Read Online A Perfect Life nd Other Stories by Elaine Burnes - Free Book Online

long seconds, an immediate
and visceral connection. When Denny’s mind caught up, she noted that the woman
appeared to be alone, which was unusual. The trip of a lifetime and no one to
share it with? She wore binoculars and a camera slung around her neck, like
everyone else, but she held a small notebook and pen. She checked her watch
then wrote something down. Denny marveled that she would want to document even
the moment of arrival. Then she stowed the pad in her pocket and snapped photos
of the log building and the bus with her fellow passengers streaming out. She
smiled shyly at Denny as she headed up the porch steps and inside. Her dark
hair was streaked with gray and she wasn’t wearing any makeup. Most women did,
even in Alaska, especially those over fifty, if only a trace of lipstick or
powder.
    Something clicked in Denny as she rocked. It
had been a long summer with few intriguing people and fewer lesbians. The
upside being no drama.
    Helen, the manager, gave Denny the signal during dessert, and she
headed into the dining room to introduce herself. Tundra Air Service, she said,
offered hour-long flightseeing trips to “the mountain, Mount McKinley, or, as
many prefer, Denali, its Athabascan name.” She explained the sign-up process
and was almost finished when she spotted the woman, sitting at a corner table
with two other couples, taking notes. Maybe she was writing a book.
    Denny retreated to her desk in the lobby and
soon guests trickled by, some clustering around her, asking questions. She
spotted the woman at the back, listening and watching. People tended to be
nervous about a female pilot, so Denny answered their questions carefully. Her
list filled with names. Then only the woman stood before her.
    “I’ve never flown in a small plane before,” she said. Her voice
was soft, ethereal.
    “There’s really nothing to worry about,” Denny assured her. “We’ve
each had at least twenty years’ flying experience.”
    “Will I be able to take pictures?”
    Denny smiled. “Of course. That’s what most people do.”
    The woman nodded but paused, looking at the pen and sign-up sheet
on the desk. Denny glanced at the list. “There’s room for tomorrow.”
    “Okay.” The woman picked up the pen and tried to write from the
wrong end. “Oh, how silly,” she said, blushing and turning it around.
    Alice Campbell. Denny read the name upside down, in neat script.
“Okay, Alice. You’re all set. See you in the morning. We’ll meet right here at
eight.”
    Alice took out her notebook and wrote down the
time then looked up. “Will I be able to take pictures?”
    Denny raised an eyebrow. “Yes. As I said—”
    Alice turned abruptly and walked away. She headed back toward the
dining room, then stopped, glanced around, and returned to the lobby. She
didn’t look at Denny, but a hand fluttered to tuck her hair behind her ear.
Probably exhausted, Denny thought. She made a tick mark next to Alice’s name.
That would tell Josh, her boss, to put Alice in her plane. All the pilots did
this, but Denny hadn’t till now.
     
    AT SIX THE next morning, Denny radioed the airfield. Josh reported
the weather clear and winds calm, so all flights were on. Adrenaline surged as
she washed up and ate breakfast. To fly! It never got old.
    She checked names as everyone boarded the van for the short trip
to the airfield. Alice sat in the back, quiet, staring out the window. When
they arrived, Josh took over assigning the passengers to planes while she
greeted Dave and Walt, the morning’s other pilots, and headed to her plane. Not
her own. Hers sat to the side of the runway, ready for her day off. She walked
around the single-engine Cessna with the Tundra Air Service logo on the tail
and ran through her checklist.
    A family of four strode toward her. Where was Alice? She looked
over to the hut that served as an office. “Josh! I’m missing Alice.”
    He checked his list and shrugged. “She’s here
somewhere.”
    Maybe