Tom risked his grandma’s wrath but grinned and said, “You keep telling me - to get back on the horse.”
“Son, I said horse, not whore. You’ll find the right one. Give it time.”
Tom knew his grandma didn’t mince words and always said what was on her mind. She wasn’t always mean sounding and had a funny side. She’d often used humor to get her point across to her grandkids. Since his wife had died, Tom had less patience for being bossed by his grandmother or sister. He wasn’t a kid anymore and needed some independence, even if they all lived in the same home.
Tom motioned for the lady in white to sit down across from his family. “Hello, I’m Tom. What are your names?”
The little girl looked up with beautiful green eyes that caught his attention. “My, you could be your mom’s younger twin sister.”
“I’m Lucy, and I’m not supposed to talk to strangers.”
The lady in white still hadn’t spoken. She helped the girl into the window seat and sat down, facing Tom. “I’m Samantha Hale, and I demand to know what is going on. I tried to call my boyfriend, and my damned cell phone didn’t work. The screen lights up, but no service and no internet.”
“Ma’am, did you hear what the pilot said?”
“Yes, but that idiot didn’t know anything.”
Tom took a deep breath. “If you’ll wait a minute, I’ll tell you what I know when the others from the Medford area arrive.”
Samantha tersely replied, “I want to know now!”
Tom imagined the lady rolling on the floor, throwing a tantrum. He laughed. “Ma’am, I’ll tell you when I’m good and ready.” He chuckled to himself. The woman didn’t mean anything to him, and he didn’t give two shits about her feelings.
She huffed. “Well, I’ve never been treated with such disrespect.” Tom glared back at her and wanted to flip her off.
Granny B couldn’t stand it anymore and blurted out her thoughts. “Well, miss snooty britches, hang around us for a while, and we’ll teach you some manners.”
Tom waved his hands. “Ladies, we just have to get along for a few more minutes. Look, here comes Bill with the others.”
Samantha glared and cursed under her breath.
Bill had only found four other people from the Medford area, and two weren’t interested in attending the meeting. Bill introduced everyone. Betty Jones was a biology teacher from Medford. Paul White was a security guard at a company in Talent, Oregon.
Bill started the meeting by telling everyone what he and Tom thought had happened. Before Bill could explain, Paul interrupted. “I thought you knew something. You’re just guessing like everyone else.”
Tom cut him off. “Sorry, but no one on the plane knows what happened. The evidence suggests several powerful nuclear bombs have been detonated high in the atmosphere to disable the United States’ communication and military capability. Nuclear bombs give off an electromagnetic pulse which can destroy electronics.”
“Okay, smart boy, why is our plane still in the air?”
Tom exhaled and knew he had to keep his temper. “Luck. Just plain old luck. We’re lucky we’re between the blasts and not close enough to either one to damage our electronics. That’s why we’re still in the air instead of in a million pieces on the ocean floor.”
Paul sneered and glared at Tom. “So, you’re guessing and stirring up crap.”
Tom looked at the shit-for-brains idiot and thought about slamming him to the floor, but knew Granny B didn’t like violence. Tom grinned at the man and then smiled.
Bill interrupted. “No, we’re doing the best we can to be prepared when the plane attempts to land in San Francisco. You’re free to go back to what you were doing if you don’t want to listen and participate.”
Paul cursed and then stormed back to his seat. Bill looked at Betty and Samantha. “Ladies, what are your thoughts?”
Betty spoke first. “I don’t know what to think, but I believe you’re right about being prepared for anything when we land. The worst case is we laugh at each other and tell our friends so they can laugh at us later.”
Samantha was confused by all of the give and take but appeared to be genuinely concerned. “I don’t know what to do. I just want to get my daughter home safely. I’ll do what you tell me to do and help where I can.”
Samantha looked over at Tom and Granny B. “I’m sorry for being a bit grumpy. This trip has been a disaster. Some bastard military group stole my chartered plane, or I’d have been a couple of hours ahead of this flight sipping Appletinis and napping.”
Tom’s head snapped around to face Samantha. “Huh? The military commandeered your plane?”
“Yes, they took over a dozen chartered planes and flew away an hour before we left. Oh, my God! Do you think they knew in advance?”
Tom looked at his family and then Bill and Betty. “The plot thickens. Did anyone notice if any Navy ships or aircraft were bugging out before we left?”
“Now, that you mention it, there was a stream of large naval vessels leaving Pearl Harbor when we flew by the main island. Those bastards knew it was coming and didn’t warn us.” Bill fumed and cursed below his breath, then said, “BOHICA.”
Granny B started laughing aloud. “Bend over, here it comes again. The green weenie in action.”
Bill looked up at Granny B. “Army or Marines?”
“Army nurse, but of course, the green weenie can also violate the Navy and Air Force.”
Bob
