The Flautist. Part Ten

Kate was resting, half dreaming.

It was so nice to wrap her arms around Jo and feel her excitement. The tiny girl knew what she wanted and how to get it. Then they swapped places and it was as nice as the other way round. The pleasure surprised Kate as it came out of nowhere, as swift as a wave from the sea. It took her over, carried her away and left her as quickly as it had come.

Jo enjoyed sex like everything else in her life. It was a moment of pleasure, a good time. A cup of coffee, a piece of chocolate. For a moment it was everything to her, but when it was gone, it was gone.

"I'm so glad I talked to you this afternoon," Jo said, keeping her green eyes on Kate's naked body.

"Yes, that was nice."

"Nice? It was brave. I had no chance with a perfect 10 like you. Not with my posture and tiny nose that makes me look like a funny little pig."

"Stop it!" Kate was a little too quick to say that. Just half an hour ago she had been surprised at how much better Jo looked in her tailored shirt and highly sophisticated bra than naked.

"Well, it is true. I accept that and I want you to know that I love my body, which is short and round and has no waist."

"Josephine . . . that is sweet."

"No, you are sweet, just look at your perfect body."

"No, don't say that . . ."

"Ha! A minute ago you were trying to stop me from calling myself a little funny pig and now you can't take the compliment? Just look at you, Kate. You are soooo pretty. Why can't you accept that? Start with small steps, convince yourself that you are the sweetest girl in this room, Kate. Sweet as a chocolate. Sweet Kate . . . I will call you Kit-Kat."

"This is silly."

"But it is funny. Come on, let's play! What would my funny name be?"

"Hm . . . Piglet, I suppose?"

Jo clapped her hands.

"That's it. I love it. Suits me."

"Piglet?"

"Yes, Kit-Kat?"

"Come here and kiss me."

Jo gave Kate a nice, warm but very brief kiss. Then she started to get dressed.

"I have to go now. Oh, I am so sorry, I forgot to tell you that I have so little time tonight! But please, don't be upset. Do you have any plans for tomorrow? I might have a surprise for you."

Kate was quite amused by Jo, her behaviour, her personality.

"I have nothing planned. I have to pack and go to the airport on Monday morning."

Jo nodded.

"If you meet me downstairs at seven sharp tomorrow morning, I'll take you for a ride. But don't be late. It's crucial."

Kate felt the change in Jo's voice. Suddenly she was very serious.

"What could be so important at 7 a.m. on Sunday?"

"Trust me and you will see." Jo smiled and her green eyes sparkled with good humour.

"See you then."

"Can't wait. Bye!"

***

Kate left her room at seven sharp, but was downstairs a minute later. Jo was waiting outside with her car. She pointed to the right-hand seat and as soon as Kate had closed the passenger door, Jo started the car. A terrible alarm sounded.

"Fasten your seat belts."

"What's the rush?"

"You'll see."

Kate finally managed to fasten her seatbelt and enjoyed the ride. They were on a boulevard, passing the Petit Château, and a few minutes later Jo turned off towards Laeken, with its impressive greenhouse. Then they left Brussels, the road was narrow but charming, passing through nice neighbourhoods.

"We're almost there," Jo said, then suddenly she turned, drove past the open gate and parked.

"Oh, what a funny plane. Looks a bit strange."

"Fouga Magister. V-tail is not a very popular design. Come on."

Jo led Kate past the buildings to a hangar. She entered a code, opened the door with an incredible noise and said:

"Come on, help me push her out."

Kate was not quite sure who 'she' was. Jo approached a small plane and waved to Kate.

"Don't worry, she's light enough. We'll start pushing and she'll roll out easily. We'll have to stop her."

Suddenly Kate realised Jo was talking about her aeroplane. She put her hands on a strut and started to push.

"No, no, no. On my command."

The girls rolled the plane out of the hangar. Jo opened the door, picked up a list and handed it to Kate.

"You're going to help me with walk around. Read out the items one by one and move on to the next when I confirm that I have done it."

Kate nodded, but the items were strange.

"There are a lot of papers here," she noticed.

"Yes," Jo muttered. "The plane doesn't fly because of physics, it flies because of paperwork."

Kate made a joke about the item on the checklist, then went to the wrong place. Jo knocked her down. Kate laughed, but Jo just clucked, irritated. Kate hit her head on the thing hanging from the wing.

"Catherine! Please go there," Jo pointed with her finger. "Sit down and stay there until I call you."

Kate looked at Jo as if it was a clever joke, but Jo's eyes were piercing, cold, serious.

"Oh, I see. I will be a good girl now."

"Glad to hear it, young lady. That is why you are still here. Now behave yourself and do as you are told." Jo took the checklists as Kate passed, looked at them, sighed and started all over again.

This was not the perfect way to begin a Sunday. Kate would not admit it, but she was hurt. Then she understood.

One day in the past, she was at Michelle's place, cooking for her. Of course, Paul, Michelle's brother, was there, as the siblings shared the house. Kate looked around, took out her own knife, as sharp as a samurai's katana, and started chopping, cutting, chunking... and her elbow hit Michelle. It was not only irritating, it was downright dangerous because of the sharpness of the blade.

Kate said nothing and asked Michelle to boil the water and salt it. A minute later, as she reached for another piece to slice, she noticed that there was nothing on the burner. She looked around and saw Michelle peeling the vegetables. Kate complained, Michelle took it as a joke, then they collided and Kate screamed.

Meanwhile, Paul put the pot on the stove, boiled the water and then salted it. Kate asked him to put the frying pan on, which he did readily. Then, as she added more and more ingredients, she asked Michelle to stir, but the girl was doing something else again, and the whole dish was turning into a disaster. Kate took the pan off the heat, took a deep breath and calmly asked Michelle to leave. And she was not joking. Cooking is serious, it is dangerous and it is not a game. The kitchen ain't no playground.

Kate smiled at the memory of the offended Michelle. Paul stayed in the kitchen and was a perfect assistant, as if they had always been a team. Whatever Kate asked, Paul did, he never said an unnecessary word, he was in the right place at the right time, doing the right things. The dinner was saved.

It was the same with her today. She was like that Michelle in the kitchen, always in the wrong place at the wrong time, disturbing, irritating, making simple things difficult. She had to be tamed.

"It's done. We are ready to go."

"I'm so sorry, Jo. I've thought about it and I think I understand. I will behave now, I hope."

"Good. Get in the cabin. Right seat."

Jo helped Kate with the seat belts, which were so different from the ones in the car. Kate put on the headset, Jo started the engine and after a minute or two they began to taxi. Soon they were airborne in the calm morning air, the sun still low on the horizon and the trees casting long shadows across the meadows.

"Take the controls."

"You've got to be kidding. I never flew an aeroplane."

"It's easy. What I have not told you is that I am a professional flight instructor. Don't look at me like that! I know what you thought, that I was daddy's girl, spoiled and using his card."

Kate blushed.

"Don't worry, I pretend to be one. It's fun. After all, Dad pays some of my bills . . . Anyway, it's called a yoke. Grab it, gently, and just do nothing."

Kate did just that and . . . nothing happened. It was a relief for a blonde girl that they did not immediately go down in a ball of flames.

"Pull gently . . . gently! Like that. You see? We are going up. Now try to fly level. Like this. Now push a little, a tiny, tiny bit. There. Now we are going down. Back to level."

That was fun. Kate was tense but somehow enjoying it.

"Turn the yoke a bit. Don't be afraid! OK, my controls. See this little gauge? And this one. As long as we keep the ball in the middle on this one and the needle about here on the other, we'll be safe in our turn."

"But if I turn it, the ball's not there!"

"Add a leg. Push the pedal towards the turn."

Kate did so and after a few awkward attempts she was able to fly a turn.

"It's not that complicated, is it? See that cow in the field? Fly towards it."

Kate flew towards the cow, pondering the fact that an animal was 'it' but the plane was 'her'.

"Good, now turn north and fly along the motorway. Look, we are now over Mechelen."

"And that city ahead?"

"Antwerp."

"Antwerp?!"

"Yes, that is Antwerp. It really is like a big city with Brussels."

"I . . . I thought it was far from here . . . like . . ."

"Like Amsterdam? A lot of people make that mistake."

So that was Antwerp, near Brussels. Where Michelle had gone on her scholarship. So close, no matter how far . . . But she wasn't following Michelle, was she? Open mind for a different view . . .

Kate shook her head. She had a plane to fly, alfter all.

And nothing else matters . . .