Cousin Kaitlyn the Flight Attendant

INTRODUCTION & DISCLAIMER - When Darren boards his plane in Brisbane to fly home to Melbourne after a two week holiday in Queensland, he feels a bit flat about returning to reality after so much fun. This is until a pretty flight attendant stands in front of him to do the safety demonstration, and he realizes that she is his long lost cousin Kaitlyn, having not seen her since they were teenagers some 15 years ago, and her parents moved interstate with the families losing contact. Always each other's favourite cousins when they were kids, what will Darren and Kaitlyn do now they are reunited as adults? Read 'Cousin Kaitlyn the Flight Attendant' to find out and rate and comment.

Only characters aged 18 and older in this story engage in any sexual activity, and all characters and events are fictional, with any similarity to real persons living or dead coincidental and unintentional. For North American readers unfamiliar with Australian slang, the word fanny is used for vagina on a number of occasions.

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Packing my bags and finishing cleaning up the beautiful high rise Surfers Paradise apartment in Five Oceans Luxury Apartments where I had been staying, I could not believe that my two week Queensland holiday had come to an end and this Friday afternoon I would be flying back home to Melbourne. It seemed like only two hours had passed since I had boarded a Friday morning plane at Melbourne's Tullamarine Airport and flown to Brisbane full of excitement at my holiday in the Sunshine State, but it had been a fortnight.

A whole two weeks of fun and excitement. It started with five nights in Brisbane in a great hotel in the city, and exploring the wonderful sights of the Queensland capital. The bustling streets and malls in the city, the historic Story Bridge, the restful parks and gardens, a cruise on the Brisbane River, South Bank, scenic Mount Coot-ha, a wildlife park and a trip out to stunning Redlands Bay and the beautiful beaches of Wynnum and Manly.

Then it was onto a train and down to the Gold Coast for nine nights where I had stayed in a high rise apartment with a balcony and stunning views of the Pacific Ocean, the relaxing roll of the waves heard constantly. The Gold Coast was all fun, fun, fun, and then more fun. Theme parks, the beautiful beaches, the fun beachside suburbs of Surfers Paradise, Southport, Broadbeach, Mermaid Beach and Burleigh with numerous attractions. I went to a wildlife sanctuary, markets and shopping precincts, and a trip further down the Gold Coast through Palm Beach and Currumbin and down to the New South Wales border and the twin towns of Coolangatta and Tweed Heads. Another day's outing was to the Gold Coast Hinterland and Mount Tambourine, and I also went on a cruise on the Nerang River and jetboating, parasailing and a slingshot. I scarcely could believe I had packed all this into two weeks.

Plus exercise, lots and lots of running, cycling and swimming, both on the Gold Coast and in Brisbane to enjoy the wonderful Queensland weather and work off all the fine food and maybe a few beverages too many in the pubs and clubs that formed the nightlife at Surfers Paradise. Despite my indulgences, I would be returning home to Victoria fit and tanned, that was for sure.

I couldn't resist a last look at the wonderful view of the Pacific Ocean from the balcony where I had enjoyed breakfast every morning with the sun rising over the Coral Sea, and the songs of the many birds like currawongs and magpies in the area. My place in Melbourne, well it was nice but it didn't have such a great view, nor the roll of the ocean in the background. Loading up my stuff, I left my apartment and went to the lift, alighting at the lobby to check out.

Belinda, a pretty blonde receptionist who I had seen quite a few times during my stay greeted me with a friendly smile. "Hi, are you checking out today?"

"That's right thanks, Darren Smith from apartment 1209," I said.

"Did you have a pleasant stay?" Belinda asked as she checked me out.

"Oh yes, I had a great time, thanks Belinda," I said. "I wish I lived here. It would be great waking up to those views every day. It's a great place to stay, I'll recommend it to friends and family that's for sure."

"Thank you so much, I'm glad you enjoyed staying with us so much," said Belinda, as I paid some small expenses and I departed, me wishing Belinda a pleasant day, and she wishing me a pleasant flight home.

Along the way from the apartment tower was the bus stop where I would wait for the bus to Nerang Station, where I would catch the train to the Brisbane Airport and then my flight home to Melbourne. Lots of people - tourists and locals alike - passed me on their way to enjoy the beach or the many of the attractions of Surfers Paradise in the Cavill Mall area. I had taken a long last look at some of these places when I went for a jog early this morning, and had also taken in the beach views where thanks to a clear day I could see all the way down to Tweed Heads.

Of course, I did not have to walk to see the Q1 tower, the magnificent building and one of Australia's tallest was just up the road. The other day I had gone up to the observation deck on a clear day and seen the tall buildings of Brisbane in the north and the Byron Bay lighthouse to the south, and all of the Gold Coast and Hinterland in between. I admired the building as well as the other high rises around the Gold Coast as I waited for my bus, a flock of seagulls flying overhead and a group of ibises squabbling as they scavenged in a bin a short way away. When the bus pulled in, I got aboard and was on my way home, looking at the bustling Gold Coast streets as it went south to Broadbeach, inland to Carrara and then Nerang where I caught the Brisbane bound train.

I could see the skyscrapers of the Gold Coast in the distance and I looked wistfully at them as the train went through the stations, wishing my holiday wasn't over. I also caught a glimpse of some of the taller theme park attractions as we passed through Helensvale and Coomera, reflecting on my fun times there.

Soon the train was out of the Gold Coast and going through the Logan Region, before entering Brisbane itself. I saw the light towers of the Brisbane Cricket Ground as we went through the southern suburbs, and soon the skyscrapers of Brisbane were in sight. I looked at the taller buildings of Riparian Plaza, Waterfront Place, Aurora and Central Plaza 1; and at ground level the Brisbane River, South Bank, Roma Street Parklands and Story Bridge as the train went through the city stops, and then continued on its path to the Brisbane Domestic Airport in Eagle Farm, where I disembarked after the hour and a half journey from Nerang. I saw lots of lucky arriving visitors getting on the departing train for the city and Gold Coast and wished I could join them to do my vacation all over again, but reality dictated.

Checking in for my flight which was set to leave at 1 pm I had well over an hour to wait so browsed around the shops at the airport, having a coffee and buying a paperback book from a news agency reflecting on my holiday. It was unusual for me to travel alone, for instance in 2007 I went to Sydney with three mates but now it was 2009 and things were changing.

My group of friends with whom I had grown up were now getting into or already in serious relationships, and I was still single turning 30 next month, so the opportunities to go away on a vacation with them were limited. The same was true of my family. My sister Sheree, older than me by three years, was married with a 3-year-old daughter and a baby son born last year. Our brother Trent, younger than me by two years, was engaged to a long-term girlfriend.

Had a younger me in 2000 been able to see to the last year of the decade and that he was still single, he would have been disappointed to see himself still single in 2009 with no girlfriend in sight, but if I hadn't met the right girl what was I supposed to do? I couldn't just wish for a girlfriend and have one appear by magic.

One of the reasons I had taken the holiday was because I had excess leave at work and my boss had told me I had to clear it before 30th June, so it didn't carry too large a leave liability into the new financial year. So I figured, how about taking a holiday on my own to make the most of it? By myself, I could do what I wanted, so after booking my leave I went straight to the travel agency and booked my Queensland holiday, which had proven the best vacation of my life except for one thing, it had ended.

I looked out of the windows of the crowded airport departure lounge, seeing a flight from Sydney swoop down and land and another plane departing for Canberra. There was still plenty of time before the Melbourne flight was called and I looked through some of the gift shops. A group of flight attendants passed by wearing the stylish dark blue, teal and white uniforms of the airline I was flying with. I caught only a fleeting glance at one of the flight attendants, a tall and skinny woman who was rather pretty with her long light brown hair tied back in a pony-tail. However, my slight glance at the young woman gave me this really odd feeling, like de ja vu.

I dismissed the feeling, possibly I had seen her before, maybe on the flight up here two weeks ago and put it out of my mind, until I saw her again but only from a long distance and got that same feeling which was like de ja vu, but not quite. I thought about going up to her, but decided against it. One she was at work and no doubt very busy preparing for her flight, and two if some random guy approached her talking about the odd way she made him feel she would think him a weirdo.

The time passed, and then came first the 'Go to Gate' message for the Melbourne flight on the electronic display of departing flights, then the first boarding call. Sitting up, I stretched and joined the line for the flight. The attendants welcoming us on board as we scanned our boarding passes were very pretty; a young Asian woman and a tall and stunning blonde who looked a lot like Belinda from the Gold Coast accommodation where I had stayed. I read the blonde's name tag and amazingly her name was Melinda. I wondered if the two women were sisters so similar were their looks, but figured it was probably unlikely that parents would name their two daughters Belinda and Melinda.

Getting onto the plane via the jet bridge, I found it was a busy flight and therefore needed a 747 airliner. I was greeted by a young man smartly attired in the men's flight attendant uniform, who directed me which direction to go, and I saw two more flight attendants, a middle-aged woman and with her a really young guy who looked like he was just out of high school and obviously a trainee.

I stowed my carry-on bag and took my seat to the right of the plane, and found I had the aisle seat. Occupying the seat next to me was an older woman, her young granddaughter taking the window seat. The passengers all got themselves organized and the cabin crew were going about their business, and I kept reflecting on my wonderful holiday and thinking that at least I didn't have to go back to work right away. I still had the weekend plus the Monday and Tuesday off work before back to the office and my job as an accountant on Wednesday, so I would be able to find some fun things to do in Melbourne.

Things ran smoothly, and soon everyone was boarded and the plane ready to depart on schedule. The captain spoke over the intercom, welcoming the passengers aboard, thanking us for choosing to fly with this airline and advising us of the weather conditions in Melbourne for this afternoon. The captain then instructed the cabin crew to arm the doors, cross-check and prepare for departure.

The plane reversed out of its position and onto the runway, taxiing slowly forward at which time the captain advised us to be sure to watch the safety demonstration. The monitors came down to show the video, and the flight attendants took their positions in the aisles carrying their props of seatbelts, life-jackets and oxygen masks. At first, I thought that the stunning blonde Melinda was going to do the demonstration for us, and was a little disappointed as she moved further down and out of my line of sight, as she was pretty easy on the eye.

Her place was instead taken by the tall, pretty and slim brunette who I had seen twice in the airport, and again I felt that feeling of knowing her from somewhere. I looked intently at the young woman, so smartly attired in her dark blue jacket and knee-length skirt with teal trim, her black stockings and black shoes, her white blouse with a teal scarf and matching teal ribbon tying her long light brown hair back in a pony-tail and my eyes went to her name tag.

My heart was pounding as I read her name 'Kaitlyn' and realized who she was and why she seemed so familiar. While an annoyance of cabin crew are passengers who don't watch the safety demonstration, this flight attendant seemed to pick up that a male passenger was staring at her a little too intently, probably by a pervert, and she gave me a quizzical look to signal she didn't appreciate being stared at.

However, the look soon turned to one of puzzlement, uncertain recognition and then disbelief, but a happy disbelief. She smiled and silently mouthed to me, 'Darren?' to which I nodded my affirmation. Kaitlyn's state of total professionalism returned within seconds as she joined in her colleagues in running through the safety demonstration. This completed and the aircraft in position for take-off, Kaitlyn and the others then took their seats, but not before Kaitlyn gave me an excited look and discrete wave on her way past.

My heart was pounding, and not from a fear of flying as the plane sped forward upon clearance from the tower, taking to the skies. I looked out through the window at the Brisbane city skyline, Story Bridge, parklands and Brisbane River as we ascended and flew southerly, getting a last look at the Gold Coast skyline and beaches as we climbed higher and higher.

I was eagerly anticipating the seatbelt sign to go off, and this happened around the border of Queensland and New South Wales. As is often the case quite a few passengers immediately got out of their seats when this happened to go to the lavatories. I was among those to get out of my seat, but not to go to the bathroom. While I always made a point of being nice and friendly to flight attendants on planes, I was always aware that they were very busy and on tight schedules, so never lingered to talk to them.

However, this time I had to approach Kaitlyn and talk to her, so made a beeline for the tall slim brunette, who was walking towards the rear galley with Melinda, the two young women looking like cat walk models with their grace, poise and elegant. This airline obviously took deportment and presentation seriously with their cabin crew.

I approached them, all excited. "Hi Kaitlyn, I can't believe it's you, after all these years!" I said.

"Likewise Darren, it's so great to see you," said Kaitlyn, her smile welcoming. It seemed unprofessional to embrace a flight attendant and in any case may have breached the airlines strict safety codes in flight, so we shook hands.

"I nearly didn't recognize you at first, it's been so long," I said. "It was only when I saw your name tag that I realized for sure."

"Same for me, I saw you board and I thought to myself, 'Is that Darren?' and then I thought 'No, couldn't be,'" said Kaitlyn. "Then I saw you again during the safety demonstration and I'm like, 'Yeah, that's Darren. But you're right, it's been 15 years."

"So, what are you doing with yourself nowadays?" I asked.

Kaitlyn's answer made me realize how dumb my question was. "Well, I'm a flight attendant."

I blushed and laughed embarrassedly. "Sorry Kaitlyn that would have to be the stupidest question you've ever been asked."

Kaitlyn laughed good-naturedly, making her even prettier. "Don't worry Darren, I've heard worse. Just this morning I had a guy at Adelaide Airport walk up to me and ask me if I was a flight attendant."

Melinda spoke up. "Kaitlyn, do you know each other?"

Kaitlyn nodded. "Yes, but we haven't seen each other since 1994." She then made the introductions. "Melinda, this is my cousin Darren from Melbourne. Darren, this is my friend Melinda."

"Nice to meet you Melinda," I said, shaking hands with Kaitlyn's pretty blonde co-worker.

"Pleased to meet you, Darren," said Melinda.

"Darren it's so great to see you again, but Melinda and I need to go and get the lunches ready and get the trolleys out, it's a pretty packed flight," said Kaitlyn.

"Sorry, didn't mean to hold you up," I said.

"That's okay, it's not every day you meet your cousin for the first time in 15 years," said Kaitlyn. "I'll see you around on the flight, and I promise we'll catch up properly when we land, okay?"

"Sure," I said, going back to my seat as Kaitlyn and Melinda went to help their colleagues get the lunches ready and served.

Taking my seat back in my place, I sat down breathing heavily, finding it hard to believe what had just happened. I had met my long-lost cousin with whom I had last had contact in 1994, and on a plane where she worked as a flight attendant of all places. This was one of the jobs I thought least likely for Kaitlyn from when we were growing up. In fact, I thought I would be more likely to see a unicorn running in and winning the Melbourne Cup than Kaitlyn working as a flight attendant.

I had anticipated spending my flight back to Victoria to be filled with reminiscing about my holiday in Queensland, but now I was reminiscing about far more and way further back, my mind going back into the early 1990s and further back into the 1980s when Kaitlyn and I were kids growing up in Melbourne all those years earlier ...

*

Most every family has its weird uncle. The uncle who you don't want at family functions, but who you can't get out of inviting without looking bad. It could be your Uncle Kev, who fancies himself as a stand-up comedian and who regales everybody regardless of age and gender with his jokes about lavatory humor, black people, women, homosexuals, retarded children, the handicapped, rape, pedophilia and bestiality. It might be your pervy Uncle Merv, who attends a wedding and leers over the pretty young female guests even his own nieces while making sleazy comments about them. Or it might be your Uncle Barry, who consumes all the food and drinks at a Christmas barbeque while bringing nothing himself and is still outstaying his welcome at 2 am long after everyone else has gone home, his fat tummy displayed thanks to the wife-beater singlet, football shorts and thongs he wore to the event.

We didn't have an Uncle Kev, an Uncle Merv or an Uncle Barry in our family thankfully, but what we did have was our Uncle Neil, who was Mum's brother, older than her by two years. My mum Lorraine and younger sister Jean as well as their husbands, my father Don and Uncle Richard did plenty of eye-rolling, hand wringing and sighing courtesy of their brother/brother-in-law. This was also true of our grandparents.

Uncle Neil wasn't boorish or impolite, far from it. His full title was The Reverend Neil Miller, and he was the pastor of a church in Melbourne's Eastern Suburbs. His family were largely non-practicing Roman Catholics growing up, so just how Uncle Neil found God while a university student and it became the dominant part of his life was never really explained.

And his church was nothing like standard Catholic, Protestant, Uniting or other Christian churches seen in Australia. It was a full-on type of church more suited to the Bible Belt of America through the South and Midwest, Pentecostal and most definitely Fundamentalist. There were a number of these churches throughout Melbourne and in Regional Victoria, and attendance was always good.