Liam Brennan

“Attention Ladies and Gentlemen, United Flight 989 is now ready for boarding...”

“How the hell do you just lose a human being?” Jack screamed.

“Sir, I’m very sorry but the airline itself is not physically responsible for…”

“Bullshit!” Jack cried, interrupting the young airline representative. He slammed his fist on the counter and noticed the scores of travelers who were now overly aware of him. He rubbed his bloodshot eyes and sighed as he picked up his briefcase.

“Look, he didn’t just disappear, for Christ’s sake,” Jack whispered.

“I understand that, sir, but there is nothing more we can do,” the representative replied. She glanced at the growing line of wary customers behind him and smiled reassuringly despite her shaky hands and racing heart.

“I’m going to find him and get on that flight, I need you to do everything you can to delay it,” said Jack as he tossed his jacket over his shoulder and walked away. His insomnia had returned in the past two weeks and with it the mind games he had grown to despise.

The airport was a dreadful place, a thunderstorm having held the area captive for the past twenty-four hours. Stranded tourists slept in every crevice of the terminal, making it harder to distinguish one from the next. But Jack would have to if he wanted to find his father and bring him home to Canada. He’d arranged all the paperwork during one of his sleepless nights and was expecting everything to go as smoothly as possible.

He dropped his briefcase and leaned back against an advertisement for a sleeping aid he’d tried that didn’t live up to its slogan, Rest Easy. He closed his eyes and felt the burn as neon lines and spinning circles danced behind his eyelids.

“American tourists always wear the most ridiculous outfits down here,” his father told him over the phone when he’d first arrived. The statement rang true as red caps, orange shirts, and green shorts blended into one sickening rainbow as he scanned the terminal. There was only one man amongst the crowd that was bold enough to wear a black suit, and he was staring into Jack’s eyes at that moment, from a few hundred yards away.

Jack caught the man’s gaze; it was his father, wasn’t it? Jack smiled momentarily and thought perhaps the mind games had started yet again. He blinked and the man remained in the same position, his face pale with a grim expression.

“Dad. Hey!” Jack shouted and started towards him, pressing through the endless flow of travelers. The man turned and walked away. Jack frowned and pushed past the onslaught of people.

He emerged on the other side of the terminal, spinning in circles to spot the suited man. Jack wiped his eyes and opened them wide, forcing himself to stay alert.

“Dad?” he shouted, glancing in every direction.

“This is the final boarding call for United Flight 989…”

He turned and saw the dark suit immediately; the man was making his way toward the other side of the terminal at a brisk pace now. Without hesitation, Jack ran after him, pressing through the crowd with added aggression. He pushed past young children who clenched their parents’ hands tighter as Jack tried to break through.

“Stop him! That man in the suit, stop him!” Jack shouted at nearby security guards who were quickly approaching him. They stuck their arms out as he stormed past, knocking one to the floor.

Jack glanced back at them in question but had no time to apologize, no time to stop. He dashed through the terminal, screaming for his father with each step. He’d been lost in the supermarket when he was kid; this was the same feeling only this time there would be no helpful stranger to guide him to safety.

The suited man disappeared around a corner as Jack neared. He took the corner and fell to his knees as a family halted directly in front of him. He stared up at a small boy cradled in his father’s arms.

“Sir!” shouted a security guard as he placed his hand on Jack’s shoulder. He helped him to his feet as another guard approached with Jack’s briefcase and jacket in hand.

“Your belongings sir?” he asked.

Jack nodded and wiped the sweat from his forehead as he grabbed the briefcase.

“You are aware it’s against FAA regulations to leave your bags unattended inside the terminal?” the guard asked.

“I had to find someone,” Jack sighed.

The guards gave him a disappointed look and escorted him to the gate. He wiped his eyes repeatedly, the burning having intensified now. The airline representative offered a sympathetic smile as he approached the desk with his boarding pass in hand.

“Are you ready sir?” she asked.

“I’m tired,” Jack replied as he handed her the pass and stepped into the tunnel.

“Sir,” she called out.

Jack turned, “What?”

The young representative took a step forward, “Did you want to us ship the casket regardless of its contents?”

Jack closed his eyes, he wanted to rest but apparently his father was not ready to let go.

Liam Brennan in a 22 year old English Major at the University of Manitoba. He resides in Winnipeg with dog, Monty. Aside from writing fiction, he writes for local newspapers doing editorials and film/music reviews.