Life, Diverted

By Kaylie Kay

Carmen, Kate and Rachel stood side by side at the top of Mount Fuji and looked down at what they had just achieved.

'Let's make 2020 our year of adventures,' hailed Kate.

If only these three flying friends could have known what 2020 had in store for them when they walked in, owning it, proclaiming it to be theirs.

When a global pandemic puts the aviation industry into a nosedive the three are faced with adventures far removed from the ones they had expected, and have to learn to navigate their own new routes.

Will Kate divert from her default positive personality? Will Rachel cope alone when her pilot husband must find work abroad for months on end?

Will Carmen be able to let go of her past in order to realise who else she might become? Or will the past keep holding her back?

Who am I if I'm not Carmen Baker, Cabin Crew? Who can I be? 

 

2020 - the year that flight attendants across the world learned to walk

• Language: English
• Publisher: Kaylie Kay
• Release date: Sep 15, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223573593

Kaylie Kay

Kaylie Kay is a Flight Attendant of over two decades, who is using her wealth of experiences to write her books, The Osprey Series. Each book is based on a different Flight Attendant, and she blends humour with strong life lessons, and intriguing insights into the world of aviation. Based in Southampton, England, Kaylie is a busy mother and wife, using her ‘holidays’, as her family like to call her layovers, to write her books. She can be found in far flung destinations writing and gathering experiences for her novels. Like her characters, Kaylie's books travel, and her readers have been sending her photos of themselves reading The Osprey Series around the globe! Join the movement on Instagram @kayliekaywritesbooks

Book preview

Chapter One

September 1 st 2019

Carmen gazed into the grainy darkness of the near-deserted carpark and across to the rocky mountainside that was dimly lit up in front of them. The night air was balmy and fresh but her borrowed North Face coat was tied firmly around her waist for later. Her whole body groaned in protest at what she was about to ask from it.

She looked upwards to where the mountain disappeared into the black hole of the night sky, an invisible layer of clouds hiding the stars behind it. Even standing here at the fifth station, the ‘shoulder of the mountain’ and apparently almost halfway up, she could see there was still a long way to go to reach the summit. How the hell had she let them talk her into this? she asked herself for the umpteenth time since they had left London. How had she let her two friends get so carried away with such a stupid bloody idea?

Three Days Earlier

‘We’ve brought you a few bits,’ Rachel said, the pair of them standing on her doorstep, grinning at her. She handed her a carrier bag; it bore the logo of the camping shop that Carmen had often driven past on the road out of town but had never had the slightest need or desire to go into.

‘Er, thanks,’ Carmen said, only managing a partial smile. She loved her friends dearly, but this was the first time they had been on completely different pages of their book. She opened the bag and looked inside, pulling out a curious strap and holding it up, squishing her eyebrows together as she tried to fathom what on earth it was.

‘It’s a head torch,’ Kate said, tapping her own forehead in case Carmen was in any doubt about what one of those was. ‘We’re going to start climbing at midnight. So that we can be at the top for sunrise.’ Carmen tried to smile for the second time but could only manage a grimace. She could see that Rachel was fighting back the giggles as she twirled a piece of her long brown hair around her finger, that she understood more out of the two of them what they were doing to her. Somehow that made it worse; they knew she wasn’t up for it, but they were giving her no choice. She pursed her lips and nodded slowly before reaching back into the bag and pulling out a bar of chocolate.

‘Kendall. Mint. Cake.’ Carmen read the label slowly, trying to work out how this one bar of chocolate was going to help her climb the mountain. She turned it over to look at the nutritional value, perhaps it had a gazillion calories...

‘All the great explorers take it on their expeditions,’ Kate squeaked, pulling the stretched smile that always reminded Carmen of a ventriloquist dummy when she was excited.

Oh. My. God. Carmen thought in despair. She thinks we are the next freakin’ Great Explorers! She nodded slowly back, fixing her friend with her best deadpan stare, and waited hopefully for her to burst into laughter. She so badly wanted her to tell her it was all a big joke, that actually they were just going to hit all the best seedy karaoke bars in Narita town like they always did. What was wrong with just doing that?

‘I got some new walking boots today,’ Rachel piped up. Carmen stopped staring at Kate, who was still smiling but had started to shuffle nervously from one foot to the other in the way that she did when her positivity was being threatened. ‘What are you going to wear on your feet, Car?’

‘Er.’ Carmen hadn’t even thought about it, in fact she had just been avoiding thinking about it up until now, in the hope that it just wouldn’t happen. Now, with just two days to go, perhaps she needed to start preparing for the worst-case scenario... that she was actually going to have to climb Mount Fuji.

‘We will meet you back here tomorrow,’ Yuki said to Carmen and Rachel as they waited for Kate to return from the shop. Carmen couldn’t imagine what else they could possibly need, or want, to carry in their already heaving backpacks, but Kate had insisted that she needed to ‘pop in quickly’. She turned to look at her Japanese colleague and her brother, who had ‘kindly’ driven them here from the hotel after her meltdown.

‘I can’t do it, I’m not Superwoman,’ she had cried on the bus from Narita airport to their hotel, loud enough for the whole crew to hear it. She was so tired from the overnight flight they had just worked and needed much more than two hours in her hotel bed before getting up to climb a mountain, for God’s sake.

‘But we can sleep on the bus and the train there,’ Kate had coaxed.

Carmen had wanted to shake her friend with full force at that moment, whilst screaming at her that this was all just one big, bad idea. No part of her wanted to do it, and her body was telling her that she wasn’t capable... unlike her absurdly fit and energetic friend she couldn’t sleep on a washing line, or more precisely, on a bus; she needed a dark room and a proper bed for at least eight hours a night, always had done, and while her friend might be able to get another four hours’ recharge on the long journey to Mount Fuji, Carmen’s fuel tanks were empty and there was no way in the world that two hours’ sleep now would refill them enough to climb a mountain that night.

‘I’m sorry, girls, I just can’t do it,’ she had finally said, and she had felt an overwhelming sadness as she said it. A hard lump had formed in her throat and she didn’t dare say anything else as she knew that she would cry if she did. She knew that if they went without her she would wake up in twelve hours’ time and regret not being part of that memory they had made. They always did everything together, The Three Amigos, that was just how it was... but what if she got halfway up and couldn’t go on? What then? She had felt the hot tears coursing down her face before she realized that she was even crying.

Poor Kate had dropped her head and was looking forlornly down at her hands, the smile was finally gone, and Carmen had felt even worse than she had done already. Until then her friends had been amused by her reluctance; she was never one to embrace the great outdoors after all, but they had clearly believed that she would thank them once she did it. She knew they would never have meant to upset her.

Suddenly Rachel had leapt up from the seat in front. ‘I’ve got an idea,’ she said, gripping the white headrest covers as she dashed to the front of the moving bus and approached the small group of Japanese crew who were sitting there. Five minutes later she was back and announcing an end to all of Carmen’s problems, apparently:

‘For the same amount of Yen we would have spent on the train and bus, Yuki’s brother is going to pick us up at 7pm and drive us to the mountain. Then, they are going to wait for us to get back down and take us back to the hotel!’ she said, clapping her hands together. ‘You’re welcome,’ she added, looking simultaneously from Kate to Carmen and back again, accepting her appreciation in advance.

‘So, we get to have a good sleep first?!’ Kate said, her smile back on and eyes lighting up as she realised first what this meant to them. She leaned forward across the aisle and rubbed Carmen’s arm encouragingly. ‘Bloody well done, Rach, this is brilliant! Thanks, Yuki!’ she called up the bus. Yuki waved back over her shoulder at them.

Carmen’s heart had skipped a beat as she caught her friends’ enthusiasm, and a small smile had even dared to cross her face. For a split second she had felt as if all of her problems were solved, before she crashed back down to earth as she realised that only one of them was, the sleep part... she still had to climb this mountain that was now looming over her, and she had no good excuses left not to!

‘Right, it’s midnight, girls, so we’d better be off if we want to be up there for sunrise,’ Kate said, walking quickly back towards them from the small supply shop on the edge of the carpark. She handed them each a wooden walking pole with a Japanese flag attached to the top and flashed a small white bottle with big red letters that spelt OXYGEN on the side of it. ‘Just in case,’ she said with a straight face, before tucking it into her rucksack. Carmen tried not to be alarmed that the shop sold oxygen casually over the counter, given that her friends had tried their best to convince her all the way here that it was going to be little more than a hill walk. She held the stick at arm’s length, gripping it tightly and scowling at it as she tried to muster the determination she was going to need to get through the night. She tapped it hard on the gravel floor before turning on the heel of her old worn-out gym trainers to march behind the others, wondering for the first time whether she should have invested in new shoes like Rachel had. Well, she thought in resignation as they approached the entrance to the path, it was too late to back out now, she was here so she might as well try to make the most of it. She pulled her shoulders back, puffed out her chest and forced a determined smile on to her face...

Carmen Baker was going to climb Mount Fuji wearing a pair of old trainers, whether she liked it or not!

Chapter Two

Carmen and Rachel leaned on each other as they both tried to catch their breath. Carmen closed her eyes for a moment and breathed in deeply, the cold breeze feeling nice against her hot cheeks. She pulled down the zip of her jacket to let it cool her chest, her body warmed by the efforts of this last steep stretch of the zig-zagging path.

‘I’m going to see if I can do this last bit without stopping, challenge myself,’ Kate said. She tucked her thick, black, bobbed hair behind her ear on one side and looked up at the last section of the path that led straight to the top. ‘Do you mind?’ she asked, turning to her friends for permission to break away.

‘Go for it, see you up there in a bit,’ Carmen said, waving her away with her hand. Kate had been like an energetic dog tugging on a long lead the whole way up, desperate to run and see how fast it could go. Loyalty and their ‘in it together’ pact had so far kept her close, but now that lead had been unclipped and she was off, not even looking over her shoulder as she steamed ahead. 

Carmen and Rachel watched in silent awe as their friend, who had evidently been keeping it from them that she had been a Royal Marine in a previous life, ran up to the summit. The smallest of the three, she had much more energy per kilo than either of them.

‘Hill walk my arse, you lying cows,’ Carmen said eventually. Both she and Rachel had been surprised by the un-hill like qualities of their climb. According to her, perhaps very quick, internet search before they had left, anyone could climb Fuji, people much older and less fit than them... but it transpired that those people stopped halfway up in one of the many wooden huts they had passed, for a nice little sleep... an option that she had definitely not been given.

At times it had felt like they were scaling a cliff edge, grabbing at rocks and hauling themselves up on the guide ropes that lined the path. Funnily enough, it dawned on Carmen, after the initial easy-ish couple of hours the rest of it had felt very much as if they had been climbing a mountain! Fancy that! she thought with a small involuntary laugh.

‘I’m so sorry we bullied you into this,’ Rachel apologized. ‘My feet are killing me, and I feel sick,’ she half laughed, half cried.

‘It’s fine, I’m kind of glad you made me do it. In a few minutes we can say we climbed Mount Fuji,’ Carmen said, slapping her friend gently on the shoulder. For the past hour Rachel had been struggling. ‘One last sprint, mate, c’mon, we can do this,’ she said cheerfully, digging deep to find enough positivity for them both. She took Rachel’s clammy hand in hers and pulled her along. She wasn’t leaving anyone behind.

‘Do we have to sprint?’ Rachel moaned, her arms loose and body stooped forward as she reluctantly started to walk again.

‘Ha-ha, no, a walk is fine, but we need to get up there soon, the sun is going to be up any minute.’

They both looked over to where the sky met the land, a faint apricot hue beginning to seep above the horizon. Fields and forests scattered between hills as far as the eye could see were now just visible as the night slowly faded away, and Carmen took out her phone to take the first picture of this beautiful day.

‘Quick, get in.’ She turned the camera on them both to get the selfie, pausing to wait for a man to pass behind them.

‘Can I take it for you?’

The same man stood in front of them now, his hand already outstretched to take the phone from her.

‘Uh.’ Carmen looked down at the young boy who stood casually by his side. He was maybe eight or nine years old, the top of his woollen hat just reaching the man’s chest. They had the same ruddy cheeks and big smiles on their faces. She blinked quickly, trying to decide if she was impressed or embarrassed that this kid seemed to be doing better than them. Surely they weren’t that bad, were they?! She went to the gym with the girls occasionally, okay so she didn’t exactly exert herself, it was more of a social thing, but even so....

‘Carmen!’ Rachel said, nudging her in the ribs. Carmen looked back up at the man.

‘Erm, yes, thanks...,’ she said hurriedly, handing over her phone. ‘Sorry, I was just a little shocked to be overtaken by your boy,’ she apologized, summoning her warmest smile.

‘He’s clearly much fitter than us, mate,’ Rachel laughed, leaning into her for the photo.

‘Clearly.’ Carmen smiled wider in the hope of finding the funny side too.

‘We had a sleep in the hut at the seventh station,’ the man grinned, handing back the phone. ‘Don’t worry, girls, you are doing fine.’

‘Aaaahhh,’ she said. ‘Thank you, yes, that makes me feel a whole lot better.’ Carmen took her phone back and looked down at the picture he had just taken. It was perfect. Despite their make up free faces, they both looked fresh and glowing against the extraordinary backdrop. It was almost worth the six-hour climb to get such a memory. ‘Thank you,’ she said, looking back up. They were already walking away.

‘So, we’ll race you to the top then,’ he called over his shoulder. With that challenge hanging in the thin air, the two girls watched as they too ran up the mountainside to the summit, the young boy leading the way.

‘We seriously need to redeem ourselves,’ Carmen muttered, shaking her head. ‘Right! Let’s do this,’ she hailed, clenching her fists in the air. She felt a surge of adrenalin as she realised what she was about to achieve and set off at a fast walk behind them, pulling Rachel behind her...

Reaching the summit minutes later, out of breath and gasping for air after forcing themselves to keep up the fast pace, they were met by a beaming Kate peering down at them.

‘Come on, girls, you can do it,’ she cheered, stretching out her hand to help them over the ledge to where the ground was finally flat.

Carmen’s legs sagged as she took a few steps to the side and collapsed on the floor next to Rachel on the smooth, cold rock.

‘I feel sick,’ Rachel cried between gasps as they lay on their backs side by side.

‘I think I’ve died,’ Carmen said. Her mouth was dry and her skin prickled. She felt both exhausted and exhilarated in equal measures.

‘Here.’ Kate was standing over them, shaking her head and swallowing her giggles. She offered the oxygen bottle to Rachel.

‘Thanks.’ Rachel lifted a limp arm to take the bottle, fixing the mask over her face as Kate helped her to turn it on. Carmen closed her eyes and listened to the noises around them, tuning into the quiet buzz of conversations. She breathed in deeply, waiting for her heart to slow down, to stop beating so hard in her chest.

‘We just climbed a mountain,’ she said slowly. She wiggled her feet to check they would still move and opened her eyes before heaving her tired body up into a sitting position. ‘We just climbed a bloody mountain!’ This time when she said it, she felt a tingling in her head and goosebumps break out all over her arms and legs. She felt her cheeks pull back as the widest of smiles spread across her face.

‘And I never want to do it again,’ Rachel said, sitting up too and handing the oxygen bottle to Carmen. A small grin turned the corner of her mouth upwards.

‘Come on, girls, the sun’s rising,’ Kate called. She was beckoning them over to where she was standing at the edge, reserving a space amongst the small groups of people who were gathered around the brink of the summit, behind the low chain-topped fence.

Carmen and Rachel pulled themselves up, their legs stiff as they walked the few paces over to her. They put their bags down on a wooden bench, and Carmen marvelled at how a bench, and indeed huts, had made it all the way up here to the top of the mountain, way up in the sky.

From the edge the three friends looked down on the scattered clouds that floated lazily beneath them, moving slowly across the fields and forests. The sun was rising in the sky and Carmen tried to take a mental picture, one that would stay in her mind forever, of the most amazing sight she had ever seen in her thirty-one years. It was as if they were looking down from the aircraft window, only the window wasn’t a small rectangle in the fuselage, it was a 360-degrees, panoramic viewpoint of glory at the top of Mount Fuji.

‘Whoa, we walked through the clouds.’ Rachel broke their awestruck silence.

‘Yep!’ Kate said. ‘Right, photos!’

Usually, Carmen hated it when Kate went into full photo mode, making them pose for endless shots for her Instagram, but this time she would let her have it... this time she wanted these photos too, as proof to herself that Carmen Baker had climbed to the top of a mountain, that she had stood 12,390 feet up and looked down on the clouds.

‘Girls, thank you so much for making me do this,’ Carmen said. She felt intoxicated, mesmerized by every sight and sound. ‘I’m up for any adventures you come up with from now on.’

‘Yes! I knew you’d love it,’ Kate said, punching the air. ‘What shall we do next? The Inca trail? Kilimanjaro? Hike the Grand Canyon?’

‘All of it,’ Carmen said, heady with the sense of achievement the climb had given her. ‘Maybe not Kilimanjaro though,’ she added quickly, suddenly realizing what that was. ‘One mountain is enough.’

‘Fair enough,’ Kate conceded, putting an arm around each of them and pulling them in for a group hug. ‘2020 will be our year of adventures.’

‘I can’t wait.’ Carmen squeezed her friends back tightly. They had partied in every corner of the globe this past ten years since they had met on their training course, but now it was time to start seeing this wonderful world through fresh eyes. When they pulled apart from each other they stood side by side in thoughtful silence looking out across Japan... until, for Carmen at least, the precious moment was shattered into a thousand pieces...

‘I wonder how long it will take us to get down?’ Kate asked simply.

Chapter Three

Carmen was having a serious sense of humour failure as they made their way back down the mountain. Why, she asked herself over and over, had the fact that they would have to climb back down never occurred to her until that moment? Had she imagined there would be a cable car or something? No, she hadn’t imagined anything, she simply hadn’t thought a nanosecond past the climb up, that was the only focus she’d had. To make matters worse, Positive Polly, as she was now calling Kate, was getting increasingly annoying with her positivity.

‘Kon’nichiwa,’ Kate said to another group of Japanese tourists passing them in the opposite direction. Lots of head nodding and greetings were now being followed with, ‘These are my friends, Rachel and Carmen.’

Carmen was past being polite. At first, she had smiled and nodded back, but now, halfway down, her smile was more a case of baring her teeth while searching her inner repertoire for names that she would like to call Kate... For now, she had just a pinch of self-control left, but one more introduction and she was ready to explode with a tirade of profanities at her friend. She played out the scene in her mind over and over until it made her laugh out loud.

‘What’s so funny?’ asked Rachel, the two of them walking a few steps behind Kate even now.

‘I was just thinking of pushing Kate down the mountain if she introduces me to one more person,’ Carmen said, using her stick to steady herself as the loose gravel slipped under her feet. Rachel laughed. ‘Seriously, I can’t take it,’ Carmen moaned. ‘I just need to get off this mountain and into a bed, I’m exhausted.’ She turned to Rachel. The most of their journey down so far had been in silence, and Kate was the