me come. Mother was okay, but Father was totally against it.”
“I think our aunt and uncle were glad to be rid of us,” Randy snickered.
Joel affirmed, “Yeah, happy to be rid of us for a while.”
Ryder fell silent. Something wasn’t right. The more he thought about the strange instructions, the more they didn’t make sense.
O’Hare International Airport was huge. Ryder noticed masses of people everywhere. It looked worse than the one time he’d talked his parents into getting up at five in the morning to go to Walmart the day after Thanksgiving. The next thing Ryder noticed was the Chicago Dog vendor. Ryder was a big fan of hotdogs, and he had heard that the Chicago Dog was the best. It became clear that his target was out of reach when Miss Li actually yelled out, “Concourse M-23! We’ll have to hurry to make the flight!”
Running down the concourse was challenging. Ryder had to keep an eye on Debbie, who was in wide-eyed wonder and wanting to stop along the way. He also had to avoid collisions with self-absorbed travelers going in a different direction while keeping an eye on Cynthia, who seemed to be running a little slower than the rest of the group, just so he didn’t lose them. After he and Debbie gang tackled a businessman in a suit with a rolling suitcase, Cynthia actually stopped and came back.
“Can I help?” she asked.
“Yes, take Debbie, and I’ll carry her bag,” Ryder got out in an exasperated voice.
Cynthia seemed to immediately get Debbie’s full attention, and they actually started to catch up with the back of the group.
According to the clock on the wall, they arrived at M-23 ten minutes after the flight was supposed to leave, but it was still there. They checked through the counter in a rush and ran down an empty jet bridge. Ryder caught glimpses of the plane through the porthole-type windows as they entered the plane’s threshold. It looks a little odd , he thought, then rushed in behind Debbie and bumped into Cynthia. “I’m sorry,” he said panicky.
“I’m not,” Cynthia quipped, breathing hard from the run.
The interior of the plane was really different. It was black with brown leather seats. The black reminded Ryder of a Japanese jewelry box his mother owned. What was that called? Lacquer, that’s it, he thought. The aisles were wider, with only two seats on each side. The seats were even larger than first class on the previous flight. He didn’t have to bend over to walk down the aisle or even when he slid into his chair. The overhead compartments were harder to reach, but deeper than the previous plane. Along with his backpack he could have easily placed his two suitcases in the space. Ryder also noticed that he did not have to stand in a line inside the plane to get to his seat. He figured that was just because they were late. “Wow, this is the way to fly. I wonder if all international flights are like this,” he mumbled.
Rebecca Creer was sitting next to him. Debbie and Cynthia were across the aisle. Ryder knew two things about Rebecca: she would read the entire way, and she wouldn’t say a word to him. Debbie once counted, and announced to Ryder, that Rebecca had only spoken seven words all day in class.
Rebecca turned to Ryder. “Something is not right with this. I’ve traveled to Europe twice before, and this just isn’t right,” she declared.
Ryder was in shock. “What did you say?” he asked stupidly. More surprised that she had spoken to him than by what she had said.
“The planes for international flights are more crowded and uncomfortable than domestic flights. When my family and I went to Spain last year, I could barely hold my book up without having my arms go into spasms. This is bizarre,” She declared.
There was a doorbell-like ping, and the pilot announced that they would be leaving shortly, and to fasten their seatbelts.
Ryder looked for the carlike seatbelt, and was immediately confused. “Miss Li, I don’t have a
“I think our aunt and uncle were glad to be rid of us,” Randy snickered.
Joel affirmed, “Yeah, happy to be rid of us for a while.”
Ryder fell silent. Something wasn’t right. The more he thought about the strange instructions, the more they didn’t make sense.
O’Hare International Airport was huge. Ryder noticed masses of people everywhere. It looked worse than the one time he’d talked his parents into getting up at five in the morning to go to Walmart the day after Thanksgiving. The next thing Ryder noticed was the Chicago Dog vendor. Ryder was a big fan of hotdogs, and he had heard that the Chicago Dog was the best. It became clear that his target was out of reach when Miss Li actually yelled out, “Concourse M-23! We’ll have to hurry to make the flight!”
Running down the concourse was challenging. Ryder had to keep an eye on Debbie, who was in wide-eyed wonder and wanting to stop along the way. He also had to avoid collisions with self-absorbed travelers going in a different direction while keeping an eye on Cynthia, who seemed to be running a little slower than the rest of the group, just so he didn’t lose them. After he and Debbie gang tackled a businessman in a suit with a rolling suitcase, Cynthia actually stopped and came back.
“Can I help?” she asked.
“Yes, take Debbie, and I’ll carry her bag,” Ryder got out in an exasperated voice.
Cynthia seemed to immediately get Debbie’s full attention, and they actually started to catch up with the back of the group.
According to the clock on the wall, they arrived at M-23 ten minutes after the flight was supposed to leave, but it was still there. They checked through the counter in a rush and ran down an empty jet bridge. Ryder caught glimpses of the plane through the porthole-type windows as they entered the plane’s threshold. It looks a little odd , he thought, then rushed in behind Debbie and bumped into Cynthia. “I’m sorry,” he said panicky.
“I’m not,” Cynthia quipped, breathing hard from the run.
The interior of the plane was really different. It was black with brown leather seats. The black reminded Ryder of a Japanese jewelry box his mother owned. What was that called? Lacquer, that’s it, he thought. The aisles were wider, with only two seats on each side. The seats were even larger than first class on the previous flight. He didn’t have to bend over to walk down the aisle or even when he slid into his chair. The overhead compartments were harder to reach, but deeper than the previous plane. Along with his backpack he could have easily placed his two suitcases in the space. Ryder also noticed that he did not have to stand in a line inside the plane to get to his seat. He figured that was just because they were late. “Wow, this is the way to fly. I wonder if all international flights are like this,” he mumbled.
Rebecca Creer was sitting next to him. Debbie and Cynthia were across the aisle. Ryder knew two things about Rebecca: she would read the entire way, and she wouldn’t say a word to him. Debbie once counted, and announced to Ryder, that Rebecca had only spoken seven words all day in class.
Rebecca turned to Ryder. “Something is not right with this. I’ve traveled to Europe twice before, and this just isn’t right,” she declared.
Ryder was in shock. “What did you say?” he asked stupidly. More surprised that she had spoken to him than by what she had said.
“The planes for international flights are more crowded and uncomfortable than domestic flights. When my family and I went to Spain last year, I could barely hold my book up without having my arms go into spasms. This is bizarre,” She declared.
There was a doorbell-like ping, and the pilot announced that they would be leaving shortly, and to fasten their seatbelts.
Ryder looked for the carlike seatbelt, and was immediately confused. “Miss Li, I don’t have a
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