DEADLY DILEMMA by Dan Stratman (story read aloud .txt) 📗

Down the hallway in the makeshift kitchen, Cyndi and Lance were eating lunch at a small, faded green Formica table with a dented metal band nailed around the edges.

Cyndi unwrapped her turkey sandwich, put it up to her mouth, then laid it down. She stared down at the table and wondered, How do I tell him this? She decided to just be straightforward with how she felt. “The last couple of months have been great.”

“The last hour wasn’t so bad either,” Lance said with a satisfied grin as he polished off his sandwich. He pointed across the table. “You going to eat that?”

Cyndi slid her stale sandwich toward him without answering.

Lance snatched it up and took a big bite.

“You know I care about you—us—right?”

Lance chomped on the sandwich and flashed a thumbs-up. “Ditto.”

“It’s just that…” Cyndi wavered.

Lance wiped his mouth. He reached out and took Cyndi’s hand. “I’m really good at reading women. Something’s wrong, isn’t it?”

Cyndi nodded.

He took her other hand and looked deeply into her eyes. “You’re mad at me for eating your sandwich.”

Cyndi yanked her hands away. “Stop kidding around. I’m trying to be serious.”

“Sorry. I’ll never crack another joke again.” He leaned forward and folded his hands. “What’s up.”

She shook her head. “Forget it. I’m good. Really.”

“Talk to me, Goose. Tell me what’s bugging you.”

Cyndi took a deep breath. “I’m getting out soon, and you still have two years to go.”

“About that—”

“I’ve always known what I wanted in life. Now I’m torn. I’d like to stay in Cheyenne and see where this goes between us, but my mom keeps pressuring me to come home and run the flight school.”

“Maybe you should. I know how much you love to fly. I’d hate to be the reason you didn’t take the job. If you decide to go back, we could try the long-distance thing. Calls, Zoom chats, text messages.”

“That never works out.” Cyndi shook her head. “The distance eventually causes couples to drift apart.”

“What is it then?”

Cyndi stared down at her hands. “I’m not sure I want to go back to LA. There’re too many painful memories back there.”

“What do you mean?”

“My dad wasn’t the easiest person to get along with. It was always his way or the highway. His favorite saying was, ‘If I want your opinion, I’ll give it to you.’ I’m not saying he was a bad guy. He taught me to fly every plane we had. It’s just that he was so damn stubborn. I don’t think I ever heard him say he was sorry.”

“How did he…you know?”

Her head sagged down. “My mom kept bugging him to go see the doctor, but he said it was nothing. By the time he finally made an appointment, it was too late. The cancer had already spread throughout his body. Regrettably, we weren’t on speaking terms back then. He went downhill so fast I never got to say goodbye.” A tear trickled down her cheek. She grabbed a napkin and dabbed it away. “I found out later that my bone marrow was a perfect match. I could have saved him.”

“You don’t know that. There’re no silver bullet in medicine.”

“At least I could have tried.” She looked up with red eyes. “Do you get along with your dad?”

Normally quick with answers, Lance hesitated. “Well…it’s kind of complicated. He’s always so old school about everything.” Lance looked up and tapped his chin. “How can I put this?” He searched for a diplomatic way to describe the challenging relationship between the two. “His idea of parenting was very…traditional.” Lance shrugged. “He wasn’t around much, though. He’s a big-shot heart surgeon in Dallas so he was gone a lot.” Hoping to change the subject, Lance slid his chair over next to Cyndi. “Do you know that’s the most you’ve shared about your past since we started dating?”

“It is?” Cyndi said with exaggerated surprise.

“Let me guess. You’ve been hurt before by guys, so you’re scared to open up because it would make you vulnerable.” Lance folded his arms across his chest with a great deal of satisfaction. “Am I right?”

“Okay, ease up on the psychobabble there, Dr. Freud. That’s not it at all. I’m not scared to show how I feel.”

Lance put his hands up. “No, of course not. I completely misread you.” He tilted his head. “So, you won’t mind if I ask you some questions about your past?”

“Ask me anything,” Cyndi responded indignantly.

“Fine. I will,” Lance responded in kind.

“Fine.”

“I’ll start with a hard one. Where did you grow up?”

Cyndi shrugged. “Everywhere. Nowhere in particular. When you’re a military brat, you move constantly. No place feels like home.”

“That must have been tough. I had it easy. I grew up with the same friends and lived in the same house until I left for the Air Force.”

“It affects some kids more than others. Constantly switching schools was the worst part. You’ll do almost anything to make friends. Sometimes you hang around the wrong type of people just so you can feel like someone cares about you.”

“Can I ask you a personal question?”

Cyndi pulled back. “That depends on how personal it is.”

“At the first martial art training class, General McNeil called your dad the ‘infamous test pilot.’ What did he mean?”

Cyndi checked her wristwatch. “It’s almost noon, and the blast door is open. We need to get back to the LCC.” She slid her chair back and started to stand.

Lance put his hand on her arm and gently guided her back down into her chair. “We have plenty of time. Talk to me.”

She pulled her chair back up to the table. “It wasn’t his fault.”

“What wasn’t?”

Cyndi exhaled deeply. “My dad was testing the YF-24 over the dry lake at Edwards when the plane went out of control. If he hadn’t ejected, he would’ve been killed.”

Lance nodded. “I remember reading about that accident. The Air Force said the pilot screwed up.”

Cyndi’s face suddenly flushed with anger. “That’s bull!”

Lance straightened up and lifted his hands. “Hey,