Flying Backwards Read Online Free

start a new and exciting life, be someone else… Wait! I have a life, she reminded herself. I am starting a new and exciting life in Boston. I’m going to plan a big wedding and be married to Phillip for the rest of my life. Still, she could not help herself from daydreaming of the possibilities of what could be, a daunting thought for a small-town girl, but Eleanor could not get the idea out of her head.
    * * *
    The following Wednesday morning, the day of the open interviews with Meade Airlines, Eleanor had taken her shower, but she was in the bedroom, stalling. When she looked at herself in the mirror, she recalled her promise to herself to live a better life. Could she miss this opportunity to interview with an airline? No! Finally she came into the kitchen to see that Phillip was already dressed and munching on the last spoonful of his granola. She announced that she was not feeling well and thought she should stay home today.
    “It’s my stomach. Maybe I caught a stomach bug.” Eleanor flattened her hand over her belly and offered a pathetic look.
    “Sorry, pet. I’ll tell Laura. She can run things today.” Phillip placed his bowl in the sink. “I hope you feel better.” He gave her a peck on the forehead, gathered his things, and left.
    It was true Eleanor’s stomach was upset, but it was because of nerves, not a stomach bug. She dashed back to their bedroom and pulled out a gray suit from the back of her closet. Quickly she changed, carefully applied makeup, and added some tasteful accessories. She smoothed her long ponytail into a neat bun. She was ready for the interview in Philadelphia. If she left now, she would beat the traffic.
    The GPS guided her to the hotel in record time. What am I doing here? Am I even flight attendant material? Eleanor felt she was average-looking, not as striking as Victoria or as pretty as Lizzy, but she was no dog. She glanced at her refection in the rearview mirror. Do I have what they are looking for? Do I have what it takes?
    She entered with trepidation and followed the Welcome to Meade Airlines signs to a ballroom. The upholstered chairs were set up theater-style. People were starting to file in and sit down, and she scooted into a row and did the same. She sat up straight, adjusting the fit of her suit jacket, and glanced around the room. The others were mostly younger and underdressed. Eleanor considered her age for a moment and wondered if it would count against her. There were only a handful of candidates who looked older. She waited for the general introduction to begin. Eleanor’s nervousness seemed to slip away as her excitement began to build.
    Wow, if I get this job… The possibilities! She tried to contain the thoughts.
    I shouldn’t be here … She hated lying to Phillip, but telling him about this interview would just confuse things. She told herself, I probably won’t even get this job anyway. Eleanor was taking one humongous step at a time.
    “Attention, everyone, let’s get started.” All eyes turned to the tall Latin beauty whose accent was as exotic as she was. “Welcome, on behalf of Meade Airlines. My name is Maria Sanchez, and this is my associate William Grant. We’d like to talk to you first about the airline and our program and then break off for individual interviews.” William worked his way down the aisle, passing out envelopes stamped with the airline logo.
    The lovely Maria gave a brief history of the airline and the current hubs, or bases. The job would require employees to live in one of the base areas. New flight attendants would be on call and if summoned would have to report to the airport within a four-hour window. This meant they had to live close by, within sixty miles of the airport, and have their bags packed and ready. She described the schedule as on-call days and scheduled days off each week. A scheduler would contact attendants by phone about a trip, ranging anywhere from one day up to four days. After completing the