//------------------------------// // Star in the Daylight // Story: Friends For Life // by Split Scimitar //------------------------------// Well, San Francisco was a disaster. Anyway, now that I’m back to some semblance of normal, I don’t have any hires scheduled, but I have received a substantial amount of now-former Delta aircraft. Their MD-88 and MD-90 retirements were accelerated due to company budget restraints, and to retire their less fuel-efficient aircraft. Included in these retirements is their Boeing 717, leaving Hawaiian as the last US operator of the type, and one of only two worldwide now. The era of the McDonnell Douglas T-tail is nearing the end, and I know that I would be remiss to not take them. They still have plenty of life left, just not in as intense and frequent use as in the airlines. While I’m between receiving shipments of planes due for retirement, I need to visit each of the girls and show my gratitude for them. So, sending a message to each of the girls individually, I map out my appreciation tour. I know for a fact that the Apple family has fallen on some hard times financially, this according to what she told me while I was in hospital. Much of their farming equipment has been in disrepair and/or been in need of replacement for some time. I have plenty of money to spare so I can help them out, especially now that some of my fleet is eligible for freighter conversions. I finally have the ability to create a little side-hustle by converting some of my older and less-used airplanes into freighters and leasing them out. I know that if passenger demand falls for any reason, most airliners can live very rewarding second lives as freighters. The freighter project and sending more airplanes to the Mushroom World (they always welcome them) are currently on hold because Rosalina is not currently available to facilitate the transfer, and because the program for converting freighters is currently closed to new applicants due to backlogs of their own. A few companies have beaten me to the punch, and as it turns out could prove to be stiff competition, even though I‘m a lessor rather than an operator. Anyway, with some spare time on my hands, I can worry about those later. For now, I need to get my affairs in order and make my visits to pay my respects to my friends. “SoCal departure, Boeing Echo India Delta Whiskey Kilo, off March, IFR to Gusty Garden.” “Boeing Echo India Delta Whiskey Kilo, SoCal departure, cleared to Gusty Garden airport via as filed. Climb and maintain 10,000. Squawk 2021.” “Cleared as filed to Gusty Garden, climbing 10,000, squawk 2021, Boeing Delta Whiskey Kilo.” “Boeing Delta Whiskey Kilo, readback correct. Proceed direct RAVON, contact Los Angeles center on 126.35.” “Direct RAVON, 26.35, Boeing Delta Whiskey Kilo.” “Los Angeles Center, Boeing EI-DWK, 4,200 climbing 10,000.” “Boeing EI-DWK, Los Angeles Center, Roger, climb and maintain FL220.” “Climb FL220, Boeing DWK.” “Hey Twilight, I’m about an hour out of Chicago. Do you still want to pick me up?” “Yeah I do. Feel free to take your time. I’m teaching classes all day. I’m not gonna be off until maybe 16:00.” “That’s fine. Just wanted to give you a position report. I’m looking forward to this.” Once parked and resting for about an hour, I hop into IND with N528EG, my little old gray mare. I still have some free time, so I spiffy up a bit and text the address for Million Air Indianapolis to Twilight. When she rolls up to the main entrance, I get in and belt up before she sets off for what she only calls “a surprise.” “You’ll be pleased to know I have a boyfriend now.” “You do?” “Well, we’re sort of playing it by ear for now. We’ve gone on a couple dates already.” “Oh wow! I’m happy for you! That’s great!” “Don’t get too ship-y. I like him and he‘s really cute, but we’re currently long-distance.” “Where’s he live?” “Idaho.” “Whereabouts?” “Ponderay (Pend Oreille).” “Wow, nice. He lives on a lake.” “How do you know that area?” “I flight trained in Washington. I knew a few people from Sandpoint. Plus, I made a few flights into Coeur D’Alene and all across the area. I’ve got most of the Pacific Northwest nailed.” “Well, yeah, okay then.” “How’d you two meet?” “Online actually.” “I’ll ask for more details later. You know I’m not a fan of surprises, so what can you tell me about what we’re doing?” “But then where’s the fun? I know you like being the leader in most situations, but let me guide you today.” “Thank you for not blindfolding me.” “Oh, I’m not that cruel. Besides, we’re already here.” Twi says as she throws her car into park. “Why are we at The Brickyard?” “Because I have a surprise for you.” “Isn’t the track closed for repaving?” She doesn’t answer and instead leads me to the racer entrance. We walk through and find a gentleman standing next to a small podium with a large cylindrical object perched atop it. “You must be Max.” He says as he extends his hand. “Yessir, I am.” “It’s a pleasure to meet you. Twilight here says you’re a fan of this racetrack.” “Indeed I am, though I fear I may have been oversold.” “Not to worry. I know a history nut when I see one!” I only chuckle. “By request of Twilight, she said you would love to take a picture with this beauty.“ “I’m honored.” I say as I walk up to it and examine each layer. Just like what I said of the Grand Canyon, there is beauty in all the layers. Granted, this is entirely man-made, seeing as it’s the evolution of the racing surface at one of motorsport’s biggest tracks, but it still doesn’t diminish the beauty of seeing many years of “natural” history. After a few shots together and some shots of the core in detail, we bid farewell and a thanks, but not before I’m presented with something I thought I’d never receive. “I think you deserve this more than anyone. Riverside would be proud.” What he hands to me is something so hallowed and sanctified, I’m shitting bricks. If that description doesn’t give it away, I’m holding a piece of Indianapolis’ start/finish line! “You might be familiar with the sister city relationship that IMS had with Ontario, before Fontana, and by extension Riverside. Most of the enthusiast clubs I kept in contact with for either of those tracks have sadly moved on. When Twilight told me you were the one who purchased March from the government, being in Old Riverside’s backyard, I can’t think of anyone who could deserve this more.” “Sir, I… I… I don’t know what to say.” I say wavering. “I feel so unworthy.” I then chuckle out, surprised my knees haven’t buckled, so I steel my nerves and as many muscles and tendons as I can so I don’t keel over. “Don’t worry, she’s not a True Original.” “She [was] still a part of the yard.” “If Twilight’s vouching for you, then as far as I’m concerned, you deserve it.” “Thank you. Thank you so much.” “Take good care of her. She deserves a nice retirement.” He says as we make our way out of the Speedway. “How did you meet the IMS historian?” “He presented a guest lecture on campus a few months ago.” “Sounds like you hit it off pretty well.” I say still flying high having been gifted an Indy brick. “Congratulations on receiving a piece of history!” She exclaims. “Thank you, Twilight.” I say hugging her tightly and on the verge of tears. “It still feels wrong for me to receive it, but I can’t say he’s wrong about Riverside.” “What do you mean?” “NASCAR used to hold races at the former Riverside Raceway. It was actually a pretty famous one too. The track closed when the area surrounding it had a housing boom. There used to be a couple places that had museum exhibits, but they’ve since closed. Most of the track is actually a shopping mall now.” “Interesting.” When we return to her home, I carefully tuck the precious piece in my bag and just stare at it. I’ll admit there are bigger fans of the track who would be more likely to enshrine it or maybe even donate it to a museum, but I’m beyond humbled to possess it nonetheless. “Sorry to say,” Twilight then says just as I ask her about dinner, “but my schedule is pretty packed. I just started a summer class and it’s one of my more material-intensive ones.” “Should I go then?” “No!” She exclaims almost too quickly. “I mean, feel free to stay as long as you like. I’m actually really glad you’re here.” “Let’s just hope I don’t make your potential partner jealous.” I reply snidely. “Oh, pfft,” she scoffs, “you’re one of my best friends. There’s no way Timber would see you as a threat. He’s not that territorial.” “Okay, but just in case something bad happens, I won’t beat his ass. What happens between you two is entirely your business.” “I appreciate that.” Next morning, after being soothed to sleep by the gentle sound of a late spring rain, Twilight wakes me up with the smell of toast. I step out and find her all dressed and ready for the day. “Good morning Max. How’d you sleep?” “Pretty well considering the events of yesterday. When are you done?” “16:00. Same as yesterday.” “Do you want me to drop you off? I don’t want to feel trapped here.” “I have another car if you need to use it.” “Okay. Where are the keys?” “Right here.” She says as she picks up her Subaru key. “Cool then. I’ll see you this afternoon then.” “Don’t have too much fun now.” “No promises.” She only chuckles as she cheerfully says, “bye Max.” “See you soon, Twilight.” Soon after she leaves, I take a shower and channel surf, finding nothing on, since it’s like 8:00 am on a Wednesday. Eventually, I settle on just hopping on Netflix and watching a few episodes of some of my serieses. With a couple hours killed, I decide to go grocery shopping for Twilight. I don’t know what dietary restrictions she has or whether or not she can cook, so I diversify the cart. As far as I know, she’s not vegan or vegetarian, and she doesn’t express any objections to most foods, and really none that I’ve ever seen. Regardless, after I check out with what I can only assume is about a month or so’s groceries (by my standards anyway), I return home and stock her fridge and pantry, making sure to note where specific items were sitting so as not to throw off the sense of location she’s already pre-established. If I had a car of my own, I could easily sneak out and return home, but I do want to spend time with her, even if we don’t have anything really fun to do, much less the time to do so. Despite my gift, I should’ve known this isn’t the best time to visit. Oh well. When it comes time for lunch, I leave the house and get a chance to drive a Hellcat. Seeing as I own a few of these, there really isn’t anything new to experience (except the automatic gearbox). Nevertheless, I take advantage of the muscle car and its half-empty tank by driving back to the speedway, just for my sake. Parked in front of the currently closed museum (for renovations), I decide to snap a few shots from the phone for later upload. Soon after, I do the last thing I could think of, spotting at Indianapolis Airport. I find a local spot evidenced by the few youngsters with cameras and park. IND is a FedEx hub, so I expect quite a few of their jets out and about today. The sequence here is interesting, though it does get boring when you see four or five of basically the same type of aircraft, even though this is only Indianapolis. Anyway, after about a half hour, I follow the spirit of my own cravings and the flow of traffic to lunch. Finding parking wherever’s available, I then transfer the reigns to my sinuses and channel my inner foodie to find myself a meal. Since it’s just before lunch rush, I decide to take my time. I’ve enjoyed most of my morning sitting inside watching TV, so I want to maximize my time outside the house. After lunch, I brim the tank out of courtesy before returning home and taking an afternoon nap. A couple hours later, I take a walk and respond to texts and emails. Torque Wrench is on holiday for the next few days, but in her place, she sent a few of her friends whom she’s worked with to do some minor work. Mostly just reorganizing the shop parts and tracking inventory, since only she is authorized to work on the airplanes. I could tough this out until Friday, but I know that I want to surprise Rarity for the weekend, considering I’ve dealt a lot of heavy emotions her way. I owe her. A few TV episodes later, I head out to get dinner from Portillo’s, because I can’t get enough of it, even though I live right by one. When I return, Twilight is home, so after I show up to see her going through the fridge, she smiles at me and says, “Thank you Max! You just saved me 2 hours. You did miss one thing though.” I perk up my eyebrows waiting for her response, “I don’t drink whole milk. I drink 2%.” “Oh. Sorry. I wasn’t even looking at the color.” “That’s okay.” “Since we have it, do you want to make a cake?” “Have you been possessed by Pinkie Pie?” “No. I just thought of a couple kinds of cakes we could make, since I bought a gallon.” “Oh. What would they be?” “Tres Leches, a personal favorite of mine, and a slight twist on devil’s food.” “Ooh.” She responds with intrigue. Since we’re short some ingredients, we purchase those and a gallon of 2% to correct my earlier mistake. Following the recipe but wishing I had it memorized, the first cake goes in the oven just as we start the devil’s food. Instead of the traditional choccy frosting, I’m going to attempt to make scratch chocolate fondue based loosely on the recipe that Mrs. Cake and Pinkie shared with me, the only real changes being less sugar and more chocolate, since I’m going less for a maple syrup viscosity and more of a motor oil viscosity, closer to a ganache. I like chocolate sauces thicker and runnier than most. The smell of both cakes in the oven is absolutely intoxicating, and Twilight looks more excited than I do, especially when the 3 milk cake comes out. As I puncture the cake to air it out and accelerate the cooling process, I combine the titular ingredients and whip together sugar and clotted cream, a secret ingredient I use instead of regular or heavy whipping cream to add a little buttery-ness to the milks. This cake can be enjoyed immediately, but I’ve found it better to let the cake soak in the milk overnight so it doesn’t dry out too much. When that cake goes into the fridge, I make the fondue just as the chocolate cake comes out of the oven. Rinse and repeat, puncturing the cake to let it breathe and to get the chocolate both wickedly sweet and warm. Wishing I could be more ambitious, I make a traditional 3-layer with Twi’s help keeping it steady. Once formed, I decide to set it in the fridge for about a half hour. The two of us decide to watch bit of telly before we take it out and cut into it. As I take my first bite, I’m hit with the feeling of resounding success as Twilight similarly hums, “mmm, I love this!” “I’m glad. The icing is closer to ganache than fudge, so the secret, for both cakes actually, is in the extra butter. Helps with moisture retention, and keeps it from, hehe, caking.” “I noticed. I’m actually surprised there’s still a lot of chocolate taste. I was scared it was gonna become too creamy or buttery.” “So was I, but I usually add a little more to help. Though it’s fortunate that my adaptation is more friendly to lower altitudes.” “What elevation are you at?” “Victorville’s 2,900’-3,000’, and March is about 1,500’. I don’t notice much change between those two, so I know that those fourth and fifth thousands of feet make a real difference.” “Mhmm,” Twilight nods. “Water boils faster, bake times are longer, and portions have to be modified so that dough or batter don’t retain too much water.” “If you were living in, say, Denver or Albuquerque.” “Here in Indianapolis, we’re slightly below 1,000’, so I am technically lower than you.“ “Exactly. That reminds me, I should say that using a ganache comes with one inherent fault, it’ll dry out and become hard.” “Well, I’m sure Timber will like it.” “He’s coming into town?” “Yeah. Day after tomorrow.” “Aww, a weekend date.” “It’ll be our second.” She beams. “First time, we met in Chicago to visit the Adler Planetarium, but that night it got fogged in.” “I’m sorry to hear. Are you gonna give him the full department tour?” “Of course. I can point out a lot of constellations this time of year.” “That’ll be nice. I’ll leave soon after then.” “Take some cake with you.” “Of course. I’m sure Rarity will enjoy a bit of our handiwork.” Next morning, much the same drill, except instead of grocery shopping, I walk around downtown Indianapolis. Twilight takes me to campus, and from there I start to navigate. Not 20 minutes later does my phone ring. “Hello?” “Hello Max, this is Rarity! Can I ask you a favor?” “Sure!” “Can you pick up Sweetie Belle from Minneapolis?” “Sure. Does she have a time she wants to be picked up?” “Friday afternoon.” “No problem. I’ll talk to her.” “Thanks Max! Can’t wait to see you!” I slowly decide to return to campus right around lunchtime. Navigating around campus to the dining hall, I purchase a meal and find a table in the lonely corner, hoping I don’t intrude on someone’s spot. Pulling up some of my social media feeds and checking email and text, I’m out in about a half hour. I then find a seat under the shade of a tree and put some music on while I wait for Twilight. About a half hour later, I decide to just walk home, since it’s only about 7 miles away. Next morning, as I defog my brain with a glass of water, I find a text from Sweetie Belle. “Hey Max, Rarity said you’d take me to NY?” “Yeah,” I respond, “sorry getting back so late. When’s good for you?” “I won’t be free until the afternoon, but I do want to get into NY before dinner time.” “No problem. Can you send me your address or wherever you’d like me to pick you up?”