Chapter Text
Sure, Christopher loved the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage and the Jumpin’ Jellyfish ride, but that day his favorite part of Disneyland was Buck driving the group around the park in a Goofy-themed golfcart he called the “goofcart.” “Whenever we’re in the goofcart, we have to act goofy!” Buck declared. Together he and Christopher, who sat in the passenger seat beside him, waved their arms, made animal sounds, or sung Disney songs at the tops of their lungs during the rides between each attraction. Eddie and Carla sat behind them sharing amused looks and occasionally joining in on the fun.
When they returned to the cart after the Pirates of the Caribbean ride, an elated Christopher crowed, “This is the happiest place on earth!”
“That’s right, buddy, that’s what they call Disneyland,” said Buck.
“No, no, I mean here!” Christopher corrected. “Right here, with you!” He leaned left and put the biggest, wettest kiss ever on Buck’s cheek. When Buck glanced back at Eddie, both saw tiny tears in the other man’s eyes.
It was a picture-worthy California afternoon. Sunny, with a breeze. Warm, but not too hot. Buck wore khaki shorts with a thin white t-shirt and blue sneakers. Eddie had on a blue shirt, jean shorts, and sneakers that were mostly white. Christopher had refused to change out of his pajamas until Buck arrived to pick them up, because he wanted to dress up in clothes that matched Buck’s. Carla wore black capris under a red and purple blouse with black shoes. She was armed with bottles of water and sunscreen, and made the three boys drink from one and reapply the other every half hour. Each one of them, at one point or another, thought to themselves that it was a perfect day.
A perfect day made extra-perfect when it was time for slushies. The four of them parked the cart and sat around a circular picnic table under a red umbrella with their favorite flavors. Carla was telling them all a story that both Buck and Eddie were sure was 80% lies. She claimed that when she was a little girl, her and her little brother constructed an airplane out of a plastic basketball hoop, skis, a bike, and a wagon. “Flew right over the garage!” she claimed, swooping her flat hand down past Christopher’s nose. “Went all the way to grandpa’s house!”
“Dad, look, there’s a real plane!” Christopher said. He pointed at the sky and smiled with slushie-stained lips.
“Yeah, buddy,” Eddie said, distracted. He’d caught the eye of a tall brunette woman wearing just shorts and a bikini top. “That’s great.”
Carla shielded her eyes against the sun. “That’s strange. It looks like there’s black smoke coming out the back of it. Doesn’t it look like there’s black smoke coming out the back of it?”
Buck turned in his seat and looked up. “Yeah, and it’s flying pretty low, too. Weird.” He took a deep sip of his raspberry slushie and kept watching. After a quarter of a minute passed he said, quietly, “Really low…” Buck put his drink down. “Eddie?”
Eddie was waving at the brunette. “Huh?”
“Eddie, look.”
“I’ve seen planes before, Buck.” The brunette was approaching.
Buck reached across the table and grabbed his best friend’s shoulder. “Eddie!”
“What?” Eddie turned to see Buck, Carla, and Christopher staring, wide-eyed and slack-jawed, at the descending airplane—a plunging airplane headed straight towards Disneyland. Black smoke curled out from it and when it got even closer, he saw the flames.
Eddie and Buck exchanged terrified looks. “You think?” Buck asked, half asking the question.
“I think… There’s a chance,” Eddie replied. He stood, and the other three got up immediately after he did. “Bathroom?”
Buck looked around. There was the slushie station, a cotton candy cart, a restaurant that was all glass windows, and a men’s restroom all within ten yards. “Bathroom,” he agreed.
“Boys,” Carla squeaked, “is that thing going to hit us?” Around them, others in the crowd had noticed the approaching plane. It was diving now – nose nearly pointed straight down. The sound was nearing unbearable. People started to scream. People started to run.
“Go!” Eddie shouted. He picked up Christopher and flung him over his shoulder. The foursome fought their way to the bathroom and crowded into the corner handicap stall. “Christopher, on the floor—put your head down by the toilet. There you go. Buddy it’s ok, it’s going to be ok. We’re just—we’re just being careful, all right? It’ll be over in a minute.”
Carla looked at Buck and Eddie with tears in her eyes, then she tented her body over Christopher’s, her forehead against his. “It’s ok, baby. That’s right, hold onto me—keep your head down.”
Eddie and Buck folded their bodies over Carla and Christopher, hands braced, heads side by side. They looked at each other—Buck anxious, Eddie somehow resigned. “This is it, isn’t it?” Buck whispered so that Christopher couldn’t hear.
“I can’t believe…” Eddie began, “…you still haven’t paid me back that $100 I loaned you at the poker game.”
Buck, wild-eyed, laugh-snorted. He took Eddie’s hand. They both squeezed.
“Daddy? Buck?” Chris sobbed, “I’m scared!”
“It’s ok, buddy,” Eddie reassured him. “I love you, Christopher. I love you.”
“I love you, D—”
The plane crashed only a hundred yards away from them, right into Sleeping Beauty’s castle.
TO BE CONTINUED
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