Heavy Traffic Ch. 09

"Grandma, if you don't mind, I was going to put the Zorns in my old room," said Sean.

"That would be fine," said Beth. Turning to the couple she added, "Please make yourselves completely at home."

"Thank you Mrs. Askew," said the Zorns in unison.

"Let me get the Zorns settled," said Sean, "then Amanda and I will need to be heading out."

Sean led the couple to the stairs and up to their room while Amanda and Beth returned to cleaning up the kitchen. "They seem like a nice couple," said Beth, "but I hope they aren't needed for long."

"I'm sure it will only be a day or two," said Amanda encouragingly.

Beth smiled back at her. "Amanda, I know that you have only known Sean for a very short time, but I'm interested in your perception of him."

Amanda considered her answer before responding, "I love him with all my heart, so naturally my perspective will be jaded by that fact."

"I understand," said Beth. "Please try to be as objective as you can though."

"From almost the first real conversation I had with Sean, long before I learned about his wealth, I knew he was destined to build cathedrals," said Amanda. "And I knew I wanted to build them with him."

"You want to build churches with Sean?" asked Beth, her confusion obvious.

Amanda smiled and took Beth's hand, "Let me explain what I mean by that metaphor. When I was young, my father told me a story about a rich man who came to visit a cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, 'Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof, No one will ever see it.' The workman replied, 'Because God sees.'

Beth, no one can say who built many of the great cathedrals - there is no record of the names for the workers. Those cathedral builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished, they made great sacrifices and expected no credit, and the passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything. Sean is destined to build cathedrals - to do selfless work for the benefit of others without seeking credit or praise. I want to, no I need to be part of that with Sean."

Beth embraced Amanda and said, "That is a very astute description of Sean, but there is another metaphor that can be used to describe Sean. While he would cringe at being compared to royalty, in many ways Sean is like a prince who is heir to the throne, but has been reluctant to wear the crown. Sean is one of the most powerful men in this country. Financially, politically, and physically, there are few people who can best Sean if he doesn't want them to. I was very proud of him today at the church when he stood up for your desire to have Prestonwood be the home for your girls. I think Sean sees in you the queen he wants to share his kingdom with. You bring him confidence that he can have the normal life he craves, while assuming the responsibilities he inherited and building the cathedrals you both want."

Amanda thought back to yesterday and the way that Sean had encouraged her to act on his behalf to find rooms for the girls and get his employees to respect his position as owner of Wallace Enterprises. Reflecting on this, she saw instantly what Beth was referring to. Sean had trusted her enough to share his kingdom with her.

"You're right Beth, Sean would not like the comparison to royalty, and while I suppose it fits, I believe you misunderstand Sean. He is not reluctant to be 'king'; he is reluctant to be treated like a king. Sean and I have so much in common, from our last names to our both inheriting substantial wealth. I recognized my own values in Sean, and I believe that he recognized his in me."

Sean reentered the kitchen before Beth could respond, but her gleeful expression and affectionate squeeze of her hand told Amanda that her words had hit the right note with Sean's grandmother.

Stepping beside Amanda, Sean put his arms around her and kissed the side of her head. "Are you ready to go? We have a long way to travel before dinner."

"Sean, I really want to meet your grandmother Wallace, but I am concerned about being so far away from the girls..."

Beth interrupted her, "You two go ahead and visit with Carol. Amanda, I'll make sure the girls are taken care of."

"I have taken your concerns into consideration, Amanda," said Sean. "We'll be flying in a chartered plane from Peachtree-DeKalb Airport into Sumner Regional Airport. We will be only an hour away by air in case we need to get back for any reason."

"That's a relief," said Amanda. "I guess I can stand being an hour away, especially with Beth involved now. Thank you both."

"So are you ready Mrs. Wallace?" asked Sean.

"I am Mr. Wallace."

Taking her hand, Sean addressed his grandmother on the way out of the kitchen through the mudroom door, "Jordan and Taylor will be down shortly to escort you back to the church. Thanks for putting up with my concerns grandma, and for helping with Prestonwood."

"Anything for you Sean, you should know that. Travel safe you two."

Sean decided not to stop again at Prestonwood on the way to the airport. Amanda's previous acceptance of it as the spot for them to get married eliminated the immediate need for her to see the chapel. Once he had turned back onto Peachtree Industrial Boulevard, it was a straight shot to Peachtree-DeKalb Airport.

"What is the fascination with Peach trees in this area?" asked Amanda.

"Georgia is the 'Peach State'," said Sean. "I guess it's kind of like Australia and kangaroos."

"But we don't name every street, airport, park, and portable restroom after kangaroos," she countered. Please don't take this the wrong way, but it gives the impression that no one here has any creativity or imagination. It's almost like parents giving all their children the same name. Regardless of how proud you might be of your Peach trees, it just seems lazy to name everything the same."

"I doubt that many people ever thought of it quite that way, but I can see your point," said Sean. "There is a joke I heard once that asks how you know that Jesus wasn't born in Georgia."

"I'll bite," said Amanda.

"Because you could never find three wise men and a virgin here," Sean said.

Finding the entrance to the offices for World Wings Air, he parked and went to the back of the car to get their duffle bags. Amanda had her messenger bag over her shoulder, and while Sean was retrieving their other bags, she went to the driver's seat and removed the pistol from underneath it and placed it in a compartment next to her computer.

"I don't think you're going to need that," said Sean, "but if it makes you feel better to have it, feel free."

Amanda joined Sean at the back of the car, and as she walked with him towards the entrance to the building said, "I'm not taking it with any thought of needing it. I just don't like the idea of leaving a loaded and unsecured weapon unattended for as long as we're likely to be gone."

"I suppose my rural wanderings have made me a bit lax where gun security is concerned," said Sean. "I'll get a lockbox installed as soon as possible. Would that be adequate?"

"That's a good start, but I am also an advocate for trigger locks on all guns when they are not in use. They really help prevent accidents more than most people realize."

"I will defer to your judgment," said Sean as he led her to the counter of the charter flight company. There was a young man behind the counter who appeared to be of college age, wearing a polo shirt with the World Wings logo embroidered on it and a name tag that read, "Caleb".

"Good afternoon," said Caleb in greeting. "May I help you?"

"Hi," said Sean. "We have a Citation CJ3 reserved for a round trip flight to Sumner Regional this afternoon. The last name is Wallace."

Caleb checked his computer screen before responding, "I have that reservation here, but the form of payment isn't listed. The charter fee for your flight is $7,500. How would you like to cover that?"

Sean stared at Caleb for a minute before glancing at Amanda, smiling with a look that clearly communicated, "Here we go again." Amanda decided to stay out of this transaction entirely to see how Sean handled it without her input.

"Caleb, please review the reservation again. I'm sure you will realize that no payment is required."

Caleb looked back at his computer. "I'm sorry Mr. Wallace, I don't see where any payment arrangements have been made for this reservation..."

"Fine," said Sean as he reached into his front pocket, pulled out his driver's license and single credit/debit card. "Use this card for payment. Debit please."

Caleb accepted the card and ID, but then said, "A transaction of this amount will likely require approval from the card issuer."

"Why don't you run it through your system and see what happens?" Sean suggested.

Caleb swiped the card and then handed Sean a pin pad so he could enter his four-digit personal identification number. The word "Processing" still remained on Caleb's computer screen for a few minutes before the phone rang.

"World Wings PDK, Caleb speaking," answered Caleb. Amanda and Sean stood back from the counter as a courtesy while Caleb was on the phone.

"This is Tracy Sanchez in accounting. Did you just attempt to process a debit charge for $7,500 to a card belonging to Sean Wallace?"

"Yes, why? Was it declined?" Caleb felt the twinge of an impending smirk.

"Of course it wasn't declined," said Tracy. "The reason I'm calling is to find out why a debit card belonging to the owner of the company is being processed at all? Have you verified the identity of the person who presented the card to you?"

Caleb looked down at the driver's license Sean had provided. "Yes, I have a current ID in my hand."

"If the person is not Sean Wallace say the words 'fuel truck' as a signal and I will have the police dispatched to your location. If it is Sean Wallace, I suggest you cancel the charges and accommodate his request without further delay."

"I'll take care of it," said Caleb as he hung up the phone. Sean and Amanda stepped back to the counter.

"Is there a problem with my card?" asked Sean.

"Not at all Mr. Wallace," said Caleb as he handed the card and driver's license back to Sean. "I apologize for not recognizing who you were."

"Don't give it a second thought Caleb, you were just doing your job. I should have taken more care in providing relevant details when I made the reservation."

"Thank you Mr. Wallace. Your flight crew is in the Ready Room, so I'll inform them that you are ready to depart. The aircraft is prepared, so they should be ready for you in in just a few minutes."

"Thanks Caleb."

Walking over to stand by the double glass doors leading out to the planes on the tarmac, Sean and Amanda set their bags down on a chair while waiting. Amanda put her arms around Sean's neck and kissed him on the lips.

"Would you have really paid to fly on a plane that you technically own?" she asked with a grin.

"Sure," said Sean. "Caleb really was just doing his job, and imagine the stories he would be able to tell his friends and coworkers about getting the owner to pay to fly on his own plane. Why embarrass someone just because they don't know who I am, when I try so hard to avoid the notoriety that would allow them to recognize me?"

"You will make a wise and benevolent king," said Amanda with admiration.

"What?" asked Sean.

"Oh nothing, just thinking about something your grandmother said."

Before Sean could inquire further, an attractive Black woman dressed as a pilot came through a door behind the counter and approached them.

"Mr. Wallace? I'm Jeannie Sexton. I'll be your pilot today." She extended her hand for him to shake.

Accepting her hand and shaking it, Sean said, "Pleased to meet you Ms. Sexton. Let me introduce Amanda Wallace."

Amanda smiled and shook the pilot's hand as well. "It is a pleasure to meet you."

Smiling back at her, Jeannie said, "I love your accent, Mrs. Wallace. Well, if you're ready we can be wheels up and on our way in about ten minutes."

Nodding to Caleb who pushed a button to release the lock on the glass doors, Jeannie Sexton led Sean and Amanda out to the small corporate jet sitting closest to the building. The door was already open with the stairs extended.

As they approached the plane, Jeannie spoke over the noise of the airport, "Would you like to keep your bags with you or stow them in the belly of the plane?"

Sean and Amanda glanced at each other before Sean made a decision for both of them. "In the belly of the plane would be fine. There's nothing that we can't do without for a few minutes." The pilot opened a door to the cargo compartment and Sean placed both of their duffle bags inside. Amanda kept her messenger bag on her shoulder, but as she followed Jeannie up the steps into the plane, Sean took it from her and carried it so she wouldn't be burdened by it once inside.

Turning from the entrance to the cockpit, Jeanne said, "You two are obviously the only passengers today, so sit anywhere you would like. I'll make an announcement when we're ready to taxi."

The Citation CJ3 had a club seating arrangement with three seats on either side of the narrow aisle. Two of the seats on either side faced towards each other with a table between them, and the third seat on each side sat behind these, facing forward.

"Tough choice," said Amanda.

"How so?" asked Sean.

"Do I want to sit across from you so I can look into your handsome face when we talk, or do I want to sit beside you so I can snuggle against you? Although, I suppose the aisle creates a space between the seats a bit too wide to make snuggling very practical, so maybe the choice isn't that difficult after all."

"You need to consider whether you want to sit facing forward or backwards during the flight then," said Sean.

"That doesn't matter as long as the seat has a good view out a window," Amanda said as she took a rear-facing seat with a window perfectly aligned for her to look out.

Sean placed her messenger back underneath his seat and sat across the table from her. He had just settled down when his cell phone rang.

"Hello?" said Sean

Amanda held up one finger to Sean as she stood and approached the cockpit. Making certain that their pilot wasn't on the radio or involved in something that shouldn't be interrupted, Amanda spoke to Jeannie, "Excuse me, do you know where the Prestonwood Retreat is along the Chattahoochee River?"

Turning to face her passenger, Jeannie said, "No, but it will just take me a minute to find out. Why, do you want to fly over it?"

"Yes please, if it isn't too much trouble."

"Hold on for just a minute, let me call the FBO office and get the coordinates, then we'll know." She switched frequencies on her radio and had her answer within three minutes. "It is pretty close to our assigned flight path," she told Amanda. "Why don't you take a seat on the right side of the plane and I'll let you know when we are approaching it? It will be real soon after we take off, so our altitude won't be too high yet and you should get a pretty good view."

"Thank you," said Amanda as she returned to the cabin and took a seat across from where she had originally sat. Sean was just ending his call.

"Decide to switch sides, or are you trying to get away from me?" he asked teasingly.

"If the seatbelts would accommodate it, I would sit in your lap for the whole flight. Does that answer your question? Please join me as we see Prestonwood from the air."

Sean retrieved her messenger bag and slid across the aisle to join her. "Good idea. I would like to get a birds-eye view of it myself."

"Who was on the phone?" asked Amanda as she fastened her seatbelt.

"That was my Uncle Kirby. He wanted to update me on the plans to transport the girls and their security arrangements once they get to Prestonwood."

"Aren't you counting your chickens before they are hatched?" she asked. "What if there are delays in getting the Church to agree? I'm confident that you and Beth will get us Prestonwood, but are you sure it will be done by tonight?"

"I have no doubt," said Sean as he took her hands into his. "I predict that we will have confirmation by the time we land, but if I'm wrong, the headquarters for the United Methodist Church are in Nashville, and that will be or first stop when we leave the airport."

"I believe you," said Amanda as she raised his hands to her lips and kissed them. "Please tell me about the plans for the girls."

"It's actually pretty ingenious, and typical Uncle Kirby style," said Sean. "At 7PM tonight, a MARTA bus will arrive at the hotel to pick up the girls and their I.C.E. escorts..."

"What's a 'MARTA' bus," interrupted Amanda.

"MARTA stands for Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority. It is the public bus service for most of the metro Atlanta area. Anyway, the girls and their escorts will get on one of these MARTA busses at the hotel and ride in it to the bus maintenance facility at Lindbergh Station. Assuming that the bus will be followed from the hotel, the bus yard can't be seen very well from the street, and there is no access allowed for anyone other than employees of MARTA. The bus will be pulled into a maintenance hangar to obscure it further, and the girls will then be transferred to a different MARTA bus. This bus will leave the yard at the same time as the next fleet of busses begins their scheduled departures, so it will be mixed in with dozens of other identical busses and no one will be able to tell which of these might have the girls on it. This second bus will follow an established route that runs through portions of Gwinnett County, which MARTA doesn't service, on its way to northern Fulton County where its scheduled service typically resumes, so the route of the bus will not raise any flags either. Only the brief detour off the route to drop the girls at Prestonwood will be an indication that this was anything other than normal, and we will have spotters along the route trained to notice anyone following the bus just in case the deception fails to shake a tail."

"Once the girls are at Prestonwood, they will all be housed on the second and third floor of the largest building, Meadow Lodge, with their escorts primarily on the first floor. The building will be protected on the outside by armed security personnel that are all known subcontractors for Uncle Kirby's company, along with three canine teams to patrol the grounds. Uncle Kirby has also arranged for a rapid response team to be on standby from the local joint agency drug task force in case more support is called for during the night. Tomorrow construction begins on a manned security gate at the entrance of the property, electronic fences and intrusion sensors around the perimeter, surveillance cameras, new locks on the buildings, etc. Kirby has even found a bracelet for each of the girls to wear that will allow for them to be tracked by satellite. It will take a few days to get the equipment to Prestonwood, but once it is there, bracelets can be made for each of the girls that resemble Medic Alert or school ID bracelets, with their names, birthdates and any other information engraved on them."

"That all does sound ingenious. Please thank your Uncle Kirby for me. I'll thank you myself," she said as her foot brushed up and down his leg under the table."

"Thanks are not necessary," said Sean as he caressed the back of her hands, "but they are certainly welcomed."

Jeannie Sexton turned to look at her passengers, "Please make certain your seatbelts are securely fastened, we're ready to taxi. We are first for takeoff, so we'll be wheels up in a few minutes. We will be following the interstate highways most of the trip, so you should have good cell phone signals the whole way."