“I get a little goofy when I don’t get enough sleep,” I explained.
Frank looked worried, but I ignored him. I paid him big money to worry. I had this.
◊◊◊
During the endless interviews, the subject of Grace did come up a couple of times. I played it off that until last night, she and I had never met. I got the impression that the various reporters were surprised when I didn’t claim that we were now an item. In La La Land, celebrity couples seemed to form and break up the same day.
Fortunately, no one asked about Amelia Coe and me hooking up in the bathroom. I guess morning shows didn’t delve into those particular topics.
On the flight back, Scarlet drew the short straw and got to sit by me.
Both Manaia and Fritz were flying back with us. Paul had called and said that people were showing up at the house again. Fritz wanted to install the drones, while Manaia would provide extra security until we figured out how crazy it would get with the announcement of my Oscar win.
Right before we boarded the plane, Cindy had sent me a long email about Scarlet. Seems someone—Scarlet—had tattled on me.
Once we’d taken off and the flight had settled in, I read the email. It gave a lot of reasons why Cindy thought Scarlet craved role-playing. Bottom line, she desired someone to take charge and guide the experience. Cindy said I would be the logical choice.
◊◊◊
We chartered a plane from Chicago back home because our flight from LA arrived just in time for rush hour. Scarlet became my hero when she announced our mode of transportation. I certainly wasn’t in favor of sitting in traffic for hours just to get out of the city. And on top of that, having to drive another hour and a half to reach home.
At our local airfield, Roy Tyro flagged me down.
“Did you remember that you scheduled your check ride for your instrument rating today?”
I blushed. I’d set up the test thinking I would be back much earlier today. At no time had I given any consideration to the possibility that I might win.
“Nope. Is the examiner still here?” I asked.
“She’s up with Cassidy. They should be done any time.”
Paul had brought the SUV, and I spotted my Dodge Demon in the parking lot. Cassidy must have driven that. I found my parents and informed them about what I planned to do. Cassidy would wait and give me a ride home when I was done.
An instrument rating would lift the limitations I had on flying in weather where visibility was poor to nonexistent, including flying at night.
When Cassidy landed and got out of the plane, her swagger told me that she’d passed. As I walked out for my turn, I met her and gave her a high five.
“Anything I should worry about?” I asked her as the examiner exited the plane.
“No. Roy covered everything. You should be fine.”
“Mr. Dawson?” the examiner called.
I took a deep breath to calm my suddenly racing heart. I don’t know why I was nervous; after all, I was getting comfortable flying.
When I got my IFR certification, I could pilot instead of charter shorter flights. Down the road, I envisioned getting my multi-engine certification and jet ratings for longer trips. Roy had shared with us that more jets were purchased by individual businessmen than commercial carriers.
If you traveled a lot, even with the security passes to get through TSA, you soon realized that flying private or charter was much less of a pain. When flying private, you generally were driven right to the plane, boarded, and were in the air within minutes. I think they recommended that you had to be at least an hour early, if not more, when you flew commercial.
The examiner was all business. I focused on her commands, answered her questions, and it was soon over, at least if you call a little over an hour ‘soon.’ After we came to a stop by the hangar, she finally smiled.
“Would it be okay to get a picture with you?” she asked. “My kids are both big fans, and they’ll be jealous when they see who I flew with today.”
“Did I pass?” I asked.
“Yes.”
“Then absolutely,” I said.
◊◊◊
When we arrived at my house, we were met by a group of about fifty well-wishers waiting outside the gate, as well as the local affiliate with a TV truck. I recognized most of the people as neighbors, so I jumped out when Cassidy slowed down.
“David!” she snapped when I bailed.
I gave her a dismissive wave and waded into the crowd. They just wanted to get a chance to congratulate me and get their picture taken. I made the news crew wait while I quickly made my rounds, then gathered everyone behind me so they could all be in the shot for the nightly news. I suspected that some of them would DVR it so they could point and show that they’d gotten on TV.
When I came into the house, Cassidy was pointing at me while telling on me to Fritz. He’d seen this before, so I was happy when he didn’t call me on the carpet in front of everyone. Fritz had tried that before, and I’d reacted badly. It was only the neighbors, for Pete’s sake.
