My Mom's Lover

Chapter Four-1

Chapter Four

A Stormy Night

As we sat together on the couch, we heard the unmistakable sound of thunder. Alex got up and looked to the southwest. The black clouds were gathering, and we could see it all from our high floor in the building. I heard more thunder and went to look out with him. I saw lightning and a storm coming.

“That’s fantastic, Steph. You are about to see something most people never see in their entire lives. A thunderstorm is coming straight at us complete with lightning, thunder, and torrential rain. It is one of the most magical sights you will ever see.”

“Are we safe here, Alex?”

“Yes, my dear, the building is reinforced and grounded. We can just enjoy the sights.”

“I’m frightened, Alex. I have never been through something like this before.”

“There is nothing to fear, my dear Stephanie. We will be fine here, and we have a unique perch to watch the power of mother nature first hand. I will hold you all the way through it. If we both die, we will go to heaven together and our problem will be solved.”

“Please tell me you’re kidding.”

“I am just pulling your chain, Steph. We will be fine here, and you will never forget tonight.”

He kissed me and held me tight. I was trembling, but he calmed me. Some way he made all my anxiety go away. He had a power I had never seen in a man before. I got out my phone again and began taking pictures of everything.

“Come over here my darling. Let’s sit on the loveseat. I have placed it perfectly to look out that way.” I sat beside him and he kept me in his arms. The storm approached, and I could see the lightning going from cloud to cloud, lighting up the sky. A lightning bolt suddenly went from cloud to ground in the distance and I jumped. In a few seconds, the thunder from it reached us, rattling the windows in the building, and making me shiver in his arms. He calmed me, telling me it was all right and holding onto me even more tightly. He moved me into his lap and I put my arms around his neck and laid my head against his. He kissed me, and I felt much better. We both turned back to the window and watched as the storm approached. The lightning became clearer, and the thunder followed more quickly. Sheets of rain began to pound against the glass and the glory of Mother Nature burst forth in the most amazing display of her power I had ever seen. Even heavy snowfall could not equal the show we were getting. The night outside went totally black except for the lightning bolts. One hit very close, and I jumped again it was so loud. The storm was all around us.

I watched in awe there in Alex’s arms while the storm raged around us and when it passed, I felt energized and refreshed. The lightning and thunder went past us, but the rain stayed, pelting the windows, and sounding so relaxing. “That was amazing, Alex. I may never leave this suite again, ever.”

“Stephanie, a thunderstorm is a metaphor for life itself. First you see the storm clouds gathering. You can’t prevent what’s going to happen, but you can take shelter from it and protect yourself and those you love. When the storm hits, you realize how powerful nature is and that man shrinks to insignificance in comparison. You watch what it does, all the light and noise, and you appreciate how lucky you are to know how to weather the storm. A major part of that is to have someone go through it with you. Then, the storm dissipates, leaving a pleasant aftermath in its wake and you relax with the one you love, realizing that you got through it together.”

“That is beautiful, Alex. Are we going to go through a storm in our lives?”

“It doesn’t matter as long as we are two and are there for each other. The secret is not to avoid the storms of life, but to get through them together. I love you, Steph, and whatever we must go through, it will be together.”

“Take me to bed, Alex. Show me the power of the lightning and thunder we create when our love takes precedence over everything else.”

“Tonight, we will make love with the rain pounding against our windows, enjoying the sound it makes and knowing we are safe in each other’s arms.”

“Yes, but first I need to try to calm down. That storm was terrifying, exhilarating, and magnificent all at the same time. Do you think we will face storms such as that one in our life together?”

“My dear Stephanie, you are already terrified at the reaction your family might have to us, you are exhilarated about our new love, and you see a magnificent union between a man and a woman. Is it a storm? It could be. We had another option tonight. We could have escaped the storm and not gone through it but look what we would have missed if we had run. You are not running away from the storms we might be facing, and neither am I. We will see all the effects of our love and enjoy the ride.”

My cell phone rang. I didn’t answer it. Five minutes later, it rang again. I looked at the Caller ID and saw it was the airline calling. I had to answer. “Hello? Yes, this is Stephanie.” What I heard made me frown. “Okay. How long do I have?” They told me, and I hung up.

“My dear, Alex. Crunch time is here. That was the airline. They have moved my flight up from in the morning to tonight. I must decide whether to go or stay. And I must do it right now.”

“What happened?”

“Weather up north. It seems that ours wasn’t the only storm in the U. S. tonight. They expect it to be worse up there.”

“How can they get in touch with all the passengers about the change?”

“It is a large group of athletes and their support people. They are all together in their hotel and must get back soon, or they might not make it back for several days.”

“Do they have a flight crew together?”

“Yes, we are always on call when we fly.”

“How long do we have?”

“If I am going to catch the flight, we must leave for the airport immediately.” I began to cry. My heart was breaking that I must leave before our time was over. Alex took me in his arms and tried to comfort me. “Do I have to go?”

“For now, yes, love of mine. After all our plans, your being gone will be depressing for me, but we will get together again soon. This time with our plans to stay together. You know what to do when you get back up there, don’t you?”

“Yes, but I don’t want to leave you now.”

“I don’t want you to go. Send me copies of the photos you have been taking when you get them uploaded. I know your Mom will want to see them and I do too. Now get your things together and I’ll take you to your hotel. Hopefully, having to part prematurely like this will serve to give us even more incentive to solve this problem quickly.”

He dried my tears away and did not let me go for a long time. It didn’t take me long to get my things together. I would put on my uniform at the hotel and catch the ubiquitous shuttle to the airport. Damn the weather! I was on the verge of tears all the way to the hotel. Alex kissed me a passionate goodbye, and I left him, looking back, and waving as he drove away. I just stood there and watched until he got back on the interstate and headed west. I said a quiet goodbye and turned to go do what I knew I had to do. My sadness increased as I realized I would not see him for a while. I wanted the night with him up on his high floor with the rain hitting against the windows, but I went up to my room, dressed for the flight and met the shuttle a little later. I was on my way home.

The flight was terrible. They had been right about the weather. We got out of the airport and up to altitude just in time to avoid the major part of it. If this was what we could expect up north, it would be snow and ice in the springtime. Some of my animosity at them having called me in early dissipated although I missed Alex terribly.

When we landed, the snow had already begun to fall. The sky was dark and air traffic was close to shutting down. I headed for home and just barely made it before the skies opened in a spring snowstorm. The airline was right all along. I put the photos I had taken on my personal page and sent messages to Mom, Melanie, and Alex that I had posted new pictures. They were in order with a selfie of Alex and me as the first one, a shot of his building from the outside, the rooms in his suite, and finally, the pictures of the storm. They summed up my trip very succinctly. My phone rang almost immediately. It was Alex.

“I see you got home okay.”

“Yes, dear boy and the weather up here is horrible. A spring storm just hit us. The airport is shutting down.”

“I miss you, Steph.”

“I miss you too, Alex. Did you see the pictures?”

“Yes, I especially loved the photo of us and the storm photos. We will be able to relive our first time together at my place.”

“Your photo is going to cause at least two female hearts to flutter.”

“You are too kind.”

“It’s true. Mom and Melanie are going to be amazed.”

“Thanks, Steph.”

“I am calling the airline tomorrow to see if there is something for me down close to you.”

“What then?”

“I am going to check the flight attendant clearinghouse for another carrier who might be able to take me on. I have the training and experience, and I think my reviews are good enough to raise some eyebrows. Maybe I can find a good fit.”

“If you don’t, retire and come to me. I can take care of both of us and we can have a blast.”

“Are you really able to do that, Alex?”

“Yes, Stephanie. I’ll lay it all out for you sometime soon.”

“We are actually going to make this work, aren’t we?”

“Yes, my dear, we are. Hopefully it won’t take too long either.”

“Well, darling, I am totally exhausted, and I need to get some rest. I will dream of you all night.”

“I understand, Steph. It’s late. Get some rest and I will call you tomorrow, but not too early.”

“I’ll wait, Alex, and tomorrow I begin my search for my new life.”

“Goodnight my dear.”

“Goodnight, Alex. I know this didn’t work out according to plans, but we will be okay.”

“I know we will, love. Sleep well.” He was gone.

I went to bed. Tomorrow promised to be exciting, whichever way things went. I was asleep as soon as I closed my eyes and awoke the next morning to a winter wonderland. It was beautiful, but I would rather be in Texas with my man.

My schedule called for a day or two off and I looked forward to it. Mid-morning, my Mom called. “Those photos are fantastic, daughter. Alex is still good-looking and very youthful. You two look so good together.”

“Thanks, Mom. What did you think about his condo?”

“I loved it. The thunderstorm was so vivid from that high up. What floor is he on?”

“There is only one above him but no one lives there. The view is magnificent, but that storm shook me up some. He took care of me though.”

“You came back early.”

“Yes, it was weather related. We had to get out of there and back up here or wait a few days until things opened up here again.”

“Was it a good trip for you?”

“Yes, Mom.”

“Alex is a wonderful man.”

“So, what’s next. Where do you two go from here?”

“I am looking for a posting down there, if not with my current carrier then with another one.”

“Am I going to lose my baby girl?”

“No, Mom. I live up here now and am far away from you. My sister is on the west coast. I can get to you from down south just as easily and it could be more often than I see you now. You are not losing me.”

“Oh, Stephanie. You are going to live in a wonderful place with a wonderful man. I am so happy for you.”

“Thanks, Mom. He is very good to me. We are going to see if this thing between us is really going to work or not.”

“At least you know what a fine man is and even if it doesn’t work out, you know. I am so glad you met him and fell in love.”

“He is all I have been looking for, Mom. I want to marry him and have his children. We are very good together and for each other.”

“I wish you the best, Stephanie.”

“Thanks, Mom. I’ll tell you how things go.”

“Okay, daughter. Please do.” I thought I heard her shed a tear or two but wasn’t sure. Our phone call ended, and I went back to deciding who to call first. I thought I would start with my supervisor. She was the logical first step. I called.

“Mrs. Rivers, please. This is Stephanie.” She came on the line.

“Stephanie! So glad you got back before the snow storm hit. The airport closed a while ago and will be for a while. Sorry about the rush to get that plane back up here.”

“That’s okay, Mrs. Rivers. I just had to make a slight change of plans.”

“I’m glad to hear you say that. A couple of our flight attendants threatened to leave us because of things like this. Is that what this call is about?”

“No, I am not upset. I am calling because I wanted to let you know that I really like it down there. Do you think our operation will continue with these flights?”

“Yes. We make three flights a week now and the routes are very profitable. I didn’t know how it would go over with the flying public at first, but management is considering adding more flights.”

“Are you considering putting some crews down there on a long-term basis? It might add some flexibility to our schedule.”

“How did you know about that?”

“It was just a guess. I talk with the passengers on long flights like that and many of them want to be able to leave down there and come to the north then return. The demand is there I think.”

“We have seen that in our customer comments on the feedback form we ask them to fill out. Talking to them is more direct and you can ask questions when face to face.”

“What is the timeline on this expansion?” I asked.

“We are negotiating gate access at present with one of the larger carriers there who does not have a regular northern service to preferred destinations. Their passengers must take at least one more flight to get where they are going when they arrive at the larger airports they serve. We would partner with them.”

“If you share gates, will you also share personnel and other resources?”

“Yes, they will maintain our equipment down there as well.”

“Who can get in on this venture? It sounds like an attractive posting. Get in on the ground floor, you know?”

“Are you interested, Stephanie?”

“Yes, I am. I would love to live down there and travel up here for my routes.”

“You have been with us for several years now and your reviews are exemplary. Would you consider looking at the lead flight attendant role out of there?”

“Lead? Yes. Am I qualified?”

“You will be required to do some more training but yes, you are very well qualified.”

“All I wanted was more flights down there or a permanent posting. I would love to discuss taking a lead role.”

“I’ll email you the application. Fill it out and send it back to me. When this freak weather ends, I want to talk with you about it. Let me ask, is there a reason you want to relocate there aside from the weather and the scale of their airline operations?”

“Yes, there is. It’s an old story. I met a man down there and we have become very close. We want to explore our relationship and see if this is serious between us. We need to spend some time together to find out.”

“You said you want to relocate. That sounds like you want to be with him permanently.”

“I do, Mrs. Rivers. I am in love with him and he is in love with me. We are thinking about a life together.”

“Congratulations, Stephanie. I know having a relationship is difficult when you are flying all the time. We all have been there. I hope this works out for you. I will send the application in the next few minutes. And thanks. I need someone like you down there and I didn’t know if I could find anyone who would move. You have solved my problem.”

“Thank you. It’s funny how things work out sometimes. Are we talking weeks or months before this happens?”

“How soon can you move?”

“Tomorrow.”

“Pack your things. We are in somewhat of a time crunch and now that we will have personnel down there, it might move quickly. I’ll review your app and let you know.”

“Thanks, Mrs. Rivers. I’ll do my best to make sure it works out for our airline.

“I know you will, Stephanie. I’ll keep in touch.” She was gone. I couldn’t believe what had just happened. Just like that, I was going to Alex.