Confessions of a Hostie 3 Read Online Free

attention. He is a seemingly
conservative man, yet revels in Mary's outrageous ways. He even has
a dance with Mary, well, it is more like a standup lap-dance
actually. Helen and her hubby dance, Dean and I dance, Danny and
Bernadette dance, Damien and Stuart dance - we all dance.
    The evening is a great success. The only
near-hiccup is when Mary starts getting a little shaky on her feet.
While in the act of pole dancing on an invisible pole, she slips
and falls over.
    'I didn't fall. The floor just needed a hug'
she says giggling, face down on the carpet.
     
    Craig really likes Mary. He has never met
anyone as outgoing and outrageous as Mary-go-round. There is no
doubt he is smitten.
    Will the relationship last?
    I hope for Mary's sake it does, yet I've had
hopes many times before.
    Parties and Mary are synonymous. She is
always the last to go home. The only exception is when she gets so
trashed she either passes out or someone takes her to bed. When I
say 'takes her to bed' it has two meaning, both being relevant.
Tonight is different. We have all partied late, yet Mary and Craig
are the first to leave. Mary is drunk, although by Mary's usual
standards, she is stone-cold-sober. Sure she fell over, sure she is
loud, but Mary is showing a new sense of responsibility seldom
seen. She must really like this guy.
     
    Sometimes parties have high points and low
points. There are no low points at my little gathering. After the
last of the guests leave, Dean wraps his arms around me to say
'Wow, what a great night.'
     
    The next morning I barely have time to
reflect on the previous night as I fly out in just over 24 hours. I
hadn't even thought about my next trip. I've done all the usual
mundane duties like washing, cleaning, and paying bills, but I've
yet to even contemplate going back to work or where I am even off
to.
    Actually, where am I going to?
    I joke. I do know, but sometimes my life is
so chaotic I need to stop and think for a moment. Sometimes it is
hard enough to know where you've been, let alone where you are
going to. This is where a paper copy of my flying roster comes in
handy. I have a copy held onto my fridge door with a magnet. I
quickly glance at it.
    I'm off to Singapore.
    I knew it was going to be somewhere in
Asia.
     
    Most times I have a flying roster, so I know
what trips I am doing in advance - in theory anyway. Often trips
are changed, delayed, or cancelled. What is in black and white
paperwork under my fridge magnet can look very different by the end
of the roster period. There are times, however, where I don't know
what trips I am doing. As airlines need to have some additional
crew as a back-up to cover flight changes, sick crew, and
unforeseen events, there are always a percentage of crew on a
standby arrangement. I need to do this standby thing every so
often. I find it no fun at all.
    For a spirited soul, not knowing where you
are going until the last minute sounds like a good thing in theory:
I receive a phone call, often with very short notice, to go
somewhere in the world. It is a lottery.
    'How exciting' my non-flying friends say.
    The big catch is the short notice. I can't
venture far from home - and I could be in the middle of something,
like having coffee with Helen (as I was last time). I received a
call to scoot out the door mumbling 'run Forrest run!' Then I
needed to pack. I usually have something packed already, but how
can you prepack properly when you have no idea where you could end
up? I could be going to the equator or I might end up in the snow -
and how long will I be away for?
    Even when I do find out the destination or
destinations and how long I am to be away, the clock is ticking. I
literally need to drop everything and run. I remember some years
ago being called out on a ten day trip, which, with disruptions,
ended up with me being away from home for over two weeks. As I had
been on a standby arrangement, not knowing whether I would be
called out or not, I had fresh produce