Ed shook off as much water as he could before entering the airport building. The terminal was packed, most people dressed in high-visibility gear which marked them as fly-in, fly-out workers. There were always a dozen or more flights heading out early to one of the remote mine sites. He glanced at the departure board to check his flight details, and his heart sank. Every flight had the word CANCELLED next to it.
They had to be kidding.
He walked up to a couple who were staring at the board. “Is it the weather?”
The man shook his head. “Baggage handlers have walked off the job. They’re striking for at least twenty-four hours.”
Shit. The wedding was in three days. He rubbed a hand over his hair, brushing out more moisture. He should have considered the possibility. The last time he’d flown home, the baggage handlers were having go-slow days to force negotiations for better working conditions. He pulled out his phone and found an article about the strike. Workers weren’t ruling out the possibility of a second day of action. If that happened, he’d never get to the wedding on time, and he had the rings.
Though Brandon hadn’t been much of a brother, Amy was relying on him, and she’d never let him down. He couldn’t disappoint her.
What were his options?
The drive was close to fourteen hours if he only stopped long enough to fill up with fuel. If he booked a flight for tomorrow, and it was cancelled, there would still be enough time to get there before the wedding, though he’d never done such a long drive by himself. The airline counter had a long line of very angry looking customers, so he opened the app he used to buy his flights and checked availability. Both flights tomorrow were fully booked.
He sighed. There goes that idea. Looked like he was driving.
He stepped out of the airport into the wintry morning air and moved towards the car park. Where had he—shit. He’d loaned his car to Sheridan and couldn’t go back on his promise. Sheridan needed Ed’s car to take his grandmother shopping once a week, as well as to get to work.
Ed went back inside and scanned the hire car counter. Each company had long lines in front of it. Ed checked the board again. Several of the flights were to destinations which were only a four to six-hour drive away. The companies were likely to run out of cars.
Quickly, he typed his details into his phone. He tapped his foot as he waited for the options to come up. Not a lot. All the people who arrived at the required one hour before departure had snapped up the cars. But there was a small camper van that would be perfect. He could pull over at rest spots and nap for an hour or two when he needed to. He clicked the button to hire and filled in all his details. Then he wandered over to the relevant counter. They had one line for pre-booked vehicles which was significantly shorter. While he waited, he called home and despite the early hour, Darcy answered.
“My flight’s been cancelled,” Ed told him. “I’m driving up, so won’t be there until tonight.”
“What happened?” his brother asked.
“Baggage handler strike. No flights until maybe tomorrow and they’re all booked.”
“That sucks. Drive safely, OK? If you get tired, stop and rest.”
“Yeah, I will. See you when I get there.”
At the front of the queue next to him, he noticed the girl they’d almost run down. Water puddled on the floor below her. Her black pants and black leather shoes made him think she’d just finished work, and her thick blue puffer jacket had stopped being water resistant hours ago. She twisted her fingers together and bounced on her toes, glancing over at the entrance doors. “I need your driver’s licence, Miss,” the man behind the counter said.
She handed it to him.
He frowned. “This is a Singapore driver’s licence.”
She nodded. “That’s where I’m from.”
“Then you need to have an international driver’s licence.”
“I don’t have one.”
Ed missed the man’s response, as it was his turn at the counter. He showed the woman his receipt, and she smiled. “Where are you travelling to?”
“Retribution Bay.”
“Holiday or business?” She typed details into her computer.
“Holiday. My brother’s getting married on Saturday.”
She gave him a sympathetic look. “Then this strike has come at an awful time for you.”
He nodded. Next to him, the man at the counter called for the next customer. The woman who’d been trying to hire a car was in tears. Maybe she was desperate to get somewhere too. “Hey.” He touched her arm, and she flinched, spinning away from him. He smiled his most amiable smile. “Where are you headed?”
Recognition sparked, but she didn’t say anything. This close, he saw scratches on her face as if she’d been attacked by a tree.
