Taking Off
Chapter 31
Chapter 31
The day after Luc arrived, Aurélie didn’t wince or protest when Silvia bragged about her baking skills. She had seen Silvia coming out of Selfridges food hall with two bags and didn’t believe for a second that the two delicious chocolate cakes came from Silvia’s oven, but Aurélie didn’t bother to spoil Silvia’s break time birthday celebrations. Instead, she congratulated her and enjoyed the dessert.
“I have to admit this cake is yummy,” Ana said.
Aurélie snorted. “As if.”
“It is. I hate to admit it as much as you do but credit where credit is due.”
“She didn’t make these.”
“Didn’t she?”
“She got them from Selfridges. I saw her.”
“But you just congratulated her!”
“I know. I’m done fighting with her.” Aurélie smiled. “It’s not worth it and I’m happy now, I don’t need to get angry all the time.”
“Oh, oh, you’re in love, aren’t you?”
“Yes.”
“Who is it? Have you got over Katie then?”
“What do you mean? It’s Luc of course. He’s here.”
“Luc?” Ana raised an eyebrow. “I’m very happy for you.” Ana hugged Aurélie and they both put their cleaning gloves back on and led their teams out of the staff room.
***
Aurélie kissed Luc in front of the hotel. Over the past couple of weeks, he had applied for many jobs but failed to get any due to his lack of English skills, and she had convinced her boss John to give him a chance. She pinned her hopes on this interview as between her unpaid extended Christmas break and paying for food for two, her bank balance had dwindled down to below one hundred pounds and she worried about the upcoming rent.
She went home and prepared dinner as Luc wouldn’t return until seven. She cut two red onions in fine pieces and peeled potatoes, which she set in the microwave for fifteen minutes. Then, she showered and picked a fresh tee-shirt from her wardrobe. Luc had vacuumed and dusted the room in the morning and she laid on the bed.
Aurélie woke up in the middle of the night, her clothes still on. As she changed into her pyjamas, Luc stirred.
“Are you OK?” Luc asked.
“Yes, yes. And you?”
“Yes but no. I didn’t get the job.”
“What happened?”
“After ten minutes, he told me my English wasn’t good enough.”
“Poor baby.”
She thought of Katie, of Fiona, of Jed, Beth, Helena and Amanda. She visualised the dirty Tube, Tesco Value products, Silvia, the exciting gig listings in the NME she couldn’t afford to go to. She laid awake until her alarm clock finally rang.
***
Katie raised her hand when the pilot instructor called out her name. She followed him to the plane and, once in the cockpit, marvelled at how alike the flight simulator looked. He shoved a slim folder onto her lap and asked her to read aloud the pre-departure procedures and to check each item on the list. While she poured over the board for switches and LEDs, he contacted air traffic control and confirmed their taking off slot.
“Ready?” he asked.
“Ready,” Katie said.
The vibrations and movements of the plane matched those of the flight simulator and Katie smiled as they left the ground. She manoeuvred in a circle motion above Surrey and landed on the same runway twenty minutes later.
Afterwards, she lingered in the pilots’ room where Tariq and two other students waited for their turn to fly.
“How was it?” Tariq asked.
“Great. Wicked. I… I can’t describe it.”
“Intense?”
“Yeah, intense. It was so exciting, like you’re on top of the world.”
“Technically, you were.”
Tariq laughed, scratched his ear and rubbed the back of his head.
“Are you nervous?” Katie asked.
“A little.”
“You’ll be fine. You know the flight simulator like the back of your-”
“I’m not scared about technical stuff. But I’ve been waiting for this day for over five years. What if it’s not that great? What if I don’t like it?”
“You will.”
“Easy for you to say.” Katie hugged him and he buried his face into her hoodie. “I’m scared.”
The pilot instructor called out his name and Tariq tore himself away from Katie. “You’ll be fine,” he said to her. Katie smiled and suppressed a laugh.
She walked to the viewing gallery, switched her mobile back on and read Aurélie’s text announcing her return to France. As Tariq took off, Katie sat down on a bench, her phone on her lap, her eyes on the runway, her face flustered. She drafted a reply but couldn’t focus on her words and gave up.
***
The following Saturday, Aurélie packed in the morning and cleaned her empty bedroom in the early afternoon while Luc bought a selection of mini-cakes and fruit juices for their expected guests.
At four, Ana arrived as agreed, as did two other colleagues, a girl she had met at a gig and two neighbours.
“I’m so sad you’re going,” Ana said. “I will miss you.”
“Me too. You have to come and visit us.”
“I will.”
Aurélie and her friends exchanged email addresses and well wishes. At six, Aurélie and Luc headed out to Liverpool Street Station on the Hammersmith and City line and their guests took the 25 bus to Oxford Street.
“That was good, wasn’t it,” Luc said.
“It was. Except…”
“Except?”
“Katie didn’t even bother turning up, even though she’s getting my room,” Aurélie said.
Luc pushed his suitcase between his legs to allow a fat man to squeeze past him. “She’s selfish.”
“No, she must have had a good reason.”
“Not caring about anything but her stupid elite pilot school? I don’t like her much.”
“I know. She’s not like that. She was my first friend when I came here.”
Luc snorted. “She was onto you. She’s a dyke.”
“I know she’s a lesbian. It doesn’t mean she’s not a very good friend.”
“Well, obviously, not good enough to bother turning up.”
When they reached Liverpool Street Station, Aurélie joined the queue to buy tickets for the Stansted Express and Luc checked the live departure board.
“I won’t miss the crowds,” Luc said.
Aurélie’s phone rang.
“I’m home and Gareth says you’re already gone. I’m so sorry,” Katie said.
“It’s OK.”
“Sure?”
Aurélie turned and pressed the wheel on the machine, selecting two singles to Stansted Airport. “Yes. Quite a few friends came anyway.”
“I’m happy for you. So, excited?”
“Excited?”
“To go back to France.”
She lifted her shoulder to block her phone in position and typed her pin number, shielding the screen with her free hand. “Oh yes, sure. It’s good.”
The conversation had ended by the time Aurélie collected her tickets. Luc pulled her towards platform five and they boarded the train just before it closed its doors.
***
Katie held Amanda’s hand as Amanda explained to her mother on the phone that she had failed her first flying test.
“I do work very hard Mum,” Amanda said. Tears fell on her cheeks and Katie gave her a new tissue.
The call lasted for almost half an hour and Amanda didn’t talk when it finished. She bought a can of 7up from the vending machine, tapped the top at least a dozen times, opened it and drank it.
“Are you OK?” Katie asked.
“What do you think?”
“I’m sorry they’ve failed you, it’s so unfair.”
“It’s not. I’ve skipped a few classes and I’ve not paid much attention to the ones I attended. It’s your fault.” Amanda kicked the empty can and Katie crossed her arms.
“Pardon?”
“You’re distracting me. My Mum asked me if I failed because of a boyfriend. I didn’t have the heart to tell her about you, but basically, yeah, I’ve failed because of a relationship.”
Katie detangled her hair with her hand and clipped it back in place. “Look, you’re upset, I understand. But I’ve never asked you to skip a class. In fact, I’ve only skipped one class, and it was with you, and you suggested it.”
“I don’t have the same energy as you. I have a life as well. You do nothing but study. You don’t go out, you don’t see your friends. It’s like you’re, you’re… a monk!”
“I’ve made a commitment with myself to succeed. It’s different for you, you left school with A levels. I left school with nothing. This is my second chance, I can’t blow it.”
“I know, I know the fucking story.” Amanda picked up the can and threw it in the bin. “But I can’t live like that. Don’t ask me.”
“I’m not asking you for anything.”
“Don’t ask me to choose between you and my friends.”
Katie raised her arms upwards, her palms towards the ceiling, and shrugged. “I’m not asking.”
“Because I’m choosing my friends.”
“This is ridiculous.”
“What? To choose my friends?”
“No, the whole premise of it.” Katie clapped her hands once. “I’m not asking you to make a choice.”
“But I have to. I’ve failed, don’t you know? We’re over.” Amanda walked away.
Amanda disappeared through the front door and Katie sat down on the stairs. She rubbed off a stain on her trainers and counted the number of tiles between her and the entrance. Someone tapped her on the shoulder and she shifted closer to the handrail. Two more taps.
“You’re alright?” Tariq asked.
“Yes.”
“Have you passed or failed?”
“Passed.”
“Great news. I thought you must have failed, you look upset.” Tariq joined her on the step.
“It’s Amanda.”
“Don’t mind her, she’s intense sometimes.”
“We had a huge argument.”
“About what?”
“She blames me for failing.”
“She should blame that guy she’s in love with.”
Katie looked up. “What guy?”
“The tall blond guy from the engineering class. You know, the one who can’t stop joking.”
“What about him?”
“She lurves him.” Tariq laughed.
“How do you know?”
“She can’t stop looking at him. They send each other notes during breaks, like they are fifteen. Pathetic.”
“Yes, childish.”
Tariq greeted another group of students and Katie opened up her pencil case and grabbed her scissors. She cut off the string bracelet Amanda had given her and dropped it on the side of the stairs into the empty hall underneath.
