The pilot was waiting for me in the charter operations office when I got there. He looked up when I arrived. “Are you Mister Buckman?” he asked.
“Yes, I am, Captain. Are you the pilot?”
“Yes, sir. We’re all prepped and ready, just waiting for you.”
“I apologize if I’ve kept you waiting. I’m ready when you are.”
“No apologies necessary, sir. Luggage?”
I shook my head. “It’s just a day trip. We’ll probably head back a few hours after we land. I just need to sign some papers and meet a few people. My only luggage is my briefcase.” I lifted it and showed him. I had repacked it prior to the trip, with the paperwork related to the Microsoft deal.
He pointed to a poster on the wall and asked, “Any fruits or vegetables?”
“Nope.”
“Well, then let’s get going.”
Taylor had outdone herself this time. It was my first time in a chartered jet since the vacation trip to the Bahamas. That had been in a Learjet, and while very nice, it was small. However a Learjet only had a range of about 1,500 miles and Hawaii to Washington is almost twice that. To fly that far you need more fuel, which means a bigger plane. That bigger plane turned out to be a Gulfstream II. If the Learjet was luxurious, the G-II was simply sybaritic! Best of all, the cabin was large enough that I could stand upright without my head going through the roof.
“I was told to prep the plane with a couple of bottles of champagne, one for the flight there and one for the flight back,” said the captain, pointing to a small refrigerator in the front bulkhead.
I laughed at that. “My travel agent is being a bit too thorough. I am certainly not drinking before my trip. Maybe on the way home.” I told the pilot my plans, to sleep on the trip. He dug out a blanket and a few pillows for me, and promised to wake me before we began our descent.
“Well, we don’t have a flight attendant, just a copilot. Take a seat. I’m sure you know how to use a seat belt,” he said.
Through the doorway to the cockpit, I saw the back of a second man in the copilot’s seat. I smiled and nodded. “And in the event of an emergency, bend over, put your head between your legs, and kiss your sweet ass good-bye!”
“You’ve flown with us before! You already know the important stuff!” He headed into the front office and I grabbed a very comfortable and plush seat with a good view out the right side. A couple of minutes later the engines whined into life, and we began to move.
I didn’t actually see anything; once we got airborne, it was pitch black out. I reclined the seat and caught some shuteye. It had been a long day and it was late. I had showered and shaved and changed my clothes before we left, putting on a suit. Now I kicked off my shoes and tossed my jacket onto the seat opposite me, and decided on forty winks.
True to his word, the captain announced over the intercom we were approaching SeaTac about half an hour before we were scheduled to land. I stretched and rubbed my eyes, and then moved the seat upright. I wasn’t fully rested, but I was still better off than if I had stayed awake. I unbuckled and shuffled back to the bathroom, which was small, but functional. I used the facilities and washed my face. I didn’t have a toothbrush, but I swilled some water around my mouth. Maybe I could do that once we landed.
As the plane began to descend, I headed back to my seat. I decided that if travel like this was going to be more common, I needed to develop a ‘go bag’ similar to what a lot of us had in the 82nd. A lot of experienced soldiers make up a special bag that they can grab whenever they are heading somewhere with no notice. They keep it in their car or their office or wherever. It might typically have a small toilet kit, a change of underwear and socks, a bottle of their favorite booze, some cash, and (usually) a handgun and spare ammo. I figured something like that would be very useful, though maybe not with the gun.
I was presentable by the time we had landed at SeaTac. A limo was waiting for me at the charter center, but it was simple, not one of those ridiculous stretch Hummers that would be popular in another twenty years, but simply a large and comfortable Cadillac with a driver.
Still, first things first. I looked at my watch and said, “I need to find a drug store and grab some breakfast. Something simple, Mickey Ds or something like that. Can we do that?”
“Can do! Which do you want first?”
I thought for a second. “Drug store, then breakfast.”
We headed out and found a drug store, where I bought a toothbrush and some toothpaste, and then we headed to a McDonald’s for a quick Egg McMuffin. This was definitely a guilty pleasure. You know they have absolutely no redeeming nutritional value and are loaded with salt and cholesterol and fats, but they just taste so good! After breakfast I scurried into the bathroom and brushed my teeth, tossing my new gear into the back of my briefcase.
I hustled my ass back out to the limo (the driver had turned down my offer of breakfast) and gave him the thumbs up sign and told him to move us along. We got to the Microsoft offices a few minutes before nine. I found both Jake and John waiting for me in the lobby. Jake had been staying in Bellevue since we started this project; John had flown in on the first available flight this morning, flying commercial out of Philly. We greeted each other, and then Jake led us into a small office he had commandeered during his and Junior’s due diligence work.
“Everything all set?” I asked.
Jake nodded. “The schedule is that we’ll do the signing at ten, in the main conference room, followed by some champagne and snacks, I believe.”
“Champagne at ten in the morning,” remarked John, shaking his head and smiling.
“Let’s just make sure we do the signing before the champagne!” I laughed.
“No kidding!”
“I have to tell you, Taylor was just a little too efficient with that flight she got me. She had two bottles of champagne loaded on, one for each leg of the flight. I skipped it last night, so now I have two bottles still on the plane. They are going to have to pour me off that thing!”
Both Jake and John laughed at that. “So, you have one, and share one with Marilyn. How’s your vacation going?” asked Jake.
“Just fine, until I left her all alone on our vacation. I’ll make it up to her, maybe with that bottle of champagne.” I looked around. “Where’s Missy and Junior? I thought they would be here, too.”
John shook his head. “Jake Junior decided to head home. We didn’t need his signature on anything, so he took off Friday night. Missy was supposed to come, but changed her mind at the last minute.” I gave him a curious glance, and he continued, “Something’s going on with her. I think there’s a problem or two on the home front.”
I grimaced at that. We had designed the operation to be closely held and to stay that way. If one of us died, the Buckman Group had to buy out the shares of the deceased at the market value. A spouse could not inherit the shares. I didn’t know what a divorce would involve, and didn’t want to find out. “We’ll be flying home this weekend. Maybe I can ask her next week. Or you can ask her when you get home. I’ve known Melissa almost as long as I’ve known you, John, but I can’t say as I’ve ever met her husband.”
“Me neither. Then again, maybe it’s nothing. I’ll let you know when you get back. There’s nothing we can do about it now, in any case.”