Price of Past Miracles Ch. 08

Barbie Estevez cried out to Brad Seldon as his plane was going down in flames after being struck by lightning... then she screamed and sat up in her bed, gasping for air. She looked around and realized it was the middle of the night and she was still in her bed... not with Brad in his Cessna 172 Skyhawk in the middle of a violent storm. She put her face in her hands as she started to cry. The nightmare had seemed so real... she'd never had such a vivid dream before in her life...

She couldn't get back to sleep and by nine o'clock in the morning, she was starting to feel sick and it was scaring her so she called Brad's parents. Aunt Lynda informed her that Brad was supposed to be flying home for summer break from The Air Force Academy that afternoon. Barbie broke out in a sweat when she heard that and muttered, "Oh, no... I've got to warn him! It's too dangerous!"

She hung up and immediately dialed the contact number for cadets at The Academy that she had memorized over the past few months and left yet another message. She desperately pleaded with the person who took it to make sure that Brad got the message and that he understood its urgency...

At 11:30, Cadet Jay Hanson caught up to Brad as he was leaving his quarters to head down to the Academy airfield. "Hey Seldon... I've got another message for you from that same chick that's been calling you all semester. You know... why don't you just call the girl and put her out of her misery... and ours? She's been driving us nuts... calling almost every day! We've been making bets on how many times a week she'd call!"

Brad shook his head and replied, "I'm sorry about that... I know it's been a pain in the ass, but I'll be seeing her over the summer and hopefully we'll get something straightened out so she won't be a pain in the ass next term. I assume it was the same message as usual," he sighed as he picked up his duffel bag and another suitcase and started heading down the hallway.

Hanson fell in beside him as he explained, "Well no... this time she sounded really upset and she said it was urgent that you call her before you leave... that it was a matter of life and death... yours to be exact." He chuckled as he added, "Hey, maybe she got so pissed that you wouldn't call her that she hired someone to kill you and now she's trying to warn you because she can't call her hitman off!"

Brad snorted as he glanced at the other guy. "Was that supposed to be funny, Hanson?" he asked sarcastically and then laughed when Jay rolled his eyes and shook his head. Then he sighed again and held out his hand. "Give me the message... maybe I'll call her just to see what this ploy is all about! And it had better be damn good..." he muttered as he pushed the main door open and headed outside into the bright mid-May sunshine. He waved to the other Cadet; "Have a great break, Jay!" he called as they parted.

When Brad got to The Academy airfield, he went to one of the pay phones and dialed Barbie's number. She picked up after the first ring. "Brad, is that you?" he heard her anxious voice asking.

"What do you want, Barbie? What is this 'life and death' crap about?"

"Brad, please... I don't care if you're still mad at me, but you have to listen to me about this! Don't fly today! I had a dream last night that you were caught in a storm and your plane crashed because it was struck by lightning! So please... just don't fly today!"

He frowned as he listened to her and then shook his head as he spoke. "Barbie... that is ridiculous! I've already checked the weather forecasts between here and home and there is no chance of storms anywhere along my flight path. I am not going to change my plans just because you had some stupid dream!"

"But Brad... this wasn't like any dream I've had before! This was so real! Please listen to me!!!"

He cut her off when she started to plead desperately. "Barbie... stop this! I know you've been desperate to talk to me but you don't need to make up stupid shit like this to try to get my attention! We'll talk when I get home... and you'd better have a damn good explanation for why you lied to me!!!" he growled as he started to hang up the phone, but then stopped and listened as she yelled at him before she hung up.

"DAMN YOU, BRAD!!! IF YOU MAKE IT HOME ALIVE, I'LL KILL YOU FOR THINKING I'VE LIED TO YOU!!!" A loud click signaled that she'd slammed the phone down.

He frowned as he wondered what she meant. She was obviously upset and she did sound genuinely scared, saying she was afraid for his life... because of a dream. He shook his head again as he turned away from the phone and headed toward the hangar where his plane was stored.

Just to be sure, Brad checked with the tower before he took off, asking again for the latest weather reports between Colorado Springs and Los Angeles. They told him all reports had showed mostly clear skies to the southwest with a line of storms up over northwestern Nevada that were expected to head east... nowhere near his projected flight path.

At just after 12:30 pm, Brad took off from the Air Force Academy airfield headed to a small airport just outside of Las Vegas where he'd land to rest and refuel before continuing on to L.A. What no one had known was that the line of storms in northwest Nevada was about to be impacted by a fast moving cold front headed south out of Canada, which would push the storms to the south and intensify them...

At around two o'clock, Brad made contact with an airport somewhere over southern Utah and checked the weather reports again. He chuckled softly and shook his head when they advised him that as far as they knew, the skies were clear all the way to Vegas. He had no idea why he was taking Barbie's "dream" so seriously. His mind started to wander as he tried to figure out again what had gone wrong...

If she loved him as much as he had thought she did and was acting like she still did, then why would she have cheated on him with Jonnie?!! It still made absolutely no sense to him, but there was no denying that photograph... His hands had a death grip on the wheel of the plane and his teeth ground together when anger and jealousy surged through him as he recalled the image of Jonnie's arms around Barbie and their lips locked together...

Brad was literally shaken out of his jealous trance when the plane bounced slightly from some turbulence. He looked out the windows and noticed that ahead of him and to his right, the skies seemed to be darkening. He frowned as he contemplated what to do for a moment and decided not to tempt fate. He turned the plane southward toward clearer skies and contacted the nearest airport for directions to divert to Phoenix.

He took a deep breath and blew it out slowly as he thought about his soul mate whom he was determined not to let go of... no matter what had happened.Maybe you were right, Barbie... but I'll be OK...

**********

At around 2:30 in the afternoon, Barbie was sure she was going to have a nervous breakdown. Then suddenly she felt as if a warm breath caressed her face and took away all her fear. She looked around as if trying to see where this sudden source of calm had come from but she couldn't figure it out. Then she jumped when she heard Brad's voice in her head...I'll be OK...

She frowned, as she wasn't sure what that meant. Was he safe... or not? Was he alive... or not? She wandered around her house until about three o'clock, wondering why she wasn't feeling worried any more. She didn't know what else to do, so she called his parents again. His Mom answered the phone and Barbie could tell right away that she sounded worried.

"Aunt Lynda, it's Barbie again. Have you heard anything from Brad since he left?"

Lynda paused before she spoke. "No, we haven't Barbie. And I'm a little worried because he was supposed to call us as soon as he arrived in Vegas. Tom called the airport there and they advised that they were having a terrible storm that hit without any warning. They said they hadn't had any distress calls from any aircraft, but Brad should've been landing just about the time the storm hit and they never heard from him. We're not sure where he is at the moment!" she ended nervously.

Barbie frowned as she heard that but the feeling of calm persisted. "It'll be OK, Aunt Lynda. I'm pretty sure Brad is OK. He called me before he left and I warned him to be on the lookout for storms..." She paused and snorted a laugh as she continued, "Well, actually I told him not to fly today because of that dream I had last night, but I didn't think he believed me. But I think it made him pay attention. Trust me, you'll probably be hearing from him soon. Please let me know when you do, OK? Bye!" she said brightly as she hung up.

Lynda Seldon frowned as she set the phone down, wondering how Barbie was so sure that Brad was OK. Then she jumped when the phone rang again while her hand was still resting on it. She picked it up immediately and sighed when she heard her son's voice.

"Hey, Mom! I'm sorry if you've been worried because I should've called around three, but I didn't go to Vegas. I noticed some bad weather developing ahead of me so I diverted to Phoenix and I just landed a few minutes ago. I checked the weather reports again and they said the storms are starting to break up now that they're hitting the drier air, and as soon as I know it's all clear, I'll call again when I'm getting ready to leave so you and Dad will know about what time to meet me at the airfield."

Lynda smiled as she realized her son was a very competent and responsible pilot. Then she thought about what Barbie had said. "It sounds like Barbie's dream did make you pay attention. I wish you'd give that girl a chance to explain what you've been so pigheaded about, son! You're going to kick yourself and I want you to know that I think you deserve it! You and Megan both have been putting her and Brad through hell for nothing because you didn't want to listen to them or anyone! I just don't understand why..."

Brad cut her off forcefully. "MOM!!! I didn't want to get into any of this over the phone. I'm going to see Barbie as soon as I get home and I've already told her that I'm ready to hear her explanation. Just back off so she and I can work this out... I don't want any interference from anyone else! Every time I talk to anyone, it's like you all want to plead her case and you make it sound like I'm the asshole just because I won't talk to her! Nobody seems to understand how much this hurt ME!!!" he cried into the phone and then stopped when a woman standing nearby glanced at him nervously.

Then he continued more quietly, "I'm sorry, Mom, I didn't mean to yell. I've already figured out that I love her and need her despite what she did to me... I've just been trying to punish her until I was ready to forgive her. So you don't need to plead her case any more, OK? I'll call you again soon..."

He heard his mother sigh loudly as she replied, "Brad... you'd better listen to what Barbie has to say before you tell her any of that, because she may never be able to forgive you! We'll be waiting to hear from you again. Bye, son!" He hung up, shaking his head in confusion again, and walked toward a snack bar in the small airport to have a soda while he waited until his plane was refueled and the weather reports indicated that the storms had cleared.

**********

At around 6:30 that evening, Brad's Mom and Dad met him at the small airport in Santa Monica and Brad realized his mother was right when he asked her to explain why everyone had been telling him and Megan that they'd made a mistake. He did feel like kicking himself... the only mistake Barbie and Jonnie had made was in not mentioning how they were fending off unwanted attention from other people.

He was going to go to Barbie as soon as he got home, but she beat him to the punch. She was waiting in front of their house as soon as they pulled up because Lynda had called and told her they were on their way to get Brad. As soon as he got out of the car, she ran over and threw her arms around him, clinging to him as she cried, "Oh, thank God... I'm so glad to see you!!! I just didn't want that nightmare to come true..."

Then she drew back from him and shoved her hands against his chest. "GODDAMN YOU, BRAD SELDON! Why did you never return my calls so I could tell you what that fucking photo was all about! It was not at all what they said in that shitty tabloid rag!"

She shoved him again, paced away a few steps and then swung around and yelled at him. "AND HOW DARE YOU SO EASILY THINK THAT I COULD BETRAY YOU THAT YOU WOULDN'T EVEN GIVE ME A CHANCE TO EXPLAIN!!! I deserved better than that, Brad! Don't you ever do that to me again!!!" she cried as tears spilled down her cheeks. Then she noticed that Brad was staring at her with tears in his eyes.

When he wordlessly held his arms open to her, she rushed to him and burst out sobbing as he wrapped her in his steely embrace and cried with her. He buried his face in her soft, shining hair, inhaling the memorable scent of her shampoo and murmuring softly, "I'm sorry, Barbie... I'm so sorry, baby, for what I've put us through! I promise I'll never doubt you again..."

Tom Seldon had followed his wife into their house with his son's bags and carried them up to his room. A few minutes later, Brad and Barbie also came inside after their sorrow was starting to melt away as their passion for each other was quickly reigniting. Barbie was wrapped around Brad, clinging to him tightly, as he carried her in the front door and headed straight upstairs to his room.

Lynda started to say something, but Tom stopped her, shaking his head with his fingers at her lips. "Sweetheart... we know they've already been together... What would be the sense in trying to stop them now? Besides, you know how good make-up sex is! And they haven't been together in almost five months... Do you know how hard that is for a young man in love who's been separated from his soul mate after they've already shared such intimacy?!! Don't you remember how tortured we felt waiting just a little over a month from the day we met until we got married before we made love again?!! And we were in our thirties!"

Lynda smiled softly at her husband as she thought back to that time almost twenty-one years earlier... and looking into his hazel eyes, she was still amazed at how sexy he was at 59 years old. The deep dimpled lines in his cheeks were accompanied by a few more lines in his face; the dark brown hair on his head and chest and his thick mustache were gradually turning to a steel gray, but the hair on his head had showed no signs of thinning. And his body was still toned from years of having to stay fit for his job. To her, he was as handsome and virile as ever...

Hell... most of the time, she had trouble remembering that she was 53 and nearly through menopause... he could still turn her on with just a look! Especially when his eyes roved over her body, flames roaring as he traced her curves, even though her breasts sagged considerably more after giving birth to and breastfeeding four children... but he still eyed her with as much desire as ever!

They'd had to cut back a little on their sex life during the years the children were younger... but they'd always made time whenever they could, as both of them would get a little irritable when their frustration got to be too much! Brad had picked up on that during his teens and had teased them at times. "Geez... you guys are in a bad mood again! I'll keep an eye on everything... you two go have sex before you drive us all crazy!"

The first time he said that, Lynda had gasped in embarrassment and Tom had paused in shock for a mere second before he snorted with laughter and then swung her up into his arms and headed for their bedroom as he called over his shoulder, "Thanks, son! We'll see you later!"

And they realized every time Brad did that, he rounded up his younger siblings... DiDi, Robbie and Wayne... and got them involved in something that kept them downstairs and at the other end of the house from their bedroom. And when he was old enough to drive, he'd taken them out to the movies or somewhere so they could be alone.

Tom and Lynda looked at each other and smiled as he pulled his car keys and wallet out of his pockets and called to their daughter. "Didi! Come here, sweetheart!" He'd recently taken to calling his daughter by the same endearment he'd always used with his wife because DiDi was starting to look more and more like her beautiful mother every day... tall and statuesque, the same thick, wavy dark brown hair and the same sparkling, silver-gray eyes.

She came out of the noisy family room where her younger brothers were arguing over which TV show to watch and looked around. "Where's Brad? I thought you guys went to pick him up!"

Tom replied, "We did, sweetheart, he's upstairs in his room. He's really tired from flying all afternoon and he needs to rest. He told me to tell you guys that he'd see you all in the morning. I'm sure he'd appreciate some peace and quiet for a little while. Here's some money... why don't you and Robbie and Wayne go out for a while and catch a movie or something."

Eighteen-year old DiDi smirked as she took the cash and the car keys from her father. She knew why they were asking them to get out of the house for a little while... "Sure, Dad. We'll make ourselves scarce for a while so you and Mom can have sex!"

Then she walked back to the door of the family room and yelled at her younger brothers, "Robbie... Wayne!!! Quit your arguing and come on! We're going out for a bit... you guys can argue over which movie you want to see in the car! Let's go!"

Seventeen-year old Robbie and fifteen-year old Wayne came bounding out and headed for the front door, waiting for Didi to catch up, then they opened it and disappeared as she paused at the door before closing it. She looked at her parents and chuckled as she said, "You guys have fun... and try not to disturb Brad too much, OK?!!"

She closed the door still chuckling until she saw Barbie Estevez's car parked in front of their house. Her mouth dropped open and she turned to look up toward Brad's bedroom window and noticed light behind the curtains. Evidently, he'd finally realized what a stupid jerk he'd been and was in the process of making it up to Barbie... and their parents were giving him the time and privacy to do so.

Didi chuckled again and shook her head as she went to the car; she realized their parents were probably still going to take advantage of the fact that the house was empty except for Brad and Barbie, who were most likely having sex! It was a good thing their bedrooms were on opposite ends of the upstairs hallway from each other!

Didi laughed even harder when she glanced up after backing out of the driveway to see the light in her parents' bedroom turn on... and stay on... she'd never known them to make love in the dark! She sighed heavily after her laughter faded as she drove away, wondering if she'd ever get as lucky as Brad to find someone to love the way their parents had always loved each other...

**********

Brad couldn't seem to stop crying. He felt foolish to realize how stubborn and stupid he'd been but the tears leaking out of his eyes were not tears of sadness. He was looking down at Barbie's beautiful face as he moved inside her, and each slow stroke of their bodies sent an exquisite ache through his chest that he could only describe as... beautiful... so beautiful it kept bringing tears to his eyes.

As beautiful as her deep brown eyes staring up at him full of love, passion and desire. As beautiful as the sight of her long, straight dark brown hair spread on his pillows. As beautiful as the way her body molded to and moved with his. As beautiful as her parted lush lips that seemed to beg for his kiss with each soft sigh and moan she uttered.