Fleataxi
Deceased
Allakaket Airlines
Book III
In the
North to Alaska Series
by Fleataxi
Chapter 1 - New Kid in TownBook III
In the
North to Alaska Series
by Fleataxi
Ron moved Anne into Jim’s house, and moved into his new house on the hill. It was huge, cold, and lonely. The wood walls were over a foot thick, and the huge garage housed 2 pickups, including a brand new Ford F-350 4x4 turbodiesel, the older diesel truck, a snowmobile, and a used diesel Kubota L-48 4wd tractor with a front bucket and a backhoe. Even with all the new toys, he still had money left from the half-million his dad gave him. Bill Ayer called and asked him if he’d like to spend a week with him in Hawaii. It was the dead of winter, and Ron thought that a trip to a warmer climate would improve his mood, so he accepted. Ron drove his truck to the airfield, pulled the TurboGoose out of the hangar, preflighted it, then pulled the truck into a parking spot next to the hangar, and took his bags out of the cab. He jumped into the pilot’s seat, and finished the pre-flight, called the tower for permission to take off, and programmed the nav computer with the coordinates for Anchorage Alaska. Bill had told him to park in Alaska Airlines VIP lot, and he would be waiting with a Gulfstream II to fly to Hawaii. When he parked the TG, there was a Gulfstream II parked right next to him, and Bill was already in the pilot’s seat. He grabbed his gear, and locked the plane. After he tossed his bags into the Gulfstream, he walked forward; Bill motioned him to the co-pilot’s seat. “Bill, I’m not qualified to fly this plane!”
“You’re not flying it, I am, besides, with your ATP you’re more than qualified to fly right seat. The company has a condo on Kauai, and I’ve booked it for a week.”
“Are there any dive shops around there?”
“Why?”
“I’m a PADI certified Open Water diver, and you wouldn’t believe how beautiful this world is underwater.”
“Wanna Bet? I’ve had my Open Water cert for almost 10 years, looks like we’re going diving!”
“Great, let’s get this show on the road!”
Bill finished preflighting the Gulf Stream, taxied toward the runway, and got permission to take off, then he turned southwest toward Hawaii. He didn’t fly straight to Hawaii, but flew the Northern west-bound corridor, which added 100 miles to their trip, but reduced the chance of a mid-air collision, since all the planes in the corridor were flying west They landed at the private airstrip on Kauai later that afternoon, checked into the condo, which Ron was glad to see was a 2-bedroom suite, and dumped their suitcases and changed into their shorts. Not thinking, Ron had packed his SEAL shorts. Bill picked up on that immediately, and asked him how he got a pair of official SEAL swim trunks. Ron related his experiences with Bear at MacDill. Bill was impressed to say the least, because he had several SEAL friends, and they never told him to call them by their Team names, and these guys were really good friends! Bill picked up the Yellow pages, and quickly located a dive shop that could rent them not only the diving equipment, but a chartered dive boat for as long as they wanted it. Bill asked Ron what kind of wetsuit he wanted, and Ron told him a Men’s medium 4/3 suit. Bill ordered the suits, and 2 sets of tanks/regulators, etc. He rented cameras, lights and everything else they would need. The condo came with limousine service, and he called the front desk to reserve the limousine for first thing tomorrow morning to take them to the dive shop. They spent the rest of the afternoon goofing off pool side, then went inside for dinner. Bill liked this condo complex, because everything was informal. He liked the change from always having to wear a suit.
The next morning, they rode in the limousine to the dive shop. Bill handed them his Alaska Airlines AMEX card, and signed the receipt. They showed their PADI dive cards, then were escorted to the boat, which was fueled and all ready to go. Since Bill knew all the hot dive spots in Kauai, he checked the GPS navigation system, and selected several sites they wanted to visit. Ron checked out the boat, and saw it was equipped for live aboard, and wondered why they got the condo. Ron thought he had seen beautiful reefs in Florida, but the reefs they dove over the next couple of days made them look like an aquarium. Ron shot dozens of rolls of film, as did Bill. They became even closer friends over the trip. On the way back home to Alaska, Ron asked Bill why he never married. Bill said he was married, but his wife ran out on him years ago, and he never got over it. He found out later that she had multiple affairs while they were married, and she had married him for his money. Since she had abandoned him and left the state, he was granted an uncontested divorce by the courts, and an annulment by the church, but never found anyone who would love him for him. He told Ron to pick his future wife carefully. Ron told him about the incident with the barracuda, and Bill laughed his head off then said “I would have paid big money to see the look on her face when you said that - I’ll have to remember that one! I’ll bet the rest of the barracudas will leave you alone from now on!”
“I hope so Bill, my dad died recently, and I built a huge house on the hill above Allakaket, but without a wife and children, it’s a big empty museum.”
“Don’t be in too big a rush to get married Ron, you might make the same mistake I did.”
Ron told him the story about Samantha, and what she was doing now.
“Ron, I don’t know if I would have exhibited the self-control you did. You really were a friend to her. You gave her exactly what she needed with no thought of receiving anything in return. She’s saved now, and going to become an ER doc. You could have done worse.”
“Bill, it really killed me to let her go, I still miss her, and I’m still tempted to fly to North Carolina and ask her to marry me.”
“Don’t, you’ll regret it. Even if she agrees, it will be all wrong, and odds are now that she’s into Medical School, she’s there to stay. If she says “No”, you’ll really be hurt.”
“You’re right, but I’m so lonely I could cry!”
“Believe me Ron, I know how you feel.”
“I’ve got an idea. Let’s double date so we can get two opinions on our dates. I’ll keep you from getting trapped by a phony, and you can do the same for me!”
“That’s brilliant Ron. The main reason I didn’t date is I was so lousy at evaluating women I was dating, but with a neutral 3rd party there, it would work, also that way the women wouldn’t feel so vulnerable and defensive like they do when they think some rich guy is trying to come on to them.”
“Bill, I’ve got the entire winter with almost nothing to do. Why don’t I rent an apartment in Anchorage for the winter, and we can start on that list you gave me.
“I’ve got an ever better idea. I’ve got a huge 4 bedroom house in Anchorage that feels like that house of yours in Allakaket. We could entertain there, or take them out to dinner, and that way I’d have a roommate, someone to talk to, and you could live in a nice place rent-free and it would be so much more convenient for me instead of sending the limo for you first, then getting our dates.”
“Great, I can move enough stuff to stay the winter.”
“Make sure you bring your guns!”
They landed in Anchorage a couple of hours later, and Ron flew back to Allakaket, told Bill he was spending the winter in Anchorage, and left Bill Ayer’s number in case he needed to get in touch with him, and said that the other Goose pilot could fly any deliveries or emergencies that they needed over the winter. He went to his house, packed his guns and ammo, and enough clothes so he didn’t need to wash more than once a week, and drove back to the plane, loaded it up, and taxied back to the lake and took off for Anchorage. Once he was airborne, he called Bill’s office on his sat phone, and gave him his ETA.
When he landed, he taxied to his space at Alaska Airlines private aircraft parking area, shut down the plane, and was met by a guy with a truck and a note from Bill to put his stuff in the truck, and he would meet him at his house. The driver knew where it was and could be trusted. The driver introduced himself as Sam, and was the Baggage Handling supervisor for Alaska Airlines. Ron thought Sam was big enough to pick up a 747 by himself. He handled the rifles and ammo cases gently, but you could tell that they were no strain on him at all. Finally when everything was loaded, Sam got in the driver’s seat, and Ron got in the passenger seat. Ron was still wearing his shoulder holster, and he could tell it was making Sam nervous, but he didn’t know Sam from Adam, and he had almost $50 thousand dollars worth of firearms in the back, and had no intention of taking off his holster. Sam didn’t say two words to Ron on the drive over. They drove through downtown Anchorage to the westernmost end. Bill’s house was a magnificent house on a bluff overlooking the Inland Sea surrounded by trees. It had huge picture windows to take advantage of the view. Bill greeted Ron as he drove up the drive, and Sam put Ron’s bags in his room. Bill gave him the grand tour. Bill’s house was huge, and definitely designed for entertaining. It had a huge floor to ceiling rear-projection screen with surround sound stereo system and a popcorn maker. Downstairs was a game room with a pool table, and a 10-person Jacuzzi/hot tub on the rear deck inside a screened gazebo. The kitchen looked like it came from a set of a cooking show, and the bathrooms were opulent with lavish fixtures, Jacuzzi tubs, and huge walk-in showers. Bill showed Ron his room, and it was on the opposite side of the house, with a separate entrance so Ron could come and go as he pleased without waking Bill. Bill handed Ron a set of keys and an alarm transmitter. Bill looked kind of funny at Ron, and asked him what in blazes he was doing wearing a double shoulder holster in Anchorage, it wasn’t the Wild West anymore.
Ron explained that he always wore the shoulder holster and fanny pack when he flew, and explained why. Bill agreed that it was a good idea while flying, but portrayed the wrong image in Anchorage. Bill had an oversized soft-sided briefcase he could put them in if he wanted to carry them around. Ron decided to hang his holster in his bedroom closet, and switched to his P-14 Limited in the Bladetech IWB holster with the dual mag carrier. Ron was still armed, but Bill didn’t know it - out of sight, out of mind. They spent the rest of the day getting organized, then tomorrow was Sunday, and they had a social scheduled after church the 3rd Sunday of each month.
The next day, they drove to church in the limo, and Ron was amazed when none of the Barracudas gave him a second glance. After church, Bill introduced him around, and he met some really nice women ranging from about 18-23 years old. Most of them worked in Anchorage at various entry level jobs. One of them was a junior programmer, one was a veterinary assistant, and the rest were various types of clerks trying to climb the corporate ladder. Ron made a short list of the women he was interested in, compared notes with Bill, then they went back and invited the most interesting prospects to dinner that night at Bill’s place. They felt much better when they learned it was a double date, and they would be picked up by Bill’s limo driver. Bill suggested they dress conservatively casual, and that dinner would be at 7:00pm. Ron found out later that Bill was a gourmet chef that loved Italian food. He made 3 different types of pasta, a vegetable dish, and even had time to make homemade Spumoni.
Their dates arrived promptly at 6:30, and Bill thought they were dressed appropriately. They were both wearing long skirts and blouses in different pastel shades. Ron’s date was Nancy, a 20-yr old veterinary assistant, and Bill’s date was Sue, the 35 year old programmer. Over dinner, they talked and had a good time. At 10:00, Bill cut the evening short since he had to be at work at 0800 the next morning, and had the driver drive them both home. After the girls left, Ron and Bill compared notes. They both liked Nancy, but Sue seemed to be severely uptight. Ron decided that Nancy would get a second date later after the first round was completed. The next several weeks, they double-dated at least once a week. When they were finished, Ron found 6 girls he’d like to ask out again, and Bill had 3 since he was pickier. Ron noticed he had picked mostly blondes, and Bill had a redhead and 2 brunettes. All of Bill’s picks were divorcees, so there would be some additional baggage involved. All of Ron’s picks were single never-married girls. Over the course of the winter, Ron started dating just 2 girls, then just one. It seemed he and Nancy really hit it off. Bill had struck out, but had found some new friends, so when he wanted to do stuff, they wanted to go with him as friends. That would come in handy at business dinners, since showing up stag was seriously embarrassing.
Ron and Nancy were spending more and more time together, and sat together at church. Nancy was a city girl that loved animals, had originally lived in Wisconsin and learned to hunt white tail deer there, but got grossed out at the process of skinning to the point that her dad often skinned her deer. She liked camping but had never lived outside of a city. Finally Ron took her to Allakaket to meet Anne. Anne approved of her, but Nancy was a little skittish about moving into the “middle of nowhere.”
Anne explained to her that until she met Roy, Ron’s dad, she lived in Dallas and was a big-city nurse. She moved to Allakaket to help her brother out when he got assigned there as a doctor, and met Roy when a tree fell on him and broke his arm. Her bother wanted to join the Air Force, so he fixed her up with Roy as a private duty nurse, and they fell in love and were married. She spent the next 17 years living in a 2-room cabin that made Allakaket look like Anchorage. She said something very important “Home is where your heart is, I was in love with Roy, and Roy lived in a cabin, so my home is back in that cabin in the woods.”
Nancy said “How Romantic!” Ron asked her if she’d like to see the cabin, it was another hour’s flight. She said yes in a heartbeat, and they boarded the TG after Ron kissed his mother goodbye. An hour later, he landed at the lake, and taxied up onto the beach, then they walked to the cabin hand in hand. Ron unlocked the door and they went inside. Nancy’s first comment was “It’s so small”, to which Ron replied “More like cozy and comfortable. In the deep woods like here, you heat everything with wood, so you don’t build big houses.”
Nancy said “You’re not planning on living here are you?”
“No, I’ve got a house in Allakaket, do you want to see it?”
Nancy said yes, and they walked outside. Ron locked the door and they walked back to the plane. They landed in Allakaket an hour later, and Ron took the older truck. They drove for miles until they came to the end of a road. “It’s right up that road Nancy.”
They got out and walked. Nancy was sure it would be another log cabin until she stepped into the clearing and saw the huge house made of logs, like a dream come true. “I could live here.”
“That was the general idea. Want a tour?”
They walked throughout the whole house, and Nancy knew she could live here. There weren’t any malls, shopping, or anything in Allakaket, but Anchorage was just over an hour away by air. “Ron, how many kids did you want?”
“I’ve got a 4-bedroom house, so how about 4 kids?”
“I always wanted a large family, and 4 kids sounds just about right.”
“Did you want to home school them, there are no schools in Allakaket.”
“Actually the way the schools are now, I’d prefer to home school the kids.”
“Nancy, I already know you like hunting and fishing, but could you give up a social life, live in a small town and raise your kids?”
“Depends on the father.”
“Ok, how about a father that was home every night, and loved you to pieces, was great with the kids, and helped around the house, and most of all, was a God-fearing Christian Man?”
“Where do I sign up?”
“How about right here?”
Nancy realized she had been neatly set up. Ron was barely 18, but a very mature 18. He wouldn’t have any problems supporting the kids, and he really was in love with her. She wasn’t sure how she felt about Ron. She thought that if he could meet her mom, that would give her an idea.
“Ron, before I answer that question, I want you to meet my mom, she’s a real good judge of character, after all she married my Dad.”
“What happened to your dad?”
“He died recently just like yours.”
“Where does your mom live?”
“She lives in Seward with her sister.”
Ok, the TurboGoose has enough range for that. I’ll have to gas up. Do you think your mom would mind us dropping in?”
“This is all a little sudden, don’t you think?”
“Well, you met my mom, I think the least I can do is meet yours, and I’ve got the time.”
“Well if you put it that away, let’s go!”
They got into the plane, and Ron taxied to the fuel pumps and filled the tanks as full as he could, then made sure everything was secure. Nancy liked riding in the copilot’s seat. She’d like to have her pilot’s license one day, but never told anyone, since they were too expensive to get.
Ron found Seward in his navigation software, and was glad to note they had a fuel depot with Jet Fuel. He contacted the tower and received permission to take off, then headed south to Seward. It took 4 hours at 250 knots, then he called the tower, and landed the plane at the municipal airport. Seward was almost as big as Anchorage, he was glad to note. They called Nancy’s mom, and drove over to her place. It was near dinner, so she invited them to stay for dinner. Ron was IFR qualified, he was OK flying home after dark. They took a cab to Nancy’s mom’s house, and were met by a little old lady that Nancy immediately hugged and called Mom. When they broke their clinch, Ron stuck his hand out and said “Mrs. Henderson, I’m Ron Williams.”
“My, my such nice manners. I was always hoping Nancy would meet a nice boy like you.”
“May we come in?”
“Why yes, where are my manners, come on in.”
Their house was small but cozy, and there was one cat in the living room, sitting on her sister Ester’s lap. Ron walked over and introduced himself, then asked if he could pet her cat.
“Yes of course, Old Thomasina loves company.”
The cat was so mellow Ron could swear it was on Thorazine, but it seemed to enjoy Ron petting it. He remembered petting Lucky and quickly withdrew, shaking his head.
“What’s wrong Ron?”
“I just miss my dog Lucky.”
“I know how you feel, when I’m working with the vet, and they have to put an animal down, I start crying too.”
Nancy’s mother noted approvingly that Ron seemed to have a soft heart.
“So where did you two meet?”
“Mrs. Henderson, we go to the same church.”
“Ron, please my name is Gertrude.”
“Thanks Gertrude. Don at the FAA office invited me to his church the Sunday after I went to the Christian Businessman’s Prayer Breakfast on Saturday with Bill Ayer.”
“You know William Ayer?”
“Yes Ma’am.”
“Mom, Ron’s being modest, he owns Allakaket Airlines. We flew one of his planes down here from Allakaket.”
“Ron, you live in Allakaket?”
“Yes Ma’am, I was born just 100 miles north of there in a small log cabin, and lived there all my life.”
“Sounds exciting. I wish Sam would have settled in the interior instead of Seward.”
“Gertrude, you know he got a job here, otherwise he would have.”
“Right Ester.”
Gertrude looked at her watch and said “I believe Dinner is ready.”
“Do you need any help serving dinner or setting the table?”
“You can set the table if you want Ron.”
Gertrude was really impressed by Ron so far. Maybe Nancy found someone that she could settle down with.
Ron set the table, then Gertrude said grace. Ron bowed his head and said “Amen” at the end. Gertrude had made stew for dinner. Ron thought it was delicious, and said it was. They talked for a while, then Gertrude turned to Nancy and said, “It’s getting late, are you OK getting home after dark.”
“Mom, Ron owns a big Grumman Goose with a full modern instrument suite. He’s got his Airline Transport Pilot’s license, so he’s fully qualified to fly at night.”
“OK, anyway you kids better get going.”
“Mrs, Henderson, thanks for a lovely dinner, and I hope to see you again.”
Ron turned to leave and Gertrude whispered to Nancy “This one’s a keeper, better get married before someone else grabs him.”
“Thanks Mom, I needed to hear that from you.”
Nancy kissed her mom on the cheek, and said “Bye Mom. See you later.”
Just as they were walking out the door, the cab they had called showed up. He drove them back to the airport, except this time Nancy was much more cuddly. Ron paid the cab at the airport, and they walked hand in hand to his airplane. They taxied to the fuel depot where he filled the tanks up, then turned toward the runway. He set the nav computer up for Allakaket, and set the cockpit lights so he could see the instruments, he would need them to fly tonight. It was already dark and getting darker by the time they took off.
Ron concentrated on his flying until they were at cruising altitude, and could engage the autopilot.
“Nancy, I was really glad I got to meet your mother today, she’s a really nice lady.”
“Ron, is that offer still open?”
“Nancy, Are you sure you are OK with living in Allakaket? It’s pretty remote, especially during the winter. The upside is fishing, hunting, camping, and hiking during the summer and fall, and cross-country skiing or snowmobiling during the winter. If we want to socialize, I have a 4x4 diesel truck we can drive to the café, or we can take snowmobiles if the weather’s not too bad.”
“Ron, remember what your mom said about home is where the heart is?”
“Yes!”
“Well I can tell you where my heart is, it’s with you. I wasn’t sure at first, but my mom cinched it. I’m a lousy judge of character, and I’ve been burned before, but my mom can smell either a Rat or 24-carat gold from a mile away, and she thinks you’re 24-carat gold. I really liked you from the start, but I’ve been suckered by some jerks before, so I’m very careful about giving my heart away.”
“Nancy, will you marry me?”
“What took you so long to ask?”
Nancy gave Ron a kiss that made Samantha look like an amateur, then Ron said “Holding out on me? I didn’t know you were such a good kisser?”
“Well you do now Ron.”
“Are you OK with long engagements?”
“6 weeks too long?”
“Depends on how many times I see you in that six weeks Nancy. How would you like to learn to fly?”
“I’d love to, but I could never afford to.”
“Until we start having kids, the best way to spend the most time with me would be as my co-pilot. If you were fully certified, we could fly longer routes that necessitated IFR flying like now. If you were a paying passenger, I’d technically need a co-pilot since darkness is usually an IFR condition unless the moon is so bright you can see well enough to navigate by it.”
“Great, when do I start?”
“As soon as you want to.”
Ron reached for his sat phone and dialed Bill Ayer. “Bill, I hope I didn’t wake you, but guess what? Nancy and I are getting married!”
“Terrific, when’s the wedding?”
“Nancy said 6 weeks if we can wait that long - she’s a good kisser!”
Nancy gave him another kiss - just for luck.
“Bill, we’re going to stay overnight in Allakaket so we can give my mom the good news.”
“Ok, it will take me that long to arrange the Engagement party at my place tomorrow. Dress is formal, so wear your suit!”
“Yes sir! Nancy, do you own a suit?”
“Just my swimsuit!”
“I don’t think that’s what he had in mind.”
Bill was listening to the whole conversation, and started laughing. “Ron, you wear a suit, Nancy can wear a dress! NOT the other way around, this isn’t San Francisco!”
“OK Bill see you tomorrow!”
“I can’t believe it; I’ve finally found Mrs. Right!”
“I thought your last name was Williams?”
Chapter 2 - Engagement
Ron and Nancy landed at Allakaket around 10:00 pm, and were met by a very tired mayor, who gave them separate rooms for the night at the newly remodeled inn. The next morning, they drove over to see Ron’s mom, who was so happy she was crying. Nancy received enough hugs to last a week. Anne said “I wish your dad was here to see this!”
“He is Mom - I’m sure he’s grinning from ear to ear from his perch near St. Peter saying “That’s my Boy!”
Anne gave Ron a big hug and told him to take care of Nancy. Ron said they lived just a couple of miles away, and could be there if she needed them, and Bill was just a phone call away.
“Don’t you worry about me, I’ll be just fine!”
They got back in Ron’s truck, drove up to his house, and Ron brought out several large Pelican cases and some big green boxes. Then he packed a couple of bags for each of them, turned off the lights and locked the door.
“Ron, what’s in the cases?”
“They’re a surprise. I promised Bill we could go long-distance shooting some time, and now seemed to be the best time, since we’re going to be busy planning a wedding, and getting you your pilot’s license. We also need to stop by a jewelry store on our way to Bill’s. It’s not really an engagement party unless you can show off your engagement ring.”
“Ron, I don’t want a huge rock, so don’t buy me anything bigger than a ½ carat please!”
“Your wish is my command!”
“Just remember that when the sink is full of dirty dishes, and both kids need their diapers changed!”
“Yes Dear!” <Like Father Like Son!>
When they reached the TurboGoose, Ron lugged the cases into the passenger compartment of the plane, then he opened the door for Nancy and she sat in the co-pilot’s seat as he ran around and got in the pilot’s seat. He started the Allison turbines and taxied to the fuel pumps, and filled the tanks with fuel. He sealed the caps, did a quick walk-around, and climbed back in to do the pre-flight checks. Once everything was ready to go, he moved the throttles from idle and the propellers engaged and he taxied out to the lake. Once they were fully waterborne, he retracted the landing gear, and set the plane up for take off while programming the nav system for Anchorage. After receiving permission to take off, they were airborne and flying to Anchorage at 250 knots. Once they reached cruising altitude, he set the autopilot and gave Nancy a big kiss.
“What’s that for?”
“For saying you’ll marry me!”
“Well in that case…”
Ron was glad that he learned to hold his breath; otherwise he might have passed out from that kiss. They flew along in prenuptial bliss as the plane winged its way to Anchorage. When they were 10 minutes out, they called Anchorage for landing instructions, and were told to park the plane in Alaska Airline’s VIP section. Wondering what Bill had up his sleeve besides his arm, Ron taxied to the VIP ramp only to see Bill’s limo waiting for them. When they got out, the driver handed Ron a note.
Ron, the limo is yours to use today, I’m sure you have some shopping to do. I took the day off to plan and cook for all the people I invited. Buy Nancy a beautiful dress on my card.
Bill
Ron was holding Bill’s Alaska Airlines AMEX card.
The driver wished he would have gotten one of the baggage handlers to help load these cases into the limousine. They barely fit in the trunk, and he had worked up a pretty good sweat by the time he was finished loading the limousine. He asked Ron “Where to Sir?”
“Take us to the best jeweler in town, then we need to buy Nancy a fancy dress for the party tonight.”
“Yes sir.”
He opened the doors and they got in, giggling like school kids. There was a bottle of sparkling cider in an ice bucket with 2 glasses in the limousine.
Nancy saw it and told Ron “Open it.” So he opened the sun roof and pried the top off the bottle. Good thing he opened the sun roof, because the cork went flying, and he poured 2 glasses. Before they drank, Ron proposed a toast “To Love!”
Nancy’s smile could have lit up the Boston Gardens all by itself.
15 minutes later, the limousine stopped in front of a fancy jeweler’s store. The driver got out, and held the door open for them. The owners of the store recognized the plate number, and were bowing and scraping and fawning all over them. Ron said they were looking for a half carat engagement ring for his fiancé. She was shown several trays of half carat diamonds, and decided the marquise cut was the most flattering for her long thin fingers. She also preferred white gold to yellow gold. They showed her a dozen unmounted stones with their GIA certified ratings. Ron saw one that he knew she would love, it was a D color VVS1 stone that just looked like lasers were coming out of it. The owner liked Ron’s taste, and suggested a low-mount ring so she wouldn’t snag it on things. Ron liked the design elements, and Nancy liked the way the stone gleamed in the mount. Ron asked them if they could put a rush on it, they were due at Bill Ayer’s house that afternoon for their engagement party. The jeweler assured them it would be mounted, polished, and sized within 2 hours. He slid a set of trial rings down her ring finger until he found a perfect fit, then wrote the number on the work order. Ron handed him his Allakaket Airlines AMEX card, and the owner was back two minutes later with a sales receipt for Ron to sign. He handed Ron a claim check, and wrote RUSH on the order, and a due by time of 2 hours later. Ron hoped it wouldn’t take 2 hours to shop for a dress. He hoped Nancy was a more decisive shopper than Samantha.
They walked outside, and the driver was waiting with the door open, when he closed the door, he drove to the most exclusive boutique in Anchorage. Ron was glad that Bill had volunteered to pay for the dress, because some of these dresses cost more than Nancy’s diamond. Finally after an hour and a half, Nancy asked Ron to come into the dressing room to see if he approved. She was wearing a baby blue dress with a non-existent neckline. Nancy looked stunning in it, and he realized that the dress was more modest than most of the swimsuits he had seen on the beach in Hawaii. Nancy was worried that the dress was designed to be worn braless, and she hadn’t gone braless since she was 12. Ron assured her she looked stunning in the dress, and it wasn’t too revealing as long as she didn’t bend over too far. Nancy had to laugh at that image, then made Ron swear that if she dropped anything while wearing that dress, he’d pick it up for her. Ron held her and gave her a big kiss, and told her she was the most beautiful woman in the world. That kind of praise can earn multiple brownie points, so she told Ron to amscray so she could get dressed, since they weren’t married yet! Ron made a hasty retreat, and when he looked back, Nancy blew him a kiss, and told him to wait up front for her. The dress was easier to get out of than into, and she also had to buy a special pair of panties to avoid any lines. She decided that she could dress like that for just one night, then back to her conservative mode of dress. The clerk picked out a pair of shoes that shaped and accentuated her calves. The clerk warned her not to walk very far in those shoes if she weren’t used to heels, or she’d get a Charlie horse. The clerk bagged her purchases, and hung the dress on a special hanger to keep it wrinkle free. She told Nancy that the dress was OK to wear tonight, and it should only be dry cleaned after that. Nancy knew she would never wear that dress again in her lifetime.
She came out of the changing rooms back in her regular clothes just in time to make it to the jewelers. They paid for her purchases, and the Driver got them back to the jewelers within 2 hours and 5 minutes. The jeweler had a surprise for them. Bill Ayer had called them, and asked the jeweler to loan them a 1 carat Diamond pendant that matched the ring. The dealer made Ron put a credit card deposit for the value of the diamond, with a 24-hour return. When he saw how much the diamond pendant was, he decided to make darn sure that they were back at the jewelers first thing tomorrow to return it. He handed them the pendant in a leather covered satin-lined box. Then he gave Ron Nancy’s ring, and he slipped it onto her hand. She gave him a big kiss, then they had to get to Bill’s house. The driver had called ahead, and got one of the strongest of Bill’s employees to meet them at Bill’s house to unload the trunk. Bill met Ron and Nancy in the drive and said “Congratulations you two. Ron, put your stuff in your old room, Nancy can take the room between us. You’re both staying the night tonight.”
“Bill, I have a little surprise in the trunk for you.”
He looked past Ron to his employee taking the huge Pelican cases out of the trunk, and he knew what they were. He was glad he had his secretary clear his schedule for the rest of the week.
“Bill, let’s go shooting at Elmendorf right after we return Nancy’s pendant. Here’s your credit card back, and thanks.”
“Don’t mention it. Nancy is a beautiful woman, and she deserves to look like a princess tonight.”
“Bill, I hope you didn’t invite the pastor, Nancy’s dress is kind of revealing, but no worse than anything we saw at the beach.”
“He’ll be there, but he’s been to formal events before, and is used to women with braless dresses, since that’s the only kind of formal dress they make anymore for anyone under 60 years old. OK you two, I need some help in the kitchen, then we all need to take showers and get changed, the guests will start arriving in 3 hours.”
Nancy said “Aren’t you cutting it a little close, I’m going to need at least 2 hours to put on the warpaint and feathers.”
“We’ll let you start early then.”
They adjourned to the kitchen where Bill was whipping up tons of appetizers and finger foods. In another hour the servers would arrive and start setting up the house for a large party. Large was an understatement in this case, more like huge. Anyone who was anyone in Anchorage Society was invited to the engagement party. He needed 6 valets just to park all the vehicles, and all the limousines in Anchorage were booked. When the servers arrived, Bill dismissed Nancy and Ron to get ready. Ron’s suit was hanging on a Dry Clean hanger. Evidently Bill had sent Ron’s suit out to be cleaned and pressed while they were out. He got undressed and got in the shower, then shaved and got dressed. When he went to get dressed, he noticed that his shoes had been freshly polished. He walked out to the main room with 15 minutes to spare. Nancy was no where to be found, and Ron knew she just wanted to make an appearance. 15 minutes later, she made an appearance, and Bill and Ron just stood there with their mouths open. Nancy looked like a Hollywood movie star with her flowing, shimmering long blond hair, the 1 carat marquise diamond pendant glowing between her breasts, and a matching set of diamond earrings in her ears. It turned out that she had a pair of cubic zirconia ear rings, but no one knew from looking, since the pendant was obviously real, as was the diamond engagement ring. Ron whispered something in her ear and she giggled. 10 minutes later the doorbell rang and the guests started arriving. An hour later, they were still arriving, and the room was getting crowded, so Bill opened the balcony doors and expanded the room by 50%. Everyone was admiring Nancy’s ring and pendant, and saying what a lovely couple they were. Nancy made sure she didn’t bend any further forward than she had to all night. By the time the last guest left at midnight, they were exhausted. Ron and Nancy went out on the balcony for some private time.
“Ron, I love you so much, thanks for doing this for me, but I hope I never have another night like this as long as I live. Half the men were staring at my breasts instead of my face, and most of he women were so catty that I thought they had claws. I could never live in this society lifestyle, it’s so phony.”
“Glad you feel that way. Hanging with Bill has been an education in more ways than one, and I agree I want no part of this scene. We’ll shop in Anchorage when we need to, and I’ll fly out for meetings with Bill, but I’m not going to do the social circuit, even if it costs me business.” Ron gave his future wife a big kiss, then noticed something.
“Are you wearing underwear?”
“All that I could wear with this dress without some embarrassing panty lines was a tiny little thong.”
Ron’s hands drifted lower, and he said “I see what you mean!”
“Ron if you don’t move your hands, we might not make it to our wedding date!”
He slid his hands reluctantly back up to her waist.
“Ron, let’s get married in Allakaket, otherwise Bill’s going to invite all his friends. I’d rather have a small wedding in the Allakaket chapel than a huge wedding in Anchorage.”
Ron gave her a big kiss and said “I was hoping you’d feel that way, I wasn’t looking forward to the circus that a big Anchorage wedding would become.
With that out of the way, Ron went to bed, but first he took a cold shower.
The next morning they returned the 1-carat diamond pendant, and made sure they got the receipt, then they called the gunny at Elmendorf and made sure it was OK to shoot today. He said he would meet them at the gate. Ron said to watch for a limousine.
1 hour later, the gate guards were amazed when a stretch limousine pulled up to the gate. They were even more amazed when the gunny told them to wave it through. It parked in the Security parking lot, and 2 Air Force Police loaded the contents of the trunk into Gunny’s Hummer. The driver was instructed to wait there, and the rest of the occupants piled like circus clowns into Gunny’s hummer and drove onto the base. The gate guards just shook their heads. When they arrived at the firing range, Gunny told Ron that he wasn’t expecting an audience. Ron told him that they were his Fiancé and Bill Ayer, the CEO of Alaska Airlines. Gunny thought they would be OK, so he unloaded the Hummer, set the 2 huge rifles on the tables, and had a team of runners (he learned his lesson from the last time - one runner soon becomes a walker) to set up and pull targets on the 1,000 yard line. Gunny handed out eye and ear protection, then they uncased the rifles. Bill was practically drooling, and Nancy was so curious she practically knocked Ron over to see what was in the case. She didn’t realize what she was looking at but Bill did.
“Ron, that’s not like any Barrett’s rifle I’ve seen in their catalog.”
Gunny spoke up. “Folks, these are prototype weapons from Barretts that Ron has been doing an extended Testing and Evaluation program on. The one that looks like its barrel is 3 times the normal size is a new suppressed design. It doesn’t totally suppress all firing noise, so we still need eyes and ears when firing it. It comes with a daylight and a night vision scope. Since its broad daylight, obviously we can’t use the NV scope, so we will shoot the daylight scope, which is pretty huge itself. The other rifle is an older prototype with the conventional muzzle brake, which was built to test the new daylight scope. The recoil of that weapon is about what you would expect from a 12-gauge shotgun, but the muzzle blast is brutal. You don’t want to be within 12 feet of the muzzle brake and to the side if he fires it. Behind is safe. Further behind is even better. These rifles, and especially the new suppressed rifle, are capable of 12” groups at 1,000 yards. They are classified as Secret, so you can’t tell anyone you saw or shot these weapons. With that understood, let’s get down to shooting.”
While Gunny was giving them the security lecture, Ron had set up the suppressed rifle, and was ready to shoot at the 1,000 yard target any time they were ready. Gunny broke out his spotting scope, and set another one up on another table so Bill and Nancy could watch too. Gunny and Ron put on their pair of headsets, and Bill and Nancy put on their hearing protectors.
It took Ron a while to settle down, then he started reciting the 23rd Psalm. That always worked. The crosshairs were locked on the bullseye as if the scope were fixed to a block of concrete. He touched the trigger, and the first round went right through the center of the x-ring. Gunny was silent this time, because Ron had told him that the cheerleading wasn’t necessary, and might break him out of the zone. 5 shots later, when Ron had locked the bolt back, Gunny told him that he had probably shot his smallest group yet, and sent a runner to pull the target. He came back with the target, and the calipers told the story. He had shot a 6 inch group at 1,000 yards. Gunny just shook his head, there were maybe a half-dozen people in the world that could do that. Ron decided to take a breather and let Bill behind the controls. With Ron acting as shooting coach, Bill got in a comfortable prone position, adjusted the stock to fit him, then sighted through the scope. He couldn’t believe his eyes. The 1,000 yard target was bright, clear, and appeared to be no more than 20 yards away. When he was ready, Ron switched headsets with Bill, and explained how it worked. Once Bill was ready to go, Ron put on his hearing protectors and retreated back to the spotting scopes. Bill inserted the magazine into the rifle, and cycled the action. Looking through the scope, the target was wobbling slightly, but no more than when he shot that trophy Dahl’s Ram in the mountains a few years ago. It was a really long shot for him, 400 yards away with his Remington 7mm Magnum rifle with the Leupold scope. He had shot so much that he could anticipate his wobble, and shoot through it. 5 rounds later, he was amazed that all 5 rounds were inside the bullseye. He wondered how small his group was. 10 minutes later he found out that he had shot a 10-inch group. The gunny had a brilliant idea, and had a tape recorder out when he asked Bill to evaluate the rifle, since Barretts might be interested in the opinions of Civilian Shooters. Ron asked Nancy if she wanted to try it. After Bill reassured her that the recoil was negligible, she said she would love to. Ron acted as the shooting coach again. Nancy wasn’t as experienced of a shooter as Bill, but she listened, and did exactly what Ron told her. She got prone behind the rifle, adjusted the stock to fit her, then checked the image through the scope. She was amazed at how bright and clear the image was, she was looking at a target 1,000 yards away, and it looked like the image through the scope at the 100 yard range where her dad taught her to shoot. When she was ready to shoot, Ron handed her a loaded magazine, and retreated to the spotting scopes. She inserted the magazine into the rifle, cycled the action, and said a quick prayer, got behind the scope, and as soon as the image stabilized of the center of the bullseye, she touched the trigger. Ron was amazed when the first round was an X-ring shot through the center of the bullseye, since even Bill didn’t get an X-ring shot. When she had fired all 5 rounds, she locked the action open, and stood up. Gunny sent a runner to retrieve the target, and Ron walked up to her “How was that?”
“Ron, you were right, the recoil was about the same as my deer rifle, I can’t wait to see the target.”
“Nancy, I’ve got some good news, your first round was right through the x-ring, just like mine.”
Gunny measured her target, and was scratching his head, this couldn’t be right, an inexperienced deer hunter had out-shot him and Bill. He measured her group at 9 ¾” When Ron saw the number, he picked Nancy up and spun her around in his arms. “You did it, it’s amazing, but the calculator doesn’t lie, you shot a sub-MOA group from an unfamiliar rifle at 1,000 yards. Gunny made sure he got her impressions of the gun, then they spent the rest of the afternoon shooting, until they were tired. They packed the guns back in their cases, and Gunny drove them back to the limousine. The driver had taken a nap, and when he heard the Hummer next to him, he woke up and opened the doors, then drove them back to Bill’s house. They left the guns in the trunk of the limousine, and packed their bags for the trip back to Allakaket. On the drive to the airport, Nancy turned to Bill and said “I hope you won’t be upset, but I’d rather get married in Allakaket in the chapel, and just have a small service with family and friends. Of course you’re invited.”
Ron looked at Bill and said “I need a best man, would you mind?”
“Ron, I’d be honored.”
“Bill, I’ll call you with the details. Thanks for everything.”
They got out of the limo, and an Alaskan Airlines Baggage handler was waiting to load the heavy cases into their plane. Bill gave Nancy and Ron a hug, and told them to keep in touch, then he got back in the limousine for the short ride to the office. Ron and Nancy bounded up the stairs of their plane, and climbed in the pilot and co-pilot’s seats once Ron had secured the air stairs and the door. Nancy gave Ron a kiss, then he started the turbines, entered the coordinates for Allakaket, and called the tower for permission to take-off. He talked Nancy through what he was doing and why, and she was fascinated. She never knew a big plane like this could be so complicated. Ron received take-off clearance, and taxied to the runway. Minutes later, they were en route to Allakaket. Ron called the tower when they were 15 minutes out, and he made a textbook landing. Before he taxied up the ramp, he made sure to deploy his landing gear, then taxied up to the hangar and shut down. Between the two of them they were able to lug the heavy cases for the rifles into the bed of his pick up, and drove to Ron’s new house. Ron smacked his forehead after they had unloaded the truck “Nancy, I’m assuming you’re renting an apartment in Anchorage.”
“Oh no, I forgot completely about that, I was supposed to be at work today.”
“Nancy, is there any reason you can’t quit and live here with me, I’ve got this huge 4-bedroom house, and it’s like living in a museum when I’m here by myself.”
“You’re not saying…”
“Like I said, a 4-bedroom house - pick a bedroom, and we’ll sleep in separate rooms until we’re married. I want our first time together to be our wedding night. My mom and dad managed to keep their hands off each other, and they were living in that small cabin.”
“I like that idea Ron, it gives us time to really get to know each other before we’re married.”
“I guess this means we need to fly back to Anchorage to move your stuff.”
“I’d like to get my stuff, luckily it was a furnished apartment, so the furniture stays.”
“Also we need to see the Mayor, since he’s also the Minister.”
Nancy said, “I’m ready if you are” and they got into the pickup and drove to meet Bill.
“Bill, we’re getting married, and would like you to marry us.”
“Great, when’s the wedding?”
Nancy spoke up, “Ron mentioned 6 weeks, but I don’t know if we can wait that long”
“Why’s that?”
“Ron slid his hands down below my waist when he kissed me last night and I almost attacked him then and there!”
“Nancy, every engaged couple goes through that, but you need to learn patience. Sometimes you’ll want to make love and it’s not the right time, like before you’re married, or say he had an important meeting the next morning, and he needs his sleep. You shouldn’t refuse each other for trivial reasons, but sometimes it’s best to wait. If I remember correctly Roy and Anne faced the issue of self-control as well, you might want to talk to Anne about it, and she can give you some pointers. Also, you need to schedule at least 4 marriage counseling sessions with me in the next 6 weeks. Are you ready to set the date yet?”
Nancy said “Bill, let me look at a calendar, what Saturday is 6 weeks from today?”
“That would be May 15th. Ron, is that OK with you?”
“Sure Bill, it’s before my busy season so my schedule is pretty open until June or July.”
“OK, I’ll write that date on my calendar. Ron did you get a best man?”
“Bill Ayer said he’d do it.”
“Nancy, anyone that can give you away, or act as a maid of honor?”
“Just my friend from Anchorage. We both worked at the same Veterinary Hospital. I guess this means she’s going to have to find a new roommate.”
Fleataxi
