In a Holding Pattern

     Jackson Tillman anxiously waited for the 747 to lift off from the runway so he could begin his flight to Chicago and the most important meeting of his career. His fingers itched to open his laptop and begin calculating the final figures on what probably would become the largest software sales contract of his life.

      While aggressive competition from foreign products had caused earnings figures for his other colleagues to remain in a permanent deep freeze, Jackson had found the magic formula to crack open new markets and rise to the top of the commission charts. In comparison to his past milestones the new deal promised to launch his figures into the stratosphere. 

      With the super salesman lost in thought, an attractive flight attendant rushed past down the aisle to continue preparations for takeoff. Turbulence in her home life had caused a delay in her usual punctual arrival at her duty station.  Diane Mitchell today had just left a horrible fight and breakup with Jason Wainwright, her boyfriend of six months.

     Luckily, she had dressed for her flight before the confrontation took off. She threw him out of the apartment and scattered his clothes all over the front lawn before slamming the door closed, locking it and rushing into her waiting Uber.

      As Jackson and Diane anxiously awaited their liftoff, announcements blared from the airport’s public address system:

      “Due to hazardous winter weather in Denver and similar conditions throughout the Midwest the airport authority has canceled all outbound flights until further notice.”

       Jackson couldn’t believe his ears. 

       “This can’t happen. If I don’t get to that meeting it will scuttle the biggest deal of my career.”

        Cursing under her breath in disgust, Diane thought, “Bad enough I had this breakup right before my 100th flight. Now I can’t even bury myself in my work so I can forget that ugly argument and the crashing and burning of my four-year relationship.”

     Separated by a few feet, lost in their thoughts about the flight delay, they began to sense the frustration in each of their situations.

     Jackson said, loud enough for everyone else in the cabin to her, “I am missing out on a major business deal because of this. Any idea how long we’ll be stranded here?”

       “I am not a fortune teller and I don’t run the airline,” the flight attendant replied sharply. “I have my own problems and was hoping this flight would help me forget them. Now I have to sit here and keep reliving them over and over in my head.”

       Then she decided to retract her nasty attitude.

       “Sorry. I really don’t know how long we’ll be stuck here. Also, you didn’t create my situation. No reason we can’t be pleasant to each other.”

        Jackson introduced himself and began talking about the software sale gone South, while Diane said she was dealing with a personal matter without going into details.

        “Let’s do an experiment,” the flight attendant replied. “I am sure your life involves more than just your profession, and I have other things I need to do rather than crying on a stranger’s shoulder. Let’s change the subject. What is the most exciting thing you would do with your life if you hadn’t decided to sell software?”

       With a laugh he said, “Suppose I’d become an international spy. What about you?”

       “I’d like to prepare top-notch meals for high class people as a world-renowned chef,” she said. “Like to learn the secrets of real cuisine rather than just dishing out airline food. Hey, maybe I’d prepare a gourmet feast for one of your dangerous missions.”

        Before long, a public address announcement summoned the salesman to the airport security office. Two men who identified themselves as officers of the Transportation Security Agency (TSA) met him at the airport door and began questioning him.

     “What is your real name?

     “How did you get on the flight where you were named on the passenger list?

    “Do you have any connection to foreign governments known as adversaries of the United States of America?

     The salesman replied that Jackson Tillman was his real name; he had booked the flight so he could travel to Chicago for an important business meeting connected with his software sales position. No, he had no affiliation with any foreign government.

      Now, he had a few questions of his own:

      “Why have you detained me?”

       “What, if any information do you have on me and who supplied it to you?”

       “Why are you questioning me?”

        The head TSA agent reported that all flights out of Denver had been canceled, not due to weather, but because of a tip the agency had received about a possible threat to the safety of passengers on Jackson’s flight.

          Their information came from an undercover agent based in Colorado Springs.

           The agent had revealed that the man calling himself a software salesman had come under suspicion because TSA agents had observed him carrying on a conversation with a woman posing as a flight attendant who, in fact, was an agent for a foreign government hostile to the United States.

           The reported spy also had posed as an internationally-renowned chef at times in her career.

           Jackson angrily shouted at the head TSA agent, “Look. I just met this woman, who called herself Diane Mitchell.  She told me she worked on our flight as an airline attendant. As we talked, she said she would have liked becoming an international chef in a dream career, but I knew nothing about her beyond that.”

            Ten minutes later, two more TSA agents brought the woman who had identified herself as Diane into the office in handcuffs.

            As she struggled, she yelled at Jackson, “What kind of lies did you tell the agency? I am an innocent flight attendant only guilty of having a pipe dream of a more profitable career as an international chef.

I thought we had struck up a conversation while stranded in an airport by bad weather.”

       The woman continued to protest her innocence and asked to speak with the TSA agents in private and to make the one telephone call to which she supposedly was entitled.

      A few moments later, the head TSA agent on duty in Denver got a phone call from his regional director. The director ordered him to leave his prisoners with his fellow agents and report immediately to the regional office in Colorado Springs.

       When the Denver head man arrived at regional headquarters the director introduced him to a man in handcuffs.

       “Let me introduce you to Jason Wainwright,” he said. “Mr. Wainwright has worked for our office for about six months. We recently discovered that he presented false credentials to obtain a position with the agency. During that time, he allegedly had relationships with a few women who he reportedly attempted to blackmail by threatening to turn them into various federal agencies as spies or other criminals if they did not meet his monetary demands. Apparently, he scared his other victims so convincingly that they continued to pay him off.  

      “You will release Ms. Mitchell and Mr. Tillman immediately and the agency will make arrangements to have them, the airlines and the airport properly compensated for TSA’s errors.”