Fasten Your Seatbelts: A Flight Attendant's Adventures 36,000 Feet and Below (8 page)

I didn’t fly to San Jose much after that. A week later, someone asked if I had heard about the A-300 that almost went down. “Yep, I responded, and I can tell you all about it.”

never thought I would marry a sociopath, but I did. I never thought suicide would ever be a part of my life, but it was. The names in this story have been changed.

At the age of 21while living in Atlanta, I was sitting in my church listening to the sermon. I looked behind me and saw a strikingly handsome guy. Leaning over to my mom I whispered, “This is the man I’m going to marry.” At the end of the service, we met walking out the door.

He said, “I normally don’t walk out this door.”

I replied, “I normally don’t walk this slowly.”

We immediately started dating and the romance began. His name was Craig. He had thick, brown hair with soft, chocolate eyes. He stood about six feet tall and drove a brand new gray Z28. In the early eighties, that was a pretty hot car to own.

After a year of dating, he proposed. We set our wedding date and reserved the chapel. I was about to order invitations
when Craig decided he wasn’t ready to get married. I couldn’t believe it when he backed out of the wedding. I was devastated!

He decided to move to Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He was very vague about why he was moving there. He said he still loved me, but the timing was not right for him.

Once in a while, the phone rang. When I said hello, someone hung up. I knew it was him. It actually was a comfort to know he was still thinking of me. He came from a difficult childhood and had some flaws that resulted from his experience. I just didn’t realize to what degree he had been affected.

I dated a few people in the next couple of years, but nothing serious. I also became a flight attendant during that time. I moved to Raleigh, North Carolina for a year but I missed Atlanta, so I decided to move back. I would still be based in Raleigh, resulting in a commute to work.

On one of my trips, I flew with a flight attendant named Jennifer. We had a great time flying together, engaging in deep conversation on the jumpseat. She called me her little psychologist. Then it dawned on her: She had a cousin who lived in Atlanta named Matt. He was going to school to become a clinical psychologist. It would be the perfect blind date.

I had been on only one blind date before and it was a fiasco. I couldn’t wait for it to be over. Needless to say, I was a little hesitant about going on another, but I agreed.

When I opened the door, I immediately was attracted to him. He was opposite of Craig. He stood six feet two inches tall. He had wavy, light brown hair, blue-green eyes, and fair skin. The chemistry between us was electrifying. We dated for about two or three years. During that time I began to feel like more of a wife than a girlfriend; however, there was one problem: I had no ring on my finger.

I was ready to get married, but I felt Matt distancing himself from me. I told him we’ve been dating each other long enough to know which direction this was heading. He mentioned an old college girlfriend of his was writing him letters, and he still has feelings for her. Pain shot through my heart. I told him I wouldn’t want to marry him and find out five years down the road he is still fantasizing about his old girlfriend. “Go back to her and figure it all out,” I suggested.

She came from a wealthy family and lived in Germany. He flew over there and brought her back to the States. It was surreal. I thought the odds of him coming back to me were slim. I knew the best thing I could do now was to move on with my life. A little fun in the sun was just what the doctor ordered and thought Florida might be a good choice to look for a condo or townhouse.

It’s funny in life when you think you are heading in a certain direction, something comes up and prevents you from heading that way. I call it fate, but in this case it was disaster.

I hadn’t been to church for quite a while. One particular Sunday something kept telling me to go. During the service, I needed to use the restroom. On the way, I noticed a handsome man sitting casually on a desk in the back of the congregation. I thought I wouldn’t have a chance with this guy, but gave him my best flirtatious smile and walked by.

As I returned, I heard a voice that said, “Chris?”

I glanced over and gasped, “Craig?”

“Are you married?” he asked hesitantly.

“No, are you?”

“No,” he said quietly. He had changed in the past five years; perhaps even more handsome. I went from a brunette to a blonde, so I know I looked different.

I thought this was fate. Matt going back to his old girlfriend and now here I am with my old boyfriend. We picked up right where we left off. Craig read his Bible often and expressed some of his personal interpretations of scripture that were, in my mind, a little too extreme. But he was genuinely interested in helping others, especially people who were down and out. I was touched by that.

We always had nicknames for each other. Mine was Kiki, and his was Cigi. He was so protective of me. He worried about me going out at night and always made me feel very secure. I received a steady stream of romantic notes and letters, they
all seemed to end with the word forever. Anyone would have fallen for him.

In fact, he said there were several girls in church who were interested in him. One Sunday after the sermon a young woman came running after us. She was a beautiful brunette dressed immaculately. Brazenly, she stood in front of me and asked him why he hadn’t called. I was a little embarrassed for him, but secretly felt honored I was the one he chose.

After a while, Craig began to open up with me. He said he was fired from his last job. I never got a clear understanding why. All I know is he took me to his previous employer’s office around midnight one night and was copying some papers. It looked like personal information. I don’t know why I didn’t ask more questions, I guess at that point I had no reason to distrust him.

He then confided, “I have had a streak of bad luck this past year. I was temporarily staying with friends and rented a storage unit. Someone broke into the unit and stole most of my clothes and belongings.” Full of sympathy, I bought him suits, shirts and ties to interview for work.

He was now living with my parents and me. They loved him. He called them mom and dad, and we all gladly tried to help him. Next thing you know, the collector’s agency called the house. Craig was behind on payments for his vehicle. This
was so foreign to me. I always had spotless credit. He charmed the person on the phone until they were laughing like old buddies. Ultimately, the charm wore off and mom and dad ended up covering his payments and insurance. We still loved him and thought he was just having a difficult time. He was pressuring me to get married, but I told him not until he had a job.

Six months had now passed. I often wondered how Matt was doing. One day I went to get the mail. Before I reached in the mailbox, I had a sense that something might be in there from Matt. That is how strong our connection was. I sifted through the mail and there was the letter. He said he had made a big mistake. The relationship with his girlfriend in Germany was over and he was now ready to be the perfect husband. I had strong feelings for him, but the resentment was still there. I told him Craig and I were planning to marry. He was devastated, but I forged ahead, determined to ignore my feelings for him.

Eventually, Craig did get a job. He said it was a growing company and could see himself being vice president in no time at all. He would sell computers in the Southeast region making a good salary plus commission. The best part of all, the company was going to give him a car. We could sell his automobile
and save some money. I certainly wasn’t marrying him for his financial status. I loved him because he was, so I thought, such a great guy. All of that changed immediately the day I said, “I do.”

I have great benefits with my job as a flight attendant. One of them is flying for free. We planned a Hawaiian ocean sunset wedding in Maui, but thought we could save money on airfare for him if we legally got married before we went. A town called Ringgold, Georgia, was renowned for couples who wanted a quick wedding (sort of like a mini Las Vegas). I don’t know if it was nerves or what, but when the preacher said, “We are
all
gathered here,” it struck me as hilarious because there were only three of us standing there. I unsuccessfully suppressed laughter throughout the entire ceremony. As it turned out the joke was on me.

On the way to Maui, I saw an immediate change in Craig. He became moody and sullen. He had always been a ladies man; maybe he was feeling a little trapped. I soon started making a lot of excuses for his behavior.

When we got to Maui, we unpacked and decided to go for a hike. We climbed some cliffs at the far end of the island. Craig slipped and fell and was in obvious pain. I gathered ice from the cooler, wrapped it in a towel, and put it on his leg. “Get that f---ing ice off my leg, Chris.” he ranted. I told him he needed
to reduce the pain and swelling. He replied, “I came out here to get some G---D--- sun, and I am going to lay out here till I get it.” I was shocked. He had never used such language in my presence nor talked to me that way.
Who was this guy?
I lay there speechless and sick at heart. His skin was turning pink from the sun when he announced, “Okay, let’s go.” I drove him to the hospital in silence. The ER physician said Craig tore some ligaments in his leg, prescribed pain meds and sent him back to the hotel on crutches.

Due to the circumstances, we cancelled the wedding. After all, we were legally married. My mom and dad (our witnesses) were the only ones who were going to attend. The wedding coordinator who arranged the ceremony felt so sorry for us she gave us a refund.

Craig and I were staying in a condo about a couple of miles from Kaanapali, a beautiful complex with luxurious hotels landscaped with gorgeous waterfalls and lush gardens.

As we were walking along the path, I stopped Craig. “This would be a perfect place to take pictures.”

“I am not in the mood to take pictures, Chris.” He snapped back with a sullen expression.
No big deal
. I shrugged it off. We continued walking.

I noticed a girl in a thong bikini parading around as if she were the hottest thing ever. I am the one who said, “Craig, look
over there.” He looked and looked at her and kept staring as she disappeared around the corner. Obviously, he was trying to get to me. I whispered, “Craig, you are on your honeymoon.” He sneered and limped off. I wasn’t going to let him bother me, so I continued taking pictures of the graceful swans swimming nearby.

I meandered out to the parking lot where the jeep we had rented was parked. The jeep was there, but no sign of Craig. I looked for him everywhere but couldn’t find him. I checked in the parking lot again, but this time the jeep was gone. I couldn’t believe it! He took off and left me there by myself on our honeymoon.

I sat on the cement median, tears streaming down my face.
What had I done?
Anger soon replaced the tears. Constantly checking my watch, a long wait of forty-five minutes passed. Just before giving up, I saw the jeep coming around the corner. I opened the door and stepped in. I took off the wedding ring (which I co-signed at purchase) and flung it at him, “I want this marriage annulled immediately,” I snapped.

“I’m so sorry, Kiki,” he soothed. And managed to sweet talk his way out of the situation. I reluctantly agreed to give him another chance and we flew back to Atlanta.

We moved out of my parents’ house and rented an apartment in Alpharetta, (a suburb of Atlanta), hoping to save money for
our own home. Craig’s behavior did not change for the better; in fact, it only worsened. Something was terribly wrong. The promise of a company car did not happen and Craig needed a vehicle. He found a red Bronco. I told him I would finance it through my credit union, thinking that if I had to leave him at some point in time, I could sell it.

After a couple of months, I noticed my credit cards were getting a hefty balance. “I’ll pay you back, I’ll pay you back,” he grumbled. He never did. While traveling on business, he used my credit cards for expenses.