Starkers in the Stratosphere

Jackie and Evelyn had just hit the jackpot. The pair of freelance pilots' business had been starting to flounder, and both were worried they would end up losing everything, and right on the verge of their wedding, too. Then, a miracle came in the form of a massive job with a huge payout, enough to pay off their debts and fund their wedding ceremony at once. And the job was simple enough; carry this rich guy over the Atlantic and into some base in the Congo and collect their pay. When the two pilots found out about the offer, they were ecstatic; it was everything they could have dreamed of.

"What do you think?" Evelyn asked, as she was laying out the floor plans for the reception. "Should we put my little cousins at Table 7 or Table 11? On the one hand, they'll be a lot closer to the buffet at Table 11, but I don't want to start a ruckus with my brother over not putting them closer to us. Thoughts?" Jackie was quiet, lost in thought. "Umm, hello? Earth to Jackie?" She shook her fiance and got her out of her stupor.

"Huh?" Jackie responded. "Oh, sorry. Go on."

"Hey, are you okay? You've been spacing out a lot lately. Is something wrong?"

"I don't know, it's just... this is coming really suddenly. I mean, one minute we're pondering selling our plane, and the next we're suddenly able to afford the big wedding we've always dreamed of having? It seems too good to be true."

"And? I don't see the problem."

"I just... it seems fishy, you know? How do we know we can trust this guy?"

Evelyn put her arm around her love's shoulders. "Don't worry babe. We've had run-ins with tough situations before. If this turns out to be one of them, we'll find a way out together, right?"

Jackie smiled. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

When their client arrived on their airfield a few weeks after placing his request, he looked exactly as they had imagined. Well-dressed, in a tuxedo no less, arriving in a limousine, and carrying himself very calmly and professionally. When he approached them, he said in a posh British accent, "Ah, you must be the pilots. Pleasure to meet the two of you." He reached out to shake their hands.

"The pleasure is ours, Mr..."

"Leman."

"Right, Mr. Lemen. We've prepared for your trip and can take off within the hour."

"Brilliant. Glad to be flying with the two of you." With that, he walked back to his car and started to gather some bags from the trunk, smiling to himself. This was going to be a good flight.