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Rick's Flight(continued) 17. He didn't care if anyone in the parking lot was looking or not. He
put his hand on Sayeed's shoulder. He had to ask the question: "Have
you done anything?" "Do you want the truth or a lie?" "The last time the truth seemed to work." Sayeed sighed a short laugh, then looked out the passenger window. "OK. Then tell me a lie I can live with." Sayeed leaned his head against the window. His breath formed an infinitesimal
halo of fog. After a moment, he faced Rick, took Rick's hand, and kissed
it. "Then I'd rather not say anything, but thank you." The crossing barriers began to close with their clanging bells; they
both heard the train's horn sound. "I love you." And Rick bent across to kiss him on the cheek. The train came into the station. "Always, brother. Always." And he was out, the door shutting with a thud.
18. Sayeed disappeared down the sky ramp with other passengers. Rick waited a few moments, then went back to looking at magazines,
pretending just in case he was being watched. He milked it further by going to the next stand and paging through
books there, as well. Guess I'll never know. He wandered back towards his gate just as the loudspeaker announced his flight. "Now Boarding at Gate 6..." And on and on. He only heard
those last words, "Always, brother. Always." You're afraid of being left alone, aren't you? That's what this
is really about, isn't it? Selective memory. The pull in his gut was intense, and it took sheer willpower to prevent
tears. You'll never know. Never. That was as much the source of pain as the loss — that he might
have been totally taken in by someone, someone with a secret life, a
dangerous life. Or that he might have fallen in love with a perfectly
wonderful younger man who was just struggling to escape his homeland,
to find something a little better for himself. That loving Sayeed gave
him a purpose. So the words keep alternating in ferocious, blatant intensity:
The agent's smug glare in the interrogation room. Never. Back and forth. Back and forth. He blankly pulled out his boarding pass when it was his turn and after it was scanned, he started down the Jetway, the smell of fumes seeping through the vents, leaving for Dublin for no good reason at all.
19. Sayeed moved down the aisle towards 21F.
20. Rick had a window seat, 17A. The sky marshall sat on the aisle two rows behind him, 19 C, reading Sports Illustrated.
21. Two agents walked onto Icelandair, Flight 122.
22. Rick's plane pulled away slowly, starting its move towards the runway.
23. Handcuffs.
24. As they ascended, the evening air over New York glows. The marshall checked his watch. Rick faced the window, weeping as a child might over something precious,
broken.
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