Chapter One
Kris
“Iknow, Mom, but I can’t help it. You’ll video the recital, right?’ Kristopher pleaded with his mother. Irene Jones was a small woman, standing a mere four foot eight inches. Despite her height, she was a formidable woman. She’d had to be, having spent her life from the age of eighteen as the wife of an Air Force Enlisted man. Together, they’d weathered moves, deployments, and the raising of four children. Now assigned to Eglin Air Force Base in the Florida Panhandle and nearing retirement, she’d thought things were finally settling down.
After all, she and his father, Kevin, had bought a house in Crestview and watched they eldest not only graduate from high school and college but return to live nearby when he took a job for an international property management company with holdings in nearby Destin. He was the first of their children to leave the nest and life had seemed perfect when he’d returned. Kris knew this quite well, as she frequently reminded him of it.
“Oh, I will video it, but why now? You should have booked the day off in advance, Kristopher.” Kris winced. He knew his mother was angry when she used his entire first name. In fact, things couldn’t get worse unless- “In fact, Kristopher Danilo Jones, I’d very much like to know why you did not. Was your baby sister’s dance recital not important enough for you to wish to make sure you would be able to attend?” He winced. He’d be paying for this oversight for quite some time to come. “I know she’s not the most talented dancer in her group, but she gives it her all. The least you could do was show your full support. You came to Riley’s baton twirling competition and every single one of Jayden’s baseball games this year. How do you think Coral is going to take this?’ And there was the extra heaping serving of guilt. As of he already hadn’t beat himself up several times when he realised he had, in fact, not remembered to turn in the form he’d filled in to request the day off.
“It’s a big opportunity, Mom,” he reasoned with her. “Okay, yes, I admit that I forgot to turn in the form, but-”
“Oh, so you at least admit to being careless. That’s good. You can explain to Coral how unimportant she was to you that you forgot to turn in the form as soon you filled it out.”
“As I was saying,” he said, exasperation causing his tone to sharpen. “It’s a huge opportunity. Everyone in the office is jealous. It’s unheard of for someone so junior to get picked to go.”
Now that got her attention. “Oh? So, why did they pick you?” Her eyes softened as her mind weighed up the possibilities.
“My office manager, Lorraine, put my name in to go. She said I showed great promise and that she thought it would be a great opportunity for me. I’m being moved into the management training program once we get back.”
Irene clapped her hands together. “My son, fresh out of college and already on his way to being a property tycoon! It’s no wonder you forgot. You must have gotten the news right after you filled in the paper.”
He nodded. It was true. He had filled it in and then been called into Lorraine’s office. He had been far too flustered to even think of taking the form along and dropping it off at HR along the way.
Irene sniffed. “Your sister will understand. It is like when your father gets sent TDY. He doesn’t have a choice in the matter.”
He blinked. That was it? He was off the hook? “Thanks, Mom,” he said, his voice filled gratitude. He hoped she noticed that. It could be difficult getting things across while speaking on the phone, sometimes.
“You’re welcome. “ She sighed. “I remember how upset you used to get when the other children talked about places they lived overseas. You always wanted to know why we never got sent to Germany, or to Korea, or England, or anywhere like that.”
“And now I finally get to go to England. Mom, they are putting us up at Suite Lux. It seems Triborr manage the hotel for the owner. In fact, the conference is being hosted there. The hotel is on Canary Wharf and is a five star hotel. The dinner at the end? It’s being hosted at the hotel’s Michelin starred restaurant.”
“Make sure you find a good takeaway place,” his mother advised. “Those sort of places are expensive and the for is great, what you get of it. A tiny piece of lettuce with a microscopic piece of meat and half of a baby potato with gravy drizzled over it all over it in a fancy pattern. You’ll be hungry afterwards.”
He fought the urge to laugh. “I promise I’ll bring the kids back a souvenir. You, too, and Dad.”
“See that you do,” his mother said, mollified. “When do you leave?”
“Tomorrow morning. I’ll call you from the airport when I leave and again when I get there.”
She grunted, then began telling him all about her best friend Angie’s son who had been fired from yet another job. He let her twitter on, logging onto his laptop and ordering a pizza from the Domino’s website as she talked. He knew she’d hang up once he had to answer the door. Sure enough, twenty-five minutes later he heard the knock on his door.
“Hey, Mom, I gotta go answer the door, okay?”
“Oh, someone’s at the door?”
“Yeah, probably my pizza.”
“Oh, okay. Make sure you call me,” she demanded. “I love you.” She disconnected the call just as he pulled the door open.
It was indeed his pizza. “Thanks, man,” he said to the delivery driver. He had paid online so handed the guy a five dollar tip. From his haircut and build, Kris guessed he was probably a young airman from either Eglin or Hurlburt moonlighting.
“Thank you!” the man said, accepting it.
Pizza and then bed, he decided. He had an early flight to catch. Luckily, he’d packed his bags as soon as he got home from work. All he had to do was shower, dress, and leave. If he left early enough, he might even be able to grab some coffee and something to eat from a drive through along the way.
