Chapter Fourteen
Jay stood transfixed by the view out their lounge-room window, his gaze locked on the horizon as it swallowed the sun in a blaze of vibrant orange and pink while his emotions churned like restless waves crashing against his heart.
On the couch, Zara reclined with her curly chestnut hair cascading around her face as she lost herself in the pages of her latest novel.
She seemed content, almost serene, and he couldn’t help but feel guilty for what he was about to reveal.
On the one hand, he envisioned her happiness, but on the other, it was going to make them tighten their spending. Quite a lot.
‘Zara,’ he began, his voice steady despite the racing of his heart as her honey-brown eyes met his, silently questioning him. ‘I’ve come to a very difficult decision.’ The room seemed to hold its breath as he stepped closer, feeling the weight of his words like a boulder in his chest.
‘Jay, my goodness, what is it?’ She sat up ramrod straight, her gaze instantly concerned.
‘I’m retiring from piloting,’ he announced as quickly as he could and then held his breath.
The thud of her book slipping from her hands and onto the floor punctuated his declaration. ‘Okay.’ Surprise etched itself across her features, but then she remained silent, urging him to continue.
‘It’s time for a change, for a different kind of stability,’ Jay explained, never breaking eye contact with her.
‘I know the pay is unbelievably good, but I want to be grounded, not just for us, but for our future.’ He watched as a range of emotions flickered across her pretty face — surprise, concern and understanding.
This was exactly why he loved her so very much.
‘Grounded?’ she repeated softly, as if trying out the concept for the first time.
‘Stable,’ he corrected gently, knowing that for someone like Zara who’d weathered constant upheaval in foster care, and god only knew what before that, stability held an almost sacred allure.
‘I see.’ She nodded, her expression one of deep thought. ‘What are you wanting to do instead?’
‘Maybe a flight instructor, so I’m still doing what I love, but much closer to home.’
‘Oooh, I like the sound of that.’ Zara smiled now, all the way from her beautiful heart. ‘As long as you’re not going to regret leaving the job you always dreamt of, that is.’
‘You are what I always dreamt of, Zara Maverick, you and our two girls.’ He leant in and kissed her.
‘Well in that case, Jay Maverick, I say, go for it.’
‘Thank you.’ He released a massive, relieved breath then sat beside her. ‘For always supporting me.’
‘Right back at you.’ Her warm smile had the power to melt Antarctica. ‘My wonderful husband.’
In the aftermath of his revelation, and his wife’s full support, Jay retreated to the small desk in the corner of the office where the computer glowed invitingly.
Pulling up a seat, he found himself tapping away, the familiar click-clack of his fingers filling the room as he delved into researching new opportunities.
‘Flight instructor positions,’ he murmured to himself, scanning the search results with hawk-like precision. Each listing, each opportunity, was a chance for him to share his passion for flying.
‘Local flight school,’ he added, refining his search. ‘How awesome.’ A local position would mean he’d be home every night, sharing meals with his wife and tucking their daughters into bed — building the family life he yearned for.
And voila, he found exactly what he was hoping for!
Staring back at him from the glowing screen was his new trajectory.
So, with meticulous attention, he filled out the application form, pouring his determination into each line and recounting all of his experiences — the turbulent flights he’d navigated, the countless hours spent above the clouds, and the lives he’d safely guided through the vast expanse of sky.
And as the moon rose into the inky sky, casting silvery light through the bay window, he leant back in his chair and took one last look over everything, making sure it was all up to scratch.
Then, with a final confirmative click, he sent his aspirations soaring into the digital expanse.
‘Done,’ he whispered to himself with a smile. ‘Let’s see what happens now.’
The chirping croaks of the two green tree frogs who’d made their home in one of the downpipes was his response, their chorus sounding like applause for his brave choice to chart a course not through the skies, but through the things that truly mattered — love, family, and the unwavering bond that tethered him not to the clouds, but to the woman who’d become his earth.
* * *
The following morning, after returning from the local farmers market, Zara stood by the large kitchen window, her fingers tracing intricate patterns on the cold surface of the sink as she watched a pair of kookaburras chatting loudly in the old gum tree out the back, the sky vast above them.
The happy melodic sound, usually a source of comfort, now only echoed the turmoil that churned within her.
Pressing the rose-gold heart locket Jay had gifted her the night of their wedding, more than ten years earlier, she briefly squeezed her eyes shut.
She had to tell him what had been on her mind.
And soon. He deserved that much. Her fingers stilled as she caught sight of their daughters’ photographs on the floating shelf, their radiant smiles serving as a reminder of the balance she so desperately sought in life.
‘Jay,’ she began, her voice barely above a whisper as she spun to face him. ‘I’ve been thinking.’
‘This sounds serious.’ He turned from where he was arranging the beautiful bouquet of wildflowers they’d bought at the market in the vase she’d picked from the cupboard. ‘And looks serious too.’ His piercing blue eyes locked onto hers, his gaze a lighthouse amid her stormy thoughts.
‘It’s about work,’ she continued, struggling to articulate the words that had been swirling in her mind, especially since the night before when he’d announced his decision to change his job, to be home more.
‘The airline called on Wednesday afternoon. They’re offering me part-time shifts, as a flight attendant. ’
‘Part time?’ Jay’s question hung between them, gentle yet probing, like the first light of dawn seeking to break through an overcast sky.
‘Yes, it’s just …’ Zara sighed. Her desire for independence was clashing with her fierce love for her family. ‘I don’t want to miss any moments with the girls. But this job, it’s a piece of who I am. Or used to be. And maybe, if I don’t say yes, I’m scared of losing that side of me forever.’
‘Okay.’ He rubbed his five o’clock shadow, like he often did when he was lost for words.
She moved towards the kitchen table, where the vibrant flowers stood proudly in a vase now, their purple and yellow hues — her favourite combination — a testament to Jay’s thoughtfulness.
‘I’m sorry to spring this on you after you’ve just decided to sacrifice what you love, to be here, for me, for us … ’
‘Zara, my love,’ Jay cut her short, his gentle tone wrapping around her like a warm embrace and his blue eyes reflecting a sky free of doubt.
‘I understand. Truly, I do. You’ve always soared, not just when you’re up there but here, with us too.
’ He gestured around the room, their home, a sanctuary of their love and the life they’d built together.
‘Your independence, it’s one of the things I adore about you.
’ His hand found hers across the table, his touch solid and sure.
‘We’ll figure this out, like we always do. ’
‘Can we, though? Balance it all?’ The vulnerability she felt was overwhelming.
‘Let’s think about what matters most,’ he urged, his voice the foundation she needed to steady her racing heart. ‘Our love, our family, they’re not constraints, they’re our wings, Zara.’
‘Perhaps,’ she whispered, allowing herself to lean into his strength and to believe in the possibility of flight without fear of falling. ‘But can we keep on flying high without losing sight of the ground beneath us?’
‘Always,’ Jay promised, his unwavering belief in their unbreakable bond shining through the uncertainty. ‘Because no matter how high we fly, we come back to each other, our girls, to this place, our home, and to the time we’ve carved out for ourselves.’
A small nod was her acquiescence to hope and to the shared dreams that spanned beyond the horizon where the clear blue sky met the untainted landscape. They’d navigate the journey together, with love as their compass and time as the wind at their backs.
‘Thank you, Jay Maverick, for always allowing me to be me.’
‘I wouldn’t want you any other way, Za.’
* * *
Five days later, Jay stood at the threshold of the flight school’s office, his palms slightly clammy as he gripped the folder containing his meticulously organised resume and certifications.
‘Mr Maverick?’ The deep voice pulled him from his reverie, and he turned to face the head instructor, a sixty-something man with weathered features.
‘Call me Jay,’ he said with a smile, stepping into the room that smelled faintly of leather and old paper, holding decades of aviation history.
‘Take a seat, please.’ The man gestured to the one opposite his cluttered desk.
Sitting across from his interviewer, Jay’s heart swelled with the familiar rush of adrenaline he often felt before take-off, but this was different.
This was not about soaring towards a destination with hundreds of passengers on board, it was about lifting others into the realm of clouds and dreams so they could follow in his footsteps.
‘So, Jay, what does this job mean for you?’ The man clasped his big hands on top of the desk.
‘Teaching is about connecting,’ Jay began passionately, ‘while guiding each student to find their own way through the skies, and not just instructing them on the mechanics of flight.’