Page 17 of Tiger's Curse
He grinned. “It’s a long story, Miss Kelsey, and I will tell you all about it on the plane.” Pulling my bag out of the trunk, he handed the keys to a man standing by who promptly got into the gorgeous car and drove it off the tarmac.
We both watched as several burly men lifted the tiger’s crate with a motorized pallet jack and expertly transferred him into the plane’s large, custom cage.
Satisfied that the tiger was secure and comfortable, we climbed up the plane’s portable staircase and stepped inside.
I was amazed at the opulence of the interior. The plane was decorated in black, white, and chrome, which made it look sleek and modern. The black leather seats were exceptionally cozy looking, a far cry from the cabin seats on commercial jets,andthey fully reclined!
An attractive Indian flight attendant with long, dark hair gestured to a chair and introduced herself. “My name is Nilima. Please, go ahead and take your seat, Miss Kelsey.” She had an accent similar to Mr. Kadam’s.
I asked, “Are you from India too?”
Nilima nodded and smiled at me as she fluffed a pillow behind my head. Next, she brought me a blanket and a variety of magazines. Mr. Kadam sat in the roomy chair across from me. He waved away the attendant and strapped himself in, foregoing the pillow and blanket.
I had flown in a plane only a couple of times before on vacations with my family. During the actual flight, I was usually pretty relaxed, but the takeoffs and landings made me anxious and tense. The sound of the engines probably bothered me the most—the ominous roar as they came to life—and the pushed-back-in-your-chair feeling as the plane left the earth always made me queasy. The landings weren’t fun either, but I was usually so excited to get off the plane and move around that I just wanted to be done with it.
This plane was definitely different. It was luxurious, wide open, and had plenty of legroom and comfy leather reclining chairs. It was so much nicer than flying coach. Comparing this to a regular plane was like comparing a soggy, stale French fry you find under a car seat with a giant baked potato with salt rubbed into the skin and topped with sour cream, crumbled bacon, butter, shredded cheese, and sprinkled with fresh-cracked black pepper.Yep, this plane was loaded.
All this luxury, coupled with the beautiful convertible car, made me wonder about Mr. Kadam’s employer. He must be someoneveryrich and powerful in India. I tried to think of who it might be, but I couldn’t even fathom a guess.
Maybe he’s one of those Bollywood actors. I wonder how much money they make. No, that can’t be it. Mr. Kadam has been working for him a long time, so he’s probably a very old man now.
The plane had built up speed and taken off while I was pondering Mr. Kadam’s mystery employer. I hadn’t even noticed! Maybe it was because my chair was so soft that I just sank back into it when the plane ascended, or maybe it was because the pilot did an exceptional job. Perhaps it was a little of both. I looked out the window and watched the Columbia River grow smaller and smaller until we passed through the cloud cover and I couldn’t see land anymore.
After about an hour and a half, I’d read a magazine cover to cover and finished the Sudoku puzzle as well as the crossword. I set down my magazine and looked at Mr. Kadam. I didn’t want to pester him, but I had tons of questions.
I cleared my throat. He responded by smiling at me over his news magazine. Of course, the first thing that came out of my mouth was the question I cared the least about. “So, Mr. Kadam, tell me all about Flying Tiger Airlines.”
He closed his magazine before setting it down on the table. “Hmm. Where to begin? My employer used to own, and I used to run, a cargo airline company called Flying Tiger Airlines Freight and Cargo or Flying Tiger Airlines for short. It was the largest major trans-Atlantic charter company in the 1940s and 1950s. We provided service to almost every continent in the world.”
“Where did the name Flying Tiger come from?”
He shifted slightly in his seat. “You already know that my employer has a fondness for tigers, so it was that, coupled with the fact that a few of the original pilots had flown ‘tiger’ planes during WWII. You might remember that they were painted like tiger sharks to look fierce in battle.
“In the late ’80s, my employer decided to sell the company. But he kept one plane, this one, for personal use.”
“What is your employer’s name? Will I get to meet him?”
His eyes twinkled. “Most assuredly. He will introduce himself when you land in India. I am certain he would like to converse with you.” He shifted his gaze to the back of the plane for a moment and then back to me. Smiling with an encouraging expression, he added, “Are there any other questions?”
“So you’re kind of like his vice president?”
The Indian gentleman laughed. “Suffice it to say, he is a very wealthy man who trusts me completely to handle all of his business dealings.”
“Ah, so you’re the Mr. Smithers to his Mr. Burns.”
He quirked an eyebrow at me. “I’m afraid I don’t understand your reference.”
I blushed and waved a hand. “Never mind. They’re characters onThe Simpsons. You’ve probably never seen the show.”
“I’m afraid I haven’t. Sorry, Miss Kelsey.”
Mr. Kadam seemed slightly uncomfortable or nervous when talking about his boss, but he enjoyed talking about planes, so I encouraged him to continue. I wiggled in my seat and shifted. Kicking off my shoes, I sat cross-legged in the chair and asked, “What kind of cargo did you transport?”
He visibly relaxed. “Over the years, the company transported quite a collection of interesting cargo. For example, we won the contract to convey Aquatic World’s famous killer whale, as well as the torch from the Statue of Liberty. Most of the time, though, the cargo was quite mundane. We transported things such as canned goods, textiles, and packages, quite a variety of things, really.”
“How on earth do you fit a whale into an airplane?”
“One flipper at a time, Miss Kelsey. One flipper at a time.”
