The morning of February 28, 2033, I took a look at the list of remodeling work and saw something unusual. Something like we hadn't done before. I gave the requester, Harlan Cole, a call.

"Hello, Harlan, this is Drake Hutchins calling about your project. Yours is quite unusual. Just what is it you want to do?"

"Hi, Drake, I guess we haven't met. I grew up in Hawthorne and stuck it out when my parents and brother died in the pandemic through all of last summer until October when I came to the ship and they took me in."

"We have similar stories. But I see another name on your application for your project."

"That's Ginger Han, the daughter of a Chinese importer here in LA, also from Hawthorne. We dated in high school and were surprised to find each other on the ship. She's 20 and I'm 22. We had the captain marry us on December 15th. We need to have some babies and that's why we want to move to the airport, LAX."

I was amused. "You want to move to the Los Angeles International Airport? Are you kidding me?"

"No, I'm not. My father was an aircraft mechanic who worked for MGM Studios and maintained their fleet of aircraft. We want to turn the 2nd floor VIP lounge of the MGM hanger into our home. We will need a water catchment system and more electricity so that we can live there, maintain the airplanes and fly them."

I was no longer amused, I was intrigued. "You fly planes?"

"Every spare moment I had when not in school I worked with my dad on the airplanes. And, as soon as I was able, I took lessons and earned my private pilot's license at 16 and my commercial license at 18."

"I see that you could be very useful to the village and to me. I need to get a better handle on the condition of the city these days. Taking pictures from the air is the only way to do that. You could be a big help."

"Yes, we can help each other. When can you start?"

"Since you are at the top of the list right now, can you be at the site at 9 am today to survey what we are going to do?"

"Yes, my wife and I should be able to catch one of the village's cabs to Building 37 at LAX. And meet you there."

"Okay, Derek, my partner and I, will meet you at Building 37 in two hours."

Melody had to go to a counseling circle, so I gave Derek a call. When he heard what we were going to do, he dropped everything he was going to do that day and joined me. We took my service truck to the airport. The first time either of us had been to the airport since the pandemic.

We were somewhat familiar with the private area of LAX because our fathers often rented planes to fly out of there for various construction projects. Even hired helicopters to deliver materials to some difficult places to get materials into by truck.

I was always fascinated with the airport and flying but only got to ride along a few times on private jets and smaller, propeller aircraft flown by high school friends, contractors and even occasionally, on vacations. Thinking that I might fly myself someday because I was already hanggliding off the cliffs and finding it very enjoyable.

As we drove in on the road leading to the main terminal, there were some abandoned vehicles, but the whole place was eerily quiet, unlike it was during previous visits, bustling night and day.

As we drove past the buildings, some appeared to be vandalized, but when we arrived at our destination the building looked untouched except for a door open that we drove up to and parked.

We entered the building. It had two parts: a huge hangar filled with a number of planes, large and small, and at least one helicopter from what I could see and a VIP area on the 2nd floor to our right.

I yelled upstairs. "Is anyone there!"

We got an instant reply. "Yes, it's me, Harlan and my wife Ginger. Just come on up the stairs. Ginger was a design student at UCLA. She's helping me work up the layout that we'll want to do to convert the VIP lounge into living quarters for us and our kids to come."

We reached the lavish 2nd floor lounge and it was very modern and beautifully appointed. Harlan and Ginger came over to greet us at the top of the stairs.

Harlan shook my hand and then introduced his wife, Ginger, to me. I held out my hand to her, and was struck by her beauty and the way her hand embraced mine. I could see in her eyes that she seemed as equally entranced by me as I was her. I was so unnerved I nearly clumsily replied, "Pleased to meet you, Ginger." I wondered if they knew I was in love… Lust?

Derek and I took a look at the floor plan that Ginger had created and it seemed like a very well-designed use of space that was enormous compared with most homes we had already done. Everything looked to be feasible and could be finished in about five weeks.

Of course, the most immediate need would be to mount both a wind turbine and solar panels to provide additional electricity to the whole building. There already were solar panels but they needed to be upgraded to provide more power.

With the discussion of the project over, Harlan offered… "Would you like to go flying?" The sky had cleared up between storms.

We were very busy, but both Derek and I really wanted to see what it was like from up there. We went back downstairs and it wasn't long before Harlan had a small Cessna four-seat taxiing out of a hanger door he had opened.

We climbed in the plane.  Derek sat alongside Harlan while Ginger and I sat behind. Above the idling engine’s sound, I asked, "How come the building is in such good shape?"

Harlan explained. "After my parents died and I was well enough, I drove my car here and hid it in the hangar. I put up large "No Trespass Or You Will Be Shot" signs and stayed here. Whenever I heard people in the area, I would start shooting warning shots from the roof with my dad's rifle and thankfully, nobody ever shot back."

"I smiled at Ginger when I heard what Harlan said and she smiled back in a way that was not about what Harlan said but more about me."

The engine revved up and we left the runway smoothly out over the port, buzzing it a bit, but not too close, knowing there were guns, perhaps, pointed at us as we surveyed. Derek had called the sheriff to tell him we were flying over.

We then flew up the Los Angeles River basin, well out of its concrete banks showing extensive damage from the flood after the hurricane, including sections of freeway that were gone making it very difficult to cross the river except for a few street bridges that survived the flooding.

As the plane banked to the left I felt Ginger grab my thigh as if to brace herself, but when I looked she winked at me and moved her hand up a little bit that gave me a different message.

While things got even hotter we flew over downtown and several burned-out buildings and areas and then on to the hills above Hollywood where we saw many landslides blocking roads to some of the more exclusive places making them rather inaccessible unless we were able to clear the roads of the debris.

I continued to take pictures in spite of the messages that Ginger kept sending me throughout the flight until we returned to the airport. Upon landing, Derek said he had to leave, so I told him to take the truck and I would go back to the port with Harlan and Ginger when we were through.

After Derek left, Harlan said, "Why don't you two go upstairs and hammer out the details of the renovation. I need to do some routine maintenance on some of these planes that should take about an hour before our cab arrives from the port."

I said, "Okay. Call us when the cab arrives."

Ginger gave me a look and another wink, and I followed her upstairs, fully wondering what was going on as I watched her perfect behind move beautifully with every step.

When we reached the lounge area, she turned around, pulled me in close and said, "Let's talk," as she brushed her lips on mine.

I replied, "What's going on? I can't say I don't like what you're doing, I find you extremely attractive, but aren't you and Harlan just married?"

"We are. But I have a problem."

"You do? Are you promiscuous?"

"Not normally. I must say, seeing you may have changed things for me." She started nuzzling me more and I could feel her breasts moving against my chest.

She continued… "But that isn't my problem. We both want to have kids. Especially now when kids are needed. But we've been trying since well before we got married in December and so far I haven't gotten pregnant. But when I saw you, I couldn't help thinking…"

"You want me to…"

"See if it's me or him that can't conceive. And if I do, I want him to think that the child is his. I don't want him to lose the ego he had that attracted me to him in the first place. Even though I wish I had met you sooner."

"I'm in a rather committed relationship and we had a baby in December, my first son. So, allow me to ask her first. But we are in a rather open relationship so I don't think she will complain. I see what you are doing to make Harlan feel good. But it might backfire on you in the future. It might be better to be honest and tell him."

"Let me do that… I'll consider it. In the meantime, I can't wait…"

She slid her hand down inside my belt line and kissed me deeply. She felt so good in my arms, tasted and smelled sweetly and I couldn't look at any part of her without being turned on.

An hour later, our cab arrived, and Harlan called us down to leave. When we arrived at the port, I had the driver drop me at one of our renovation projects trying to think of what I would tell Melody.

Copyright 2024 © Ronald W. Hull

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