he quietly recognised as he set his book down on the flight table that the words he was reading he wasnt comprehending

he flipped back page after page of Walkaway until he recalled what he last remembered reading of the plot  a zotta father using mercs to kidnap his daughter and keeping her locked away in a safe room beneath their residence for her protection

slipping a bookmarker between the pages he closed the book and turned off the overhead reading lamp  the cabin was dark people were sleeping or trying to sleep his had been the only seat illuminated

he turned his head and look passively out the small window where his coppery reflection tried to read over his shoulder while the lamp was lit 

he sat ahead of the wing so his view of the darknessthe softly lighted beaded networks like critical neurons or planetary galaxies twinkled 35,000 feet below was unimpeded  sliding past like a slomo film as he slid forward by the minute to Chicago Illinois 

he always said Chicago Illinois and almost always was asked why he just didnt say ChicagoEveryone knows where Chicago is.  I dont like abbreviations or acronyms I like things to be recognised by their full names That’s a waste of time. I differ  Thats respecting time an individual a place their names Someone or many took the time to consider what to name them I respect that process   usually an unintelligent Huh followed he hadnt been refuted or maybe they just didnt want to waste their time

then the window faded to black

something flickered ghostly  faintly   reappeared  soft  unfocused   motion   soundless

it had his rapt attention

                         he watched as the moving image sharpened  blackandwhite  and sharpening even more hues and colors presented  still soundless  then seeing he smiled  then the images blurredwere blurred by his tears his hand to his mouth muffling his grief

I didn’t want to buy your ticket, Dad. I kept putting it off and putting it off. Because I knew, I’m telling you I knew, I knew as soon as I bought your train ticket for Labor Day you weren’t going to be able to use it. So I held off.

Then I did.

Knowing you weren’t going to use it.

I suppose in a way I got the ball rolling.

maybe his daughter did

                          or maybe his granddaughter did when she drew and coloured a birthday card for her Great Aunt in Chicago Illinois his daughter held it up for him above a photograph of where his sister said she wanted her ashes scattered their similarities the whitewater at the left the waterfall just offcenter right the stony mountain path leading to them at the extreme right the birthday card emulated the photograph his granddaughter had not seen  physically had not seen

maybe

he didnt believe that  No love the ballas you say Babes  mine  yours  have been rolling on the face and contours of the intersecting planes we exist on You happen to be extremely sensitive Im sure you felt it  But you didnt get the ball rolling

she didnt get the ball rolling any more than the flatblack screen of the aircrafts window ran bits and pieces of his memory of his sister                 
                       when he closed his eyes they played on the back of his eyelids

                  

2123 and 2234,  Day-between-Two-Ts,  29  8. 18

1143,  Thursday,  13  9. 18