The Romantic Adventures of Rick Toffen, Pilot!

“Mr. Charles? That pilot is here for the interview.”

Hotshot Charlie looked to the doorway from where Wingy’s voice had come. He smiled widely.

“Terrific. Send him in!”

Charlie cleared some papers off his desk and rushed to put on his hat. He knew that it was technically impolite to wear it indoors, but the hat tended to impress people. Besides, he owned the company and the building, so he could wear what he wanted.

Rick Toffen entered Charlie’s office and approached the desk. Charlie rose and greeted him. They shook hands.

“Mr. Charles, it’s a pleasure.” Rick said.

“Call me Charlie, everybody does.” Charlie replied. “Have a seat. You want some coffee or anything?”

“I’m good, thanks.” Rick said as he settled himself  into a battered, overstuffed armchair. “This is a nice chair. It’s got personality.”

“Thanks!” Charlie responded. “We’re not too formal here at Hotshot Airlines. In fact, we’re like a little family.”

“That’s why I want to work for you, Charlie.” Rick leaned forward, selling himself. “I’ve flown for the big commercial airliners, and I’ve flown for some small-time, rinky-dink outfits. But I never really felt like I belonged at any of them.”  

“Yeah, I’ve looked over your résumè, and your flight records.” Charlie picked up a document. It was a random piece of paper from his desk, but his sharp mind recalled everything he had learned about his prospective new pilot. “You had a couple of near-misses a while back.”

“That’s true. They were the result of sabotage.” Rick didn’t dodge the question. “I saved my passengers’ lives, but the kites got a little banged up.”

Charlie laughed. “Kid, I’ve crashed a plane more times than you’ve bought new shoes!” 

To an outside observer, Charlie calling Rick “Kid” would have seemed odd. Charlie’s boyish, freckled face belied his age and experience, while Rick had a gaunt, lined visage that made him look older. Rick often found that it lent him an air of authority (which he liked), but it sometimes put him at a disadvantage in his love life.

“I’ll tell you what,” Charlie began. “We do a lot of different business here. Some commuter stuff, some freight. And sometimes special jobs can get a little hairy. But if you’ve got the nerve, and you’re really looking to set down roots, I think you’ll fit in here.”

“Really? So quick?” Rick was surprised. “That’s a pretty short interview.”

“Pfft, I knew I was going to hire you when I scheduled this meeting!” Charlie exclaimed.

“You did?” Rick’s eyebrows raised.

“Sure! What, you think I would call you in here and then NOT offer you a job? That’s bad manners!” Charlie stood again. “Can you start Monday?”

“Shoot, I could start after lunch!” Rick enthused. 

“That’s terrific.” Charlie circled his desk and took Rick’s hand as he stood. “If you can hang around, Wingy will get you started on some paperwork.”

Charlie leaned in conspiratorially.

“One more thing,” He asked. “How do you feel about pipe smoke?”

Rick was flummoxed “Well, not when I’m flying, of course…”

“Ha!” Charlie laughed “You’ll be up in the air so much, you won’t even notice it! Welcome to the family!”

Family… Rick thought.

That night, Rick Toffen and his girlfriend Maggie Irish were eating dinner at Club Gray to celebrate Rick’s new job. 

Rick and Maggie had been seeing each other for some time, despite their significant age difference and Maggie’s unpredictable temperament. The couple had a unique chemistry that kept them together. Even though they had broken up on a few occasions, they had always reconciled quickly, and Rick was certain that they would be together for a long, long time. And now that he had the job he had been waiting for,  he was ready to take the next step.

“This boss of yours sounds like a character.” Maggie said.

“He sure is. And he wants to meet you right away!” Rick explained.

Maggie looked surprised.

“You were talking about me? At the interview?” She wrinkled her nose at the idea.

“I showed him your picture and everything.” Rick chuckled. “He heard your name and insisted. He’s still got family back on the old Emerald Isle apparently.”

“That’s more than I’ve got.” Maggie said. “Now, if he ever wants to get shown around Boston…”

“You’ve never even shown ME around Boston!” Rick objected.

“We’ve never had a good reason to go!” Maggie shot back.

Rick laughed, then took a deep breath. He reached into his pocket.

“Well, I was going to wait until later, but if you insist on setting me up like that…” Rick pulled out a small ring box and held it out for her. “Will you marry me, Maggie?”

Maggie gasped. “Will I- yes! Yes, of course I’ll marry you, you big dumb fool!” 

Rick jumped up at pulled Maggie out of her seat, lifting her into the air with a hug. Their fellow diners looked around, surprised at the sudden display.

“She said yes!” Rick announced. “She’s gonna marry me!”

The restaurant patrons clapped as Rick spun Maggie around.

Later, Rick and Maggie walked hand in hand across the lakefront, looking at the stars’ reflection on the water. Maggie’s mouth was racing as she thought out loud.

“-and Bonnie, and her mom and dad, and her brother I guess, but I think he might be old enough to stay at home on his own. I can never remember. But, then, if we DON’T invite Aunt Mary Katherine, then we can’t invite Cousin Colleen and the twins, which would be a shame because they invited me to their wedding. I mean, they knew I couldn’t come, so I don’t think they’ll be offended, but it’s nice to ask, and if we can get a larger hall for the reception, I know everyone will fit in the Cathedral, so-“

“Sweetie, calm down for a minute.” Rick urged. “We’ve got plenty of time for all this. Just relax and let’s enjoy tonight.”

They stopped and looked at the rippling water. Maggie rested her head on Rick’s shoulder.

“If you hadn’t gotten that job today,” Maggie began. “Would you still have asked me tonight?”

“No.” Rick answered without a thought.

“When would you, do you think?” She asked.

“When I knew I could take care of you.” Rick replied. Maggie scoffed.

“I can take care of myself, Rick Toffen.” She chided, playfully.

“I know. I’m old-fashioned like that.” He paused. “I’ve had the ring for a while. Been carrying it around with me.”

“Waiting for just the right moment?” Maggie smiled. “That’s sweet.”

“I’m just glad nothing ruined it.” Rick began. “Not like last time…”

Maggie’s smile faded. “Last time?”

“The last time I asked someone to marry me.” Rick looked at her. “I told you about that.”

“You did not!” Maggie’s eyes flared. “You’ve been engaged before?”

“Years ago!” Rick protested. “I know I told you.”

“I would remember something like that!” Maggie pulled away from him and planted her feet on the pavement. “I am not moving from this spot until you tell me who she was!”

“Sweetheart, relax.” Rick soothed. “It was a woman I’d met flying a private passenger. She was his, I don’t know, guest on a weekend getaway and they had a falling out, so she came and talked to me in the pilot’s cabin. We hit it off and started dating.”

“She sounds like a high-society tramp.” Maggie spat. Rick thought it over.

“Yeah. Yeah, I suppose she was.” He grinned at her. “But, at the time, that’s what I was in the mood for.”

“And you would have married a woman like that?” Maggie asked, disbelieving.

“It was more her idea.” Rick admitted. “She wanted some stability.”

“From you?” Maggie laughed, and Rick joined her.

“She wasn’t so bright. And I learned that she was a little high-strung.” Rick leaned on a railing, facing Maggie. “See, on the night that I asked her to marry me – She knew it was coming, by the way. Picked the restaurant and everything – We were dining on the patio of this fancy Italian place downtown. Al fresco, you know?”

Maggie nodded.

“Well, she was cuddled up against me, admiring the ring on her finger, when all of a sudden a guy ran up the sidewalk and put two bullets into the man eating at the next table.”

Maggie’s face went white. “Oh, my God, Rick…”

Rick shrugged. “What could I do? I ran after him.”

Maggie’s eyes widened in shock. “You did what?”

“I jumped over the railing and ran after the gunman. No one else was doing anything.” Rick noticed Maggie’s expression of amazement. “I had to do something!”

“So you ran after a killer?”

“He ducked down an alleyway and I chased him. He got a few shots off, but he couldn’t really aim, so they went wild.” Rick tone was surprisingly nonchalant.

Maggie gasped. “He shot at you? And you kept chasing him?”

“We got to the other end of the alley and he jumped in a car that sped off. Must have been planned out.”

“It sounds like it!” Maggie exclaimed. “Ye Gods, Rick, it was probably a mob hit! And you RAN AFTER THE KILLER!”

“I got the car’s license plate then went back to the restaurant.” Rick breathed heavily. “Well, I can tell you that Roxanne – that was her name, Roxanne – She reacted about the same way that you did. Yelled at me until the cops showed up, then gave me back the ring and asked a policeman to drive her home. She barely even let me explain myself.”

“Explain yourself? What’s to explain? You could have been killed!” Maggie cried.

“I've almost been killed lots of times. She still over-reacted.” Rick went on. “Besides, I told her that after he shot at me, he ran out of bullets and threw his gun at me, so she shouldn’t have been so worried.”

“You told her that he threw his gun at you.” Maggie could scarcely believe it.

“Yeah, like in the movies.” Rick confessed.

“Did she believe you?” Maggie asked.

“I don’t think I ever got confirmation on that…” Rick looked sheepish.

Maggie walked over to her fiancee and wrapped her arms around him. She looked him in the eyes.

“Rick Toffen, you’re a brave, reckless idiot and I’m going to love you until day that I die, do you understand me?” She said. 

Rick smiled.

“And if we ever witness a murder, I’ll handle the CPR and triage if you promise NOT to let the bad guy get away again, get it?” Maggie’s eyes were misting over.

“But you have to promise me that you’ll never-“ Maggie took a deep breath, “NEVER lie to me about something as stupid as someone throwing their gun at you!”

Rick laughed and kissed her. She kissed back, harder than he was expecting. After a long embrace, they finally disengaged.

“Now, this woman you work with,” Maggie began, seemingly out of nowhere, “Why do they call her ‘Wingy’? Is it an airplane thing?”

END