Flight SH 123 to Corfu Ch. 04 of 07

Chapter 4 (of 7) -- Danny reports to Chief Stewardess Julie Davies.

Danny Dawson, an eighteen-year-old school leaver with no job or training to go to upon his leaving education, was reporting to the location of his 'placement'.

Under the recently elected Authoritarian Female Party government's Work Motivation Programme, placements were being assigned by Job Centre's, to male long-term unemployed (over three months), and to male school leavers with no immediate prospects of employment or training.

Placements were specifically designed, by the A.F.P.'s think-tank, to 'motivate' lazy, workshy, malingering welfare claimants -- many of who, were second, even third generation 'carreer claimants' -- into finding gainful employment.

Danny's letter of notification from his local Job Centre had informed him that his placement would be with 'Sunshine Holidays', a popular travel company, based at Manchester Airport -- Terminal 2. And, that the official title of his placement, was an 'Air Purification Technician'.

* * *

Danny's early morning ride to Manchester Airport on the airport bus had proved to be a surprisingly exciting experience. For he had sat two seats behind two lovely-looking girls of about his own age, who were sisters, and who's names were Marie and Lisa. In fact, Danny was especially taken with Marie. With her white-blonde hair and blue eyes, Danny thought she was exceptionally attractive -- a real eye-catcher.

On the airport bus, Danny had become tremendously excited -- sexually aroused -- from watching Marie and Lisa's absentminded, under-the-seat shoe-play. Thrilled beyond words, from watching their suntanned bare feet, playing with, toying with -- manipulating -- their bright-yellow, thin rubber-soled flip flops.

Even then, upon their arrival at Manchester Airport, Danny had continued to 'watch and admire' the two sisters.

And that was how Danny had come to discover that, with their mum and dad, Marie and Lisa had joined the queue to the baggage check-in desk, of ... Sunshine Holidays.

And, it had then come as a jolting shock, to Danny, to see that Sunshine Holidays had just one flight announcement on their destination board: Flight SH 123 to Corfu ... and Danny had overheard the family, earlier, talking about going on holiday to Corfu.

* * *

Now, Danny was at Manchester Airport -- Terminal 2 Departures .... And he was like a child in a sweet shop, looking around, and gazing greedily at all of the mouth-watering candy that was being so tantalisingly displayed. Except, it was eye candy, that Danny was ogling, and all-but salivating over.

As he avidly scanned the long row of Air Line Information Desks, Danny was amazed and excited by just how many of the uniformed air hostesses and other associated female staff, were doing their ... 'thing'. Those 'things', that so thrilled him to see, and that he was on a constant look-out for: girls' and women's absentminded shoe-play.

The Information Desks of the Air Lines that operated out of Manchester Airport -- Terminal 2, were situated in a long row, at the entrance end. And Danny was stunned, upon seeing just how much of his favourite ... activity, was going on there. Danny was going to have a field day: there were just so many exciting 'sightings', for him to feast his shoe-play alert eyes upon.

Danny saw that, in front of about half -- about half! he couldn't believe it -- of those Air Line Information Desks, there was a (and, sometimes more than one) uniformed air hostess and/or other associated female staff member ... 'at it'. Doing their 'thing'. Oh! doing those 'things', that they did ...

Absentmindedly, as they chatted away about who-knows-what to the Information Desk receptionist and other colleagues, these female Air Line staff -- most of them wearing hose, and low or medium-heeled uniform pumps -- as if footsore, would perhaps ease a tired and achy foot from their shoe and, slowly and gently, rub the entire length of the sensitive sole of their foot along the top of the heel of their shoe, back and forth, repeatedly.

Or, press their toes down on the top of the heel of their shoe and, as if playfully, cause the toe of their shoe to tilt, see-saw like, over and over. Until they slipped their foot back into their shoe, and then immediately repeated the procedure with their other foot.

Or, knee bent, rest one foot inside their pump, sole facing upward in a thrilling-to-see 'showpiece' display -- one of Danny's most favourite, of absentminded shoe-playing ... moves.

Or ... oh, all kinds of 'things'! Myriad -- limitless -- absentminded 'things' ... Things, that girls and women seemed to do as a totally unconscious, unthinking reaction, to whatever interesting, newsy, amusing, saucy, or scandalous tit bit of gossip that was being shared by their friends and colleagues at that moment.

Danny knew, from his countless voyeuristic experiences that, the more interesting, the more amusing, the saucier, the more scandalous -- the sexier -- the topic under discussion, all the more exciting to watch, would be the resultant ... subliminally influenced, absentminded shoe-play action. An extra-juicy tit bit of saucy, scandalous gossip, often inspiring the most entertaining, the most awesome, and incredibly thrilling, of shoe-play scenes. Often providing a veritable extravaganza, of eye-widening, penis-expanding, can't-look-away-from, absentminded shoe-play 'teasing'.

And Danny could see that, standing at a number of the Air Line Information Desks, several female Air Line staff were 'at it' -- doing their 'thing' -- simultaneously. To Danny, the Terminal 2 Departures Hall was like the proverbial 'land of plenty'.

But, alas, Danny couldn't afford to stand around enjoying the sights ... he had to be somewhere, before 06:00.

* * *

Danny quickly spotted the familiar, bright and uplifting, happy-faced shining sun logo of the popular travel company Air Line that he was looking for -- Sunshine Holidays.

This was the Air Line that Danny's local Job Centre, in their letter of notification, had instructed him to report to in order to take up his assigned placement as an Air Purification Technician.

'Placements', were the flagship of the Work Motivation Programme schemes, that were being implemented Nation-wide by the recently elected Authoritarian Female Party government. Placements were being introduced, as a means of making male benefits claimants do ... 'something', to qualify for their welfare handouts. As a means, of giving welfare claimants a none-too-gentle nudge in the right direction: towards finding gainful employment.

The A.F.P., for the moment, were being rather secretive about just what, exactly, that 'something' might entail. After all, they didn't want the welfare claimants discovering the true nature of their assigned placements prematurely, resulting in their scurrying for cover, and disappearing into the woodwork.

Not that it mattered, really. Because when benefits claimants failed to report to their placements, their welfare handouts would be stopped -- with immediate effect. So: either way, the A.F.P. won. And anyway, the true nature of placements would become common knowledge soon enough ...

As Danny approached the Sunshine Holidays Information Desk, it was with some surprise that he saw three lads of his own age already there -- three lads who Danny knew! For, the decidedly dejected-looking threesome were former classmates of his: Alan Wallace, Eric Pierce and Kelvin Costello.

Danny knew that, just like himself, none of them had a job or training to go to immediately upon their leaving education. He knew also, that they had all intended to follow the same 'career path' as himself: sponging off the country's solid-citizen, hard-working tax-payers ... Until, of course, they'd received something in the post: their letters of notification from the Job Centre, regarding their placements.

In fact, one of these three lads had been Danny's best mate at school -- Alan Wallace (who'd had the unenviable and inevitable nickname, of 'Wally').

Danny now felt a bit better about things, in finding that Al (Danny hadn't called his best schoolmate by his derogatory and hated sobriquet) was there too and, that Al had apparently been assigned to the same placement as himself. He wasn't on his own and, their being there together, along with Eric and Kelvin, served as a sort of safety-in-numbers, comradely support to Danny.

Danny saw that, at the Sunshine Holidays Information Desk, as well as his three former school pals, also standing there was an air hostess. Danny guessed she was aged about twenty-three -- the same age as his big sister Melanie.

The air hostess was attractively attired in her Sunshine Holidays cabin crew uniform: bright-blue jacket and skirt, white blouse, dark hose, and two-inch heeled, dark-blue pumps.

Her uniform was snug-fitting, serving to highlight the attributes of her already alluring figure to even greater favour and effect. She wore her long, dark hair piled on top of her head, in the practical, yet also very attractive style typically seen worn by long-haired air hostesses on duty.

Engaged in conversation with the Information Desk receptionist, the air hostess was standing with her back to Danny. Danny was just about to announce his presence, when the air hostess; suddenly transferring her weight to her left leg, did one of those ... 'things'. Danny's mouth opened -- but it wasn't to speak!

For the air hostess had eased her right foot from her seemingly rather tight-fitting -- Danny actually heard a slight whooshing sound, as of vacuum-sealed air being released -- two-inch heeled, dark-blue uniform pump. And, raising her dark-hosed foot behind her; well clear of her shoe, and until her sole was positioned horizontal, parallel with the floor, she luxuriated in flexing, then scrunching ... flexing, then scrunching ... her toes.

Danny could only stand and watch, ogle and stare, in open-mouthed amazement -- literally awestruck. For, Danny had rarely witnessed such an electrifying, eye-opening 'sighting'. A sighting, of such up-close, nothing-left-to-the-imagination, high-definition quality.

In Danny's voyeuristic experience, this wasn't something that happened every day -- not like this! You had to appreciate— no, treasure, these rare moments. These, once-every-blue-moon 'sightings'. Enjoy them to the full. Both now, and ... later, when he got home, and ...

The air hostess then returned her right foot to her shoe ... but she didn't put it back on. Instead, with her knee bent, she rested the top of her foot inside her shoe, unwittingly treating Danny, to an unbelievable view of the her now slightly wrinkled, dark-hosed sole. Danny couldn't believe it. Couldn't believe his luck! Danny just stared, and stared, at the incredibly thrilling 'sighting'. There, right in front of him!

Staring raptly, Danny could actually see the sole -- the flesh -- of the air hostess's right foot. For her sole was visible, through the dark, gauzy covering of her hose. That is ... if you looked hard enough. If you scrutinised closely enough. If you studied assiduously enough.

And Danny did. He looked hard enough, scrutinised closely enough, studied assiduously enough ... to make out details.

Exciting details ... A rather wide sole, a deep arch, and long toes (that were splaying, then wiggling ... splaying, then wiggling ...), and a round heel.

Captivated, Danny stared at the air hostess's lovely, shapely -- very sexy -- sole. He gazed, as though spellbound, at the bottom of her heel, at her deep arch, at the ball of her foot, at her, now flexing ... now scrunching ... now flexing ... now scrunching ... toes, at her—

As if she had sensed someone watching her -- someone spying on her! -- the air hostess suddenly lowered her lower right leg from its horizontal position, pushed her foot back into her seemingly rather tight-fitting uniform pump, and whirled around to see Danny ... who had, just about in time, managed to drag his greedily feasting eyes away from her excitingly exposed, thrillingly displayed -- unwittingly presented! -- dark-hosed right sole.

"Yes ...?" said the air hostess to Danny. She spoke the word sternly, as if she had suspected that Danny had been staring at her very shapely -- dynamite -- legs, and at her equally shapely bottom. And, even though the air hostess had spoken only that one, single word, Danny discerned in her tone a certain, unmistakable quality: the power of command. Danny; used to living under the firm, no-nonsense rule of his mum, and his two older sisters, Elaine and Melanie, recognised the voice of authority when he heard it -- and he was hearing it now.

"I'm Danny Dawson, and I've come about my ... placement," replied Danny curtly; but in a tone that, for him, was not far from being actually respectful. Well, how could he possibly bad-mouth this air hostess, after what he had just witnessed? After what she had just -- albeit, unwittingly -- treated him to?

"Dawson," said the air hostess in a displeased tone, looking at her wrist watch meaningfully. "I've been waiting for you. I am Chief Stewardess Julie Davies -- 'Miss Julie', to you, Dawson -- of Sunshine Holidays," said the senior air hostess by way of an introduction.

"Today, Dawson, you and your three ... colleagues," -- she nodded towards Danny's three former school pals -- "will be operating on my flight, in your assigned placements as Air Purification Technicians ... Don't ask me what that entails ... you'll soon find out.

"Unless you are directed otherwise," the senior air hostess went on, "you will continue to report here, to the Sunshine Holidays Information Desk, at six a.m. on every alternate day. So, just to be clear: that means from today, Monday, and then Wednesday, Friday, Sunday, Tuesday ... and so on and so on. Until you are told any different -- or, heaven forfend, until you get a job, of course ... Got that, you lot?"

Danny and his three former school pals mumbled and nodded their indications that they understood what the air hostess -- Chief Stewardess Julie Davies -- was telling them.

"Now, time is short, Dawson, so I'll just repeat a few of the main rules for you to be going on with: At all times, you will respond obediently and compliantly to all orders issued to you by members of cabin crew. That's rule Number One. Having said that, you will be ultimately responsible to, and answerable to me, Dawson ... So you had better measure up. And I am telling you now: I won't put up with any lip, cheek, backchat, or any other kind of nonsense from you," said the senior air hostess, putting Danny on fair warning.

She continued, "I will be the person writing up your Satisfaction of Conduct report upon our return. My report will then be forwarded to your controllers at your local Job Centre. After reading my report, Dawson, your controllers will then decide whether any actions are to be taken against you. All of your Satisfaction of Conduct reports will be placed on file, and kept for future reference. And so, it is in your own best interests, Dawson ... to do anything and everything you can to favourably influence what I put in your report -- so that it makes good reading for those at the Job Centre.

"Is all of that quite clear, Dawson? Has all of that ... sunk in? Are you getting my drift?" asked Chief Stewardess Julie Davies.

Danny wasn't slow -- lazy, yes, but not slow. He could read between the lines of what Chief Stewardess Julie Davies ('Miss Julie', to you, Dawson) was saying to him: he had better behave himself -- and he had better keep her sweet. Or else!

Danny was not accustomed to being addressed by his surname, and he didn't like it. Hated it, in fact. To Danny, being called by his surname, came off as sounding decidedly unfriendly -- hostile, even. At school, the teachers had been customarily informal; always addressing students by their first names. Of course, Danny's surname had always been called out at the morning School Assembly. But that was different: though it was formal and impersonal, he understood the necessity for it on such occasions and, while he did not like it, when done in that context it did not offend him.

Whereas, Chief Stewardess Julie Davies; standing right in front of him, getting right in his face, and repeatedly calling him by his surname -- did offend him.

He knew why the senior air hostess did it, though. It wasn't to goad him, to provoke him, to wind him up— no: it was quite the opposite ... It was to intimidate him. It was to subdue him. To cow him. It was to firmly establish, right from the get-go, her unquestioned authority over him. Pure and simple. It was to make Danny understand, that he must, immediately and without question, obey her commands -- and the commands of her cabin crew colleagues ... Or she -- and they -- would put their foot down.

And so Danny replied to the senior air hostess's question in the same, 'almost' respectful tone that he had used earlier. "Yes, Miss Julie. It's quite clear ... I get your drift."

"Right, then. Now, Dawson, now that the preliminaries are out of the way, let's go -- and we must hurry. It is due to your tardiness, Dawson, that we are now so pressed for time. Because of your making me repeat what I had already said to your three colleagues, two hundred Sunshine Holidays passengers might be delayed from flying off to their holidays at Corfu. And that, Dawson, would not make for very good reading on your Satisfaction of Conduct report ... were I to mention it, when I write it up later -- would it?" said Chief Stewardess Julie Davies, meaningfully.

Turning to Danny's three former classmates, Chief Stewardess Julie Davies snapped, "Wallace! Pierce! Costello! Come along with Dawson. Follow me, you lazy lot ... it's time to earn your unemployment benefit handouts!"

Chief Stewardess Julie Davies then fluttered her fingers goodbye to her friend and colleague, the Sunshine Holidays Information Desk receptionist. "See you on Thursday, Stel," she said.

The Information Desk receptionist, who's name-tag read 'Stella', returned the friendly farewell gesture with a jaunty little finger-fluttering wave of her own.

Stella then cast a last, glowering look of disapproval and disdain upon her colleague's four unhappy charges, her four -- ha ha ha ha! 'Air Purification Technicians'!

Ha ha ha ha! Boy, were they in for a surprise! gloated Stella.

Under the Authoritarian Female Party's Work Motivation Programme, Sunshine Holidays had been the Air Line chosen to undertake this ... pilot scheme.

Stella had been talking to one of their aircraft engineers, and he had told her that the 'placement' modifications on all of Sunshine Holiday's participating aircraft had been fully completed. Just in time for today's inaugural pilot scheme flight -- Flight SH 123 to Corfu.

"All ready to roll, Stella!" he'd told her, laughing. And she'd laughed as well -- laughed gleefully ... knowing exactly what he meant. Ha ha ha ha!!

Oh! Just the very thought, of what those four dole-claiming, wastes-of-space were in for! And others of their ilk, who would follow them. Today, and every day, for the twelve-month duration of the pilot scheme ... and probably longer. For the consensus of opinion (and rumours from on high) was that the scheme was here to stay. Here for keeps. Here for good. Good: because a lot of good was sure to come of it.

Oh, it warmed the cockles of her heart. Just the very thought, of what lay in store for the sponging layabouts, transformed the Sunshine Holidays Information Desk receptionist's expression of glowering, withering disdain, into a sunny, smug, in-the-know smile, that lit up her face with pleasure and gratification.

Ha ha ha ha! 'Air Purification Technicians', indeed! What a stroke of genius -- pure genius! Marvelled Stella admiringly. Whatever next! Ha ha ha ha!!