CHAPTER 15
Dan
“He’s getting up!” a woman says as she points.
“Back up, everybody,” a man says. “He looks dangerous.”
“He’s probably got a bomb in there!”
I stand trying to get my balance and putting the puzzle pieces together.
I look over and see my combie with a huge dent in the passenger’s side door.
I look down and see the pile of trash bags beneath me.
I see a public bus full of tourists taking my picture.
I do the mental math and in combination with the fuzzy memories I realize I was hit by the bus but somehow ejected through the driver’s side window and landed right in a big pile of trash outside the back of a sewing factory. Thank god for cotton.
I stand and get back inside the van.
“Sir, you’re leaving the scene of a crime.”
“The bus ran the light,” a lady says.
“I’m fine. When the cops arrive tell them I’m not pressing charges against the city.”
“What? You could be a rich man.”
“There’s only one kind of rich, buddy. And that’s love.”
I floor the van and make a beeline for the airport.
Fifteen minutes later I arrive, but I don’t park.
I follow the perimeter road along looking for a weak spot in the fence.
There it is!
I cut the wheel hard to the side and put the pedal to the metal slamming through the fence and cutting through the grass right to the runway.
I don’t know which plane she’s on, but I know it takes off soon.
That means only one thing.
I’m going to stop them all.
I’m being tossed up and down and left and right inside the van as I rumble over the bumpy dirt towards the track.
I see a plane preparing to take off and notice the markings.
Qantas.
They’re our big carrier so they’ve surely got a lot of flights coming and going all day.
And I know she’s on one of them about now.
I’m at top speed heading right for the plane.
It’s standing still and then suddenly it starts to move.
I cut the wheel bringing me parallel to the plane as I hop the dirt onto the tarmac.
I honk my horn profusely, but the plane keeps moving.
I move in closer to the plane and suddenly it starts to decrease speed.
She’s gonna stop!
The pilot drops the speed and a few seconds later the plane comes to a standstill.
I hear police sirens in the distance and a huge SWAT team truck not far behind them.
I exit my combie and put my hands in the air moving closer toward the plane.
The door to the plane opens.
I take a step back so I can see who’s up there.
“Have you gone made, mate?” the captain yells.
“Madly in love, sir. Is there a young woman named Ruby on your plane? Ruby as in the blood-red covered gemstone?
The pilot shoots me an annoyed look before picking up the intercom.
“Is there a Ruby on this flight?”
Seconds later I hear the sweetest sound of her voice.
“Dan!”
She appears in the doorway looking as beautiful as ever. She’s so much higher than me, up on her pedestal where she belongs forever.
I turn to my side and see the law enforcement teams are closing in.
“Ruby. I’m sorry I’m late.”
“I thought you were leaving to sell the combie.”
“I was, but I ran out of time.”
“Ran out of time?”
“Yes, because before I went to sell the combie I had to pick out the perfect one of these,” I say dropping to a knee.
“Beautiful, a few weeks ago the world watched as they saw me save you from that misplaced creature. But over the last few weeks I’ve realized the real misplaced creature is me. You’ve shown me the way again. Made me feel alive again. Brought a smile to my face and a feeling inside I can’t describe. Without you life is pointless. I’ve spent my entire life in the most beautiful place in the world but even with all the beauty we have it pales in comparison to you.”
She brings her hands up to her face and I can see she’s crying.
“Will you join me forever here in paradise, as we carve out our own little world of travel and adventure in this vast wide open land? Will you do me the honor of being my wife now and forever? Will you marry me?”
“Yes!” she says. “Yes!”
“Flight attendants, prepare the evacuation slide,” the captain says over the intercom.
“Down on your knees!” the squad team leader yells as he points his gun right at me.
I look down wondering how in the world the guy is missing the completely obvious. I am on my knees already.
Suddenly the evacuation door pops open and the inflatable slide fills with air.
Ruby slides down the big yellow slide looking like a kid in a playground with all her youthful joy and excitement for life.
Once her feet hit the ground she runs toward me.
“It’s the crocodile guy!” one man yells.
A crowd has gathered at the plane’s open doors as they share the moment with us.
I come up out of my crouch and to my surprise the SWAT team leader lowers his pistol.
I swoop Ruby up in my arms and spin us around kissing her for the first time as my fiancée.
I’ve got her in my arms and this time I’m never letting her go.
“I love you,” I say.
“I love you.”