The Airplane Ride

A "Cape Summerland" story

By Thelma Mary Caroline

They filmed the whole trip down there, even the arguments.  I wondered sometimes if my co-workers remembered we were going to be on T V.

"You brought your pet cat?" Jessica said, her eyes wide.  "Are you serious?"

"Well, I couldn't leave her at home!  Not with my husband!"

"Oh my fucking god."

"I'm not going home no matter what," Samantha Snobe said.  "I'm winning that million dollars.  I'm going to, because I really need the money.  Even if there's a hurricane, I'm staying there."

"What?  One million dollars?"  Zach said, feigning falling out of his seat.  I couldn't help but smile, despite Sam's hard glare.  I thought Zach was cool.

"Stop acting like a moron."

"You stop acting like a moron!"

I turned to the bosses, to hear what they were saying.

"This is going to be really cool, Ham, you'll see.  All the employees are going to learn teamwork and hardship.  And it'll boost morale."

"Well, the way I see it, everything's going to fall apart and everyone will go home the first chance they get," Ham, my uncle, told the owner of the company.  He oversaw supplies and was the only reason I worked there anyway.  Like most business in our home town, it relied mostly on familes as employees.

Suddenly, one of my co-workers screamed, "You brought a toaster? A toaster?"

"I like toast," was all Archana, my Indian friend answered.  (By Indian I do not mean Native American.  I mean from India.)

"What -- do you think there's going to be electricity?" Jessica said.  I kind of liked her -- execept for the tone of voice she frequently used while talking.  "This is an unhabited world.  Electricity hasn't been invented yet."

"Where there is a will, there is a way."  I loved her accent.

"Hey, what's your name again?"

It was Elle Jae, the host, leaning over the aisleway.  I looked around, not sure she was talking to me.

"Uh, Laken."

"Cool.  We should hang out sometimes, when they aren't filming.  I think because's of Chic and Sno, they can only film ten hours a day."

"Yeah, that's be cool, I guess," I answered.

Elle Jae smiled and nodded at the people around us.  "This is going to be pretty interesting, huh?  That's for sure."