See Shells, Sea Shells

Chapter 3

The steward peeked out of the cockpit to assess the situation. Sensing that whatever the issue was had cleared itself up, they approached the family. "We'll be landing soon. If you want to gather your belongings, this would be a good time to do so," he mentioned casually as he started to collect the dishes and drinks on a little tea cart. 

They had been so wrapped up in the drama of the moment that the Thornberrys hadn't even noticed how fast the time was flying by. "What? But that's impossible. It's only been..." Richard looked at his watch and then looked out the window. The River of Grass made famous in the book of the same title by Marjorie Stoneman Douglas was flowing sluggishly to the sea beneath them. 

Richard stared with wonder. He had read about the Everglades with great interest in his geography class and was looking forward to experiencing it in person. Now, he had just minutes to see it from the air before they landed and his parents were badgering him to get his things together instead. He sighed and went back to his work. It was easy enough to gather his meager belongings and so he turned his attention to helping his mom and dad get their act together. He searched under the seats and through the overhead bins until they were satisfied. Then he turned his attention to his teddy bear.

"Um, mom..." he asked, offering the bear to her. 

"Oh, you hold onto it until we land, dear. You might need it."

Richard frowned but returned to his seat, bear in tow. Landings weren't nearly as scary as takeoffs were to the boy so he merely held the bear in his lap and looked out the window as the plane began its descent. The pilot had years of experience and brought the jet down as gently as a feather landing on a pillow. The jet taxied off the runway and stopped outside a hangar. 

"Dad! There's another Limo!" Richard exclaimed excitedly. "And a driver!"

"Huh, that's funny. They weren't supposed to send a limo." Morton looked out the window over his son's shoulder. Something about the driver seemed familiar to him but the man had his cap pulled down low on his brow hiding his eyes. "Well, we're here," Ginger sighed as she picked up her bags.

"Mom, please," Richard pleaded, holding his stuffie out for her to take. 

"Just leave it, Richard. I'm sure the steward will bring it to us, along with the rest of our things."

Presently,  the ramp was lowered and the scent of warm, moist Florida air flooded the cabin. Richard took a deep breath and smiled. He had forgotten just how much he missed that kind of weather. Overcome with emotion, he caught his father by surprise in a bear hug at the top of the stairs. "Richard! What's gotten into you?" Morton protested as he almost lost his grip on the handrail. 

Richard hugged him even harder. "Thank you, dad. Thank you for everything."

Morton dropped his bag and hugged his son in return. Ginger was at the base of the stairs and turned around just in time to see the tender moment between father and son. She smiled broadly, forgetting for a moment all the cares they were burdened with. That didn't last long. As the family reunited at the base of the stairs the driver approached and greeted them in a familiar voice, "Take your bags, Captain?"

"Wilton, you old seadog!" Morton laughed as he slapped him on the back. "What are you doing here?" 

Mrs. Thornberry wasn't so forgiving. She dropped her bags at his feet as she brushed past him and got into the limo without saying a word. Richard stood by his father, bemused. He wasn't sure what to make of the situation. Wilton picked up as many bags as he could, "It's like this, sir..."

Richard spoke up before the man could continue. "My dad doesn't like to be called "sir", sir," he snarled. That didn't sit well with either Morton or Will. Wilton put the bags down and glanced at his friend. Morton shrugged. "Well, do you want to do the honors or should I?" he asked as the men closed in on him. Richard gulped. He hadn't been on the ground for a few moments and he was in trouble already. 

The situation would have escalated quickly if the steward hadn't interrupted. "Excuse me," he began, "but I believe that this teddy bear belongs to you people."

Wilton smiled and Richard suddenly got a feeling of dread. "Yes, it does," Wilton smiled wickedly as he pointed to him, "It belongs to this little boy, here. Why don't you take your teddy bear, little boy, and go join your mommy in the car? Us men have some more talking to do."

The steward stared at the young man before him who was obviously much too old to be needing the comfort of teddy bears and even more obviously embarrassed by having to claim one as his own in front of his father, his father's friend, and a growing group of strangers. Richard blushed tomato red as he beat a hasty retreat, the sound of laughter following him as he ran off to the waiting limousine, teddy bear in hand. 

"Is he going to be alright?" Wilton asked as he watched Richard scamper off. 

"Yeah, he'll be fine. Sometimes boys just need to be reminded of their station in life." Morton mused. He quickly changed the subject. "So, a new house, huh?"

Now it was Wilton's turn to be embarrassed. "Well, yeah. Sorry about that. If we had known..."

"Oh, come on, Will. It's water under the bridge, as they say. We're actually happy for you."

"Well, that's great because Evette and I have been delaying our housewarming party until you folks arrived."