Don't Panic

The security guard at the airport drop off saw us coming, well before we saw him. Regardless, we were well on our way to where we needed to be, and we weren't going to stop to talk to him. We hadn't a moment to spare and he would have had too many questions, all of them rhetorical.

"How are we doing for time, Bird" the Boss said to me, fifteen minutes later than he should have. I raised my brow in such a way so as to demonstrate a sense of urgency.

I assumed the urgency part, he was the one who did the math. I couldn't remember it.

"We gotta go", I stated simply. There was no other way to say it. We were trying to impress a client, and panic doesn't sell anything.

We shook hands, grabbed papers and made for our Sewing Machine of a rental whom we would, quite shortly, be testing every ounce of its strength.

Mrs Boss called at 6:42 "Is Boss there?"

"Busy dropping the car off" I replied. Mr. Boss smirked at me, knowing full well he was not and wouldn't be for at least another ten.

"Sorry" I said. "Don't tell her I did that"

"I won't till tomorrow"

The Security Guard at the airport drop off moved like a second baseman who knew the shortstop had under shot the fly ball. He started slowly from his perch, and by the time I saw him he rounded a column and we rounded the rental lot's median. I didn't see what did after that, none of us do. We knew very well we were driving the wrong way, but we had to get the rental back, and I'll be damned if we were going to circle the airport again.

Phone rang again "is he there now?"

"Bathroom."

(I was more articulate than that, but that's the important bit. I wanted to demonstrate the urgency of the situation, without losing the cucumber cool I had on the phone)

"Who was that?" "Farked if I know, park this flaming thing" I snapped in my head, but didn't actually say. Instead I just smiled.

A Greyhound staffer at the airport drop off watched the whole scene unfold. She cocked her head to one side as we second guessed the parking lot entrance, and exhaled with a smirk as we rounded back again two wheels.

Boss went into Rental Co to toss the keys, I grabbed the bags and ran for our gates.
Twelve minutes left.

I was flustered when I got to the desk, which was quick given there was no line and I had ran full tilt from the Rental Co office, but before I could get too far into the scenarios running thru my head-

.... leaving Boss there ... "Indian jones"ing onto the plane .. Bribing them at the gate .

-Boss was standing next to me.

"Hey" "Hey"

Stamp. Sticker. Stack.

"Where do we-"

"Toward the escalator please, si-" and I was to the top before she hit the last syllable.

Long story short, we jumped over the customs line. I was doing well till Security made small talk about my hard hat and I couldn't remember what it was I used it for.

"You had to think about that?" He asked, raising an eyebrow and reaching into his pocket. Rubber gloved scenarios ran through my head as I moved faster than I thought I could.

"Did I make it" I asked the woman I was about to bribe.

Make it? You've loads of time. We START boarding at seven.

"Well", said Boss "we'd better go get a fast one, shouldn't we? That'll take this edge off"

I really wish I had a less cheesy way to end this. I don't. It's all about the journey anyways, right?

I'm laughing now because I'd forgotten Short Stack was even with us.

It's a good thing he was able to keep up.
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