Night Swimming (45 page)

She was nervous as Skip approached Logan. Her fear of flying had not subsided with time. She had asked MaryAnn for some of the pills she had once given her when she was about to skip bail and flee to Italy. MaryAnn was glad to assist and assured Charlotte that they would not affect the baby but would only make Charlotte less anxious. She kissed Skip good-bye, very happy she’d be home in just a few days. Skip patted her belly.

“No muumuus, Skip. All my maternity clothes will come from Victoria’s Secret, not the Curtain, Shade, and Drapery Outlet.” They laughed, and she blew him a last kiss.

As Charlotte waited for her flight to be called, she took two sleeping pills. The stewardess had to help her into her seat, and she was fast asleep before the first round of mimosas was served.

She did not hear the hubbub of excitement surrounding her as she slipped deeper and deeper into unconsciousness. She did not hear the flight attendant’s oohing and aahing over the gentleman who sat next to her. She had no idea whose shoulder she inadvertently snored on as they made their way to Hollywood, land of dreams.

Five hours later the stewardess was rousing Charlotte awake.

“We’re here, Ms. Clapp. Time to get up.”

Charlotte rose tentatively, like a diver who had gone down too deep and was now making her way slowly to the surface. She was mumbling something, but no one could quite figure out what. The steward brought over Charlotte’s East Coast coat, unnecessary in the eighty-degree weather that awaited her. However, the attendant persevered, trying to negotiate Charlotte’s arms into the sleeves.

“We do apologize for all the commotion and noise, Ms. Clapp.”

“Noise?” The only noise Charlotte heard was a sublime lapping of waves coming ashore from the innermost recesses of her brain. “I didn’t hear any noise.”

“Oh, then you must have missed the whole thing.”

“What whole thing?” Charlotte was clueless.

“Didn’t you know who was sitting next to you?”

“Are you kidding? I didn’t even know I was on a plane.”

“Oh, what a shame. But maybe you’re not even a fan, so it wouldn’t matter anyhow.”

Charlotte was mildly curious and still mildly confused. “Jesus, who was next to me?” she asked. She couldn’t imagine whom she had missed.

“Tom Selleck. Tom Selleck sat right next to you for five hours. Every woman on the plane was dying.”

“TOM SELLECK? TOM SELLECK SAT NEXT TO ME FOR FIVE HOURS?”

“Yup! Magnum, PI himself, and boy, if you think he looks good on TV, you should see him in person.”

“TOM SELLECK?” Charlotte said again, as if she couldn’t believe the words forming on the flight attendant’s lips.

“Do you know how long I’ve waited to meet Tom Selleck? Just my whole life! And he sat next to me for five hours? I was unconscious for one of the most exciting five hours of my life?”

She got up and made her way to the exit, still a bit crooked in her balance. These must be the gods of brutal irony, she thought.

The captain tipped his hat as she crossed the threshold onto the Jetway.

“We hope you enjoyed your flight,” he said amicably. Charlotte groaned.

The head flight attendant, standing at the exit, found that rather disconcerting. After all, Charlotte’s name was starred. She was listed as a VIP under the name of a very important studio.

“Is there anything we missed that we can rectify on your next flight with us? If there is, please let us know. We’ll make every effort to see that whatever you need is completely available to you.”

She looked at the flight attendant as if he were the Creature from the Black Lagoon.”

“Tom Selleck,” she said emphatically. “Tom friggin’ Selleck!”

And with that she deplaned.

Standing in the middle of Gate C with an arm full of flowers awaited none other than the only actor in Hollywood. Gene Hackman. Charlotte began to laugh uncontrollably.
How perfectly perfect,
she thought.
Gene Hackman welcoming me to Hollywood, no less.
Hackman walked over to Charlotte and extended his hand, presenting her with a dozen deep-red roses. Charlotte smiled as she brought them to her heart, thinking,
Ahhh, how fitting. Dolly’s favorite.
Just then an odd feeling passed over her and she was prompted to look around the room. But what the eye could not see was achingly clear to the heart. The roses relinquished their exquisite scent as they had done a hundred times before and Charlotte knew. She just knew. These roses were from Dolly. She didn’t know how they were but she absolutely knew that they were. And if she knew Dolly, Charlotte thought,
she delivered them herself.

In memory of my dear friend Ric Wylie, who remains alive in my heart and forever loved. You are not gone... you’ve simply gone ahead.