“Hank, what are you talking about?” I asked,
barely a whisper. “I did my job in that tower. I
did everything right. You only made it back
because of my emergency assistance!”
Susie, Miss Do–Gooder, cut me off, all teary- eyed. “Rain, honey, I know your family’s going bankrupt. But you can’t off your own husband for the insurance money! Especially not with all those innocent people on board!”
Those words dropped like a bomb.
The same passengers who had been singing his and Susie’s praises and depending on them for life, were now on Hank and Susie’s side.
く
They didn’t want to hear a word I had to say.
“Although an eye for an eye doesn’t make the
world blind, we can’t let this go unpunished,”
Susie said, pouring gasoline on the fire.
Hank stood there, silent, watching, as those
people tore at me.
They beat their savior to death!
I snapped back to reality, my body shaking.
Hank’s plane, just like before, had a problem fifteen minutes after takeoff.
“Cityville, Cityville, Starlight 3213, instrument panel warning lights all over the place!” he said.
His voice was laced with panic.
I pulled off my headset, slapped on my
earbuds, and cranked up the music.
Forty minutes later, on the radar, I watched Starlight 3213, just like last time, turn back and land safely on the Cityville runway.
This time, I went straight to the tarmac to meet him.
Hank saw me, turned into a raging bull, and stormed over. “Rain, what the hell is your job as an air traffic controller?”
I said slowly, evenly, “Respect life and duty, bring every flight home.”
ו–דוו
Г
“Then why the hell did you lie about the
weather? And give me crap landing
instructions?” Hank grabbed my wrist and shoved me hard to the ground.
He turned to his crew and passengers and pointed at me. “She lied about the weather, caused the malfunction! Then she gave me the wrong instructions and I had to risk
everyone’s lives to re–take off!”
The passengers, initially grateful, were now rabid.
“Don’t they make you pass a test for that
job? How could she screw up so badly?” one
of them asked.
“She probably got the job because
く
“She probably got the job because of who
she knows not what she knows. This happens
too often these days!” said another.
“We need to file a complaint with the airport
management and get rid of this menace to
society!” said someone from the back.
I looked at the angry faces and locked eyes
with Hank.
“With six years of experience, I don’t make
those kinds of mistakes. And you’re my
husband. I’d do anything to keep you safe.”
The passengers looked at each other as I said
that.
Susie piped up. “Rain, we’ve been best
friends since college. But I can’t protect you
<
in this situation. You have to be held
accountable!”
“We have families and loved ones waiting for
us at home!” some one shouted.
“My husband has a huge life insurance policy,
so she wanted to kill him!” Susie said. “If
Hank wasn’t so experienced, and we didn’t
work together so well, we’d all be dead!”
The crowd turned silent.
Then they erupted.
“Monster! You’re a murderer!”
I backed up, trying to get away from the mob.
Hank and Susie grinned at each other, waiting
く
Just then, the firetrucks, ambulances, and
police cars arrived.
The crowd froze.
“The cops! They’re here!”
