“What are we doing in this area?” he suddenly asked, making me jump a little.
“Oh, you’ll see soon enough.” I pulled into a parking space and quickly got out to check the time. We still had five minutes. “We have a little three minute walk to your surprise.”
Jeremy nodded, but I could see him looking around. We were in Redhill Aerodrome, so he would probably guess soon enough what was happening. My heart was thumping. I just hoped he likes his surprise. In fact, I hope he loved it.
Tugging him towards me, I linked my arm in his and gave him the brightest smile I could muster. “Walk with me, Jeremy.”
He nodded and did as he was told, walking beside me with an eager expression on his face. I could tell he was excited.
As we rounded the corner, his expression nearly floored me. His mouth dropped and his smile spread wider than I had ever seen it. “Holy…fuck,” he whispered.
“Jeremy!” I scolded, laughing.
He looked at me, his mouth still wide open. “I’m sorry, but you have to admit that this is pretty much a holy fuck moment.”
I giggled, giving in. “Okay, I’ll give you that.”
Once he closed his mouth, he looked at me. “Is this what I think it is? We’re not just going to, like, stand here and watch it take off, are we?”
Pulling at his arm, I laughed. “No, of course not. I wouldn’t be that cruel.”
Jeremy scratched his head. “But how do you...? How could you have...? I mean, this is really expensive, isn’t it?”
I nodded. “Normally, but I’m good friends with a pilot who works for one of the major newspaper companies. He gave me this contact and I got a really good discount.”
Suddenly, Jeremy swung round and pulled me in for a big hug. “I don’t know how to thank you. This is just so huge.”
Pulling out of his embrace, I grabbed his shoulders. “It was worth every penny to see that smile on your face. Happy birthday, Jeremy. Now, do you want to come and fly with me?”
Jeremy beamed. “Do I ever!”
Giggling, I made my way over to a man standing by the helicopter. He looked up, saw me, and gave me a smile. “Are you Tyler O’Shea?” he asked as we got closer.
I nodded. “Yes, and you must be Charlie. Nice to meet you.” I offered him my hand and he accepted with a bright smile.
He turned his attention to Jeremy. “And this must be Jeremy.”
“Yes, sir,” he answered.
“Do you want to climb aboard, Jeremy? The weather looks to be about perfect for the trip.”
“Do I ever!” Jeremy shouted again, making us all laugh.
“I tell you what,” Charlie said with a wink. “You can be my wingman. How about you sit up front with me? I might even let you fly a little bit.”
Jeremy gasped, but sprang into action, climbing up into the helicopter. Charlie laughed and I could tell he was just as taken as I was.
Before getting in, Charlie turned to me. “He’s quite the boy, isn’t he?” I nodded with a proud smile. “Is he your bother or something?”
I shook my head. “No, although I kind of wished he was.” Then, at least, he would have had a better life then he has, I thought.
Charlie smiled, but didn’t press on. He helped me climb in and made sure I was strapped in before he got into his seat to help Jeremy.
Jeremy looked like he could barely contain himself. He was in awe, looking at all the controls and firing question after question at Charlie.
He took it in stride and told us we were about to take off. I had only booked a half-hour flight because that was as much as I could afford. I was actually quite excited myself. I had never been in one, so this was a first for me, too.
Within an instant, we were off the ground and my stomach immediately dropped. It was a strange sensation. I had been on planes, but this was a little different. I felt less in control for some strange reason. Maybe it was because you could see a lot more, and we were going up vertically. It wasn’t terrifying, though. In fact, I was enjoying it. And, by looking over towards him, so was Jeremy.
It wasn’t long before we were up in the air, a birds-eye view of London below us. As we neared inner London, everything came into focus more as I looked across the horizon. The city looked amazing from up here. Up ahead, you could see the London Eye and the Shard standing tall and proud. The clouds were sporadic and the sun was shining, giving us the great day for which I was hoping. If anyone deserved it, Jeremy did. He was looking anywhere and everywhere he could, almost as if he was desperately trying to take it all in.
As I tried to keep one eye ahead, I couldn’t help gazing at Jeremy. As if sensing I was watching, he turned and gave me that heart-warming smile. “I wish I had brought a camera with me,” he shouted.