" CeeCee asked. "Can I join?"

I gave Edward a dirty look. Then I patted CeeCee on the head. "Sorry, CeeCee. It's a grown-up club. No kids allowed." I wrestled myself out of the chair and staggered toward the bathroom. I knocked, briefly. The door opened, a manicured hand reached out and pulled me inside.

The bathroom on an airplane is 7 feet high, 4 feet deep and 3 feet wide. That's not even 100 cubic feet. It's cramped enough for one person, not to mention two people doing something a bit more vigorous than sitting on the toilet. At least Lorelei had prepared (slightly) before I followed - she'd slipped her panties off, had unbuttoned the front of her dress, and even managed to unhook her bra.

She struck a pose after she shut the door, sitting on the little counter with the sink, crossing her legs and jutting her chest forward. "Well?" She looked at me, locking eyes. "Like what you see?"

I did. Her breasts just tumbled out of her dress, hanging there like gravity wasn't an issue. Her legs were open, invitingly, her pussy glistening wet. She reached out to my shorts and pulled them down, revealing the erection. "Looks like you do," she observed. "Now come here." She pulled me closer, and before I knew it I was sliding into her. She was tighter than I'd expected a mother to be.

I leaned in for a kiss - she tasted like strawberries. "Why me?" I asked.

"Why not?" She shrugged and kissed me back, then pushed me back on the small toilet. She then contorted herself down on her knees, bringing her mouth to my cock.

"Wait, what are you doing?"

She looked up at me. "Good girls swallow, right?" she said, winking. Then she took me into her mouth. Her technique was impressive. She did this thing with her tongue that just drove me crazy. I moaned, pushing her head down into my cock.