Different Circles

“Which one?” Chase asked, looking at the row of parked cars.

“The gray Mercedes,” he said.

“I don’t know what a Mercedes looks like,” she said.

“The most expensive looking car in that parking lot,” he said.

That was the clue she needed. She quickly found the vehicle in question and looked at it in awe.

They unstrapped from their seats and Uncle Jake opened the door just behind the cockpit and folded down the small set of steps. They stepped out into the warm air—it was noticeably higher in temperature and humidity here than it had been in San Luis Obispo—and out onto the tarmac. The sound of aircraft engines could be heard from several directions and the air had the distinct smell she had come to associate with the jet fuel that airplanes like Uncle Jake’s ran on.

“There she is,” Uncle Jake said as they reached the nose of the airplane. He pointed in the direction of the building.

Feeling a little jolt of adrenaline, Chase looked in that direction. At first she could not credit what she was seeing. Yes, there was a good-looking woman heading in their direction, a friendly smile on her face, but that wasn’t Celia Valdez, was it? She was wearing jeans and a sleeveless button-up peasant blouse. Her hair was in a ponytail and she had on a blue baseball hat with the letters L and A superimposed upon them. She looked just like anyone else in the world—perhaps a bit more attractive and fit than most—not a goddess. But then Chase noted the guitar case she carried in one hand and the suitcase she carried in the other. And she looked carefully at the woman’s face. She had no makeup on except lip gloss, but the facial resemblance to Celia Valdez could not be denied. It has to be her! she was forced to conclude. She felt all the spit in her mouth dry up at this realization.

Uncle Jake smiled and walked forward, meeting her about halfway and taking the suitcase from her hand, leaving her with just the guitar. The two of them exchanged a hug and Celia actually kissed him on the cheek affectionately. They exchanged a few words she did not hear clearly and then they turned and walked directly toward her. Chastity felt her heart beating faster in her chest as he idol approached.

“Celia,” Uncle Jake said when they were all face to face, “this is Chastity Best, my niece from Pocatello. She’s your number one fan and she likes to be called Chase, right Chase?”

Chase’s mouth was now open in awe. She tried to respond but all that came out was something that sounded like: “Arrgh gast a maw.” Oh my God! she thought desperately. I can’t friggin’ talk! She’s going to think I’m a moron! Or that I’m having a friggin’ stroke! Or both!

Uncle Jake chuckled at her, though in a sympathetic way, not in a mean way. “Well put,” he said. He turned to Celia. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen her speechless before.”

Celia’s smile grew warmer and she took another step forward. “It’s nice to meet you, Chase,” she said. She set her guitar case down on the ground and then held out her arms for a hug.

She wants to hug me?? Oh my friggin’ God! “Blast a maw,” she said.

Celia chuckled and put her arms around her. Chase was amazed at how tall she was. She stood a good six inches taller than her, almost as tall as Uncle Jake. Her body was firm and fit as it pressed against her. She smelled of vanilla. Instinctively, she returned the hug. I’m actually hugging Celia Valdez! she thought in amazement.

It lasted only a short moment and then it was gone. Celia stepped back and regarded her for a moment. “How was the flight in?” she asked her.

Chase took a deep breath and commanded herself to articulate coherently. “It was ... uh ... you know ... fun.”

“Yes,” she said, nodding. “It is fun to fly in Jake’s plane. I used to be afraid of flying—I still am a little bit, to be honest—but it has grown on me over the years, especially flying with Jake in this plane.”

“I ... I love flying,” Chase managed to blurt. “I never did it before until I met Uncle Jake.” She flushed. “Flying that is. I still haven’t ... uh ... done ... uh...” She realized what she had been about to say at the last second and snapped her jaw shut. She took a deep breath again. “Never mind. I’m babbling.”

Celia patted her on the shoulder affectionately. “That’s okay,” she said. “I’m flattered that you like me so much that I can reduce you to babbling. But don’t worry. I’m just an ordinary person like everyone else.”

“I really love your music!” Grace told her.

“Thank you,” Celia said.

“And I found out on the way here that Chase has fairly deep appreciation for music,” Uncle Jake told her.

“Oh yeah?” Celia asked.