RSL Ch 50

Icelandic summers are cool. The weather is unpredictable. A man named Heimel, who runs a tourist light aircraft service, told me all that and more. With his incredibly kind emails about what to bring and how to pack light, I left for Iceland early in the morning.

I dozed off in my cramped seat on a low-cost flight from Frankfurt. Jet lag wasn’t the problem. My overall condition was terrible, and my consciousness was half-submerged in a desperate need for sleep. After landing, I continued to drink coffee in an attempt to wake myself up. It was one of those days when the greatness of caffeine failed me.

I had sex all night last night.

It wasn’t until the sun started to rise that we stopped, and it took us another hour to kiss goodbye. Han Jae-yi’s car was a mess. We parted ways, each driving off in separate directions, only to call each other again within a minute.

“That was amazing.”

Hearing his feelings made me realize we had crossed another line.

I took the keys to the rental car, took a deep breath, and started the engine. Since I was traveling alone, I had to drive myself. Navigating the unfamiliar roads, I decided to cancel my flight reservation for the day. Feeling the limits of my stamina, I barely made it into the hotel and somehow managed to park sloppily. I sighed and readjusted the gear as I looked at the crooked bumper. I really hated this part of my personality.

In hindsight, there was no need to push myself this hard to travel. Even if I canceled everything, I could get back more than half of the booking fees, but it wasn’t about the money. I dislike having my plans disrupted or making decisions based on emotions. It’s not because of my job; it’s the opposite. My personality made piloting a suitable career for me. I never considered another profession.

“I’ve booked a single standard room for five days. The name is Schmitz, s.c.h.m.i.t.z.”

“Schmitz… Schmitz… Maximilian Schmitz. Here it is.”

The hotel was a small, cozy six-story building. It was the peak tourist season, so I had a hard time finding a good hotel. This is a tip that Han Jae-yi taught me, that when booking a hotel, it’s best to call and deal with the manager directly. You might be able to get a deal that isn’t listed online, and you can ask them to contact you personally if there’s a cancellation on your preferred date. I called and asked for a room with early check-in.

After receiving my key, I went up to the room and drew the curtains, darkening it. I collapsed on the bed, half-undressed. Today, I needed to rest like this. After managing to text Han Jae-yi, I closed my eyes.

[At the hotel. Going to sleep now. Not sure when I’ll wake up.]

Succumbing to the overwhelming pull of sleep, I left my phone lying haphazardly on the bed. About ten minutes later, a reply came, but I couldn’t see it.

[Sleep well. I wanted to talk to you, but I’ll consider it a punishment for pestering you all night].

The phone screen, which had been lighting up the darkness alone, dimmed again after a few seconds.

* * * 

After breakfast at the hotel, I drove to the airfield. This place was a private airport run by a small company, which had shifted its purpose to sightseeing flights due to decreasing demand. Though small aircraft could still use the runway, it seemed unlikely that wealthy people with private jets would come here. Most of the customers were tourists and students practicing for their PPL (Private Pilot License).

“Oh, welcome. Heimel, I sent you an email, didn’t I?”

A man in his forties wearing a red shirt and a baseball cap greeted me with a handshake.

“I’m Schmitz. Sorry for the sudden cancellation yesterday.”

I wondered how he recognized me. Heimel replied that it was no big deal, and said he could tell because I was a man in his thirties traveling alone, and that he knew I was a pilot because of the form I had to fill out to scan the plane.

He took my keys and led me straight to my flight. The white turboprop was parked and waiting. I climbed into the cockpit and Heimel sat next to me, explaining the basics of operation.

“Rudder pedals here. Tune the radio to 88.2. This thing is single-engine, so you can land in the grass. Oh, and don’t forget to check your fuel, and use runway two for takeoff.”

With that, Heimel left the passenger seat.

I would be flying solo using visual flight rules (where the pilot flies by eye and is aware of the obstacles around him). It had been a while. Putting on the headset, I started the engine. The smell of gasoline was pungent. I slowly rolled the wheels to find the half-peeled number ‘2’. The short runway made takeoff simple. The aircraft lifted lightly and climbed to 4,000 meters.

I immediately left the airfield and headed for Diamond Beach. It was not winter, so the glaciers had melted and there was nothing but black water. Iceland lives up to its reputation as the “Land of Fire and Ice” known for its winters, but flying can be risky due to condensation. I planned to visit places that required walking during winter and searched for those accessible by flight.

I flew past dormant volcanoes and near fjords. In some areas, the magma had hardened and moss had grown on the ground, giving it a green mushroom-like appearance. I wish I had brought someone with me. It was a challenging adventure to fly solo and look at the scenery.

After flying for a little over an hour, I returned. After asking Heimel to refuel the plan, I went to the snack bar next to the control room and bought a fruit juice and a sandwich. I sat down on a half-rotted wooden chair and ate my lunch. I checked my phone and saw a bunch of messages from Han Jae-yi. I apologized and quickly pressed the call button.

-Wow… I didn’t expect it to be this hard to reach you. I thought things would change after we stopped being just friends, but you’re still the same, Woo Seo-jin.

As soon as he answered, he started ranting about his frustration.

“Sorry. I didn’t get a chance.”

-Yeah, right. I guess I’m always available to answer your calls immediately because I’m not busy.

He was clearly upset. It made sense since I was on vacation, and Han Jae-yi was working. My messages were always short and to the point, but his long responses were piling up on my phone. When we were just friends, I didn’t worry about such things, but now, we had reached a point where I had to apologize.

“I know you’re busy, so I couldn’t reach out more. I planned to call you when you got off work. Sorry.”

-By the time I get off work, I’ll be completely drained. I was worried all day, thinking I might just get discarded like this.

I laughed at his joke. He laughed at the sound of my laughter. Thinking about Han Jae-yi’s smile made me laugh again. It’s a contagious thing.

-I’ve got a ticket to Korea, flying on the morning of the 12th. It’s a one-way ticket. You know what that means, right?

I knew. And the 12th was only two weeks away. He seemed to be wrapping things up faster than I thought. In my head, a happy countdown started automatically, but I was also worried about him.

“Aren’t you working too hard?”

-It’s okay to push myself a bit. I can’t wait any longer. Am I the only one feeling this way?

“No, I feel the same. I can’t wait any longer either. Thanks for pushing yourself.”

I could hear his gentle laugh. There I gathered my courage.

“I miss you.”

It was a cool summer breeze blowing across the plain. I told him I missed him while enjoying the gasoline smell and the sound of the plane’s engine. It was the best I could express.

If I were someone more accustomed to expressing emotions, I would have poured out my longing for him for an hour straight. I would have begged him to come to my side quickly, saying just breathing next to him would make me so happy. Unfortunately, I wasn’t talented in that area.

Yet, the foolish Han Jae-yi melted at my simple “I miss you.”

“Are you listening?”

-Yeah, I’m here. My body has disappeared, and only my lips are floating around.

“Don’t exaggerate. It’s still work time. You should go back.”

-I’ll hang up if you promise to call me back from the hotel.

“I promise.”

-Keep your promises.

“I will. Go back now.”

-Bye.

The call ended. I put my phone back in my jacket pocket and tossed the juice pack and sandwich wrapper in the trash. Next door was a small souvenir stand. It was lined with old toys and volcano-shaped trinkets that no one would buy. I picked up a postcard from there. I dusted it off a bit and paid for it with a cup of coffee.

“I’ve been coming in here for four years, and today is the first time I’ve seen a souvenir sold.”

A female customer said with a laugh as she paid for her coffee next to me. She had bright blue sunglasses on her head and looked at the postcard in my hand with amusement.

“The photos are great.”

“That’s true, but are you here as a tourist?”

“Yeah, something like that.”

“Schmitz, the refueling is done. When are you taking off again?”

Heimel approached and handed back the keys. I told him I’d be ready in about 30 minutes and received the same runway assignment. This place had a modest control tower where clearances were handled on the ground.

“Are you a pilot?”

The woman who had overheard our conversation asked again. I maintained eye contact a bit longer than usual. She was a typical blonde European. She was in her mid-twenties and spoke English with a Slavic Eastern European accent.

“Yeah. I’m on vacation today.”

“Me too. I come here every summer. Nice to meet you. Which airline do you work for?”

When she said “me too,” she meant she was a pilot. She was from the Czech Republic and had just finished her flight training in Qatar. She told me that she and her friends loved Iceland so much that they came back every year for the holiday season, but they were only able to rent a plane a few times. She said it’s a hobby she can’t afford on her Co-pilot’s salary, so she’s just here to chat with Heimel.

After our coffee-fueled conversation ended, I sat alone on a bench and pulled out a pen. Using the fountain pen Han Jae-yi had given me, I wrote him a short postcard. I wanted to convey these feelings to him, to leave proof that I missed him and always thought of him.

The European postal system was still unreliable, but the postcard should reach his home in Germany within two weeks. After putting the finished postcard in my bag, I got back on the plane.

I spent another hour and a half in the air. Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s hobby was reading books in the cockpit, but I wasn’t that addicted to reading. I did have a book with me, but I didn’t want to open it at 5000 meters altitude.

I took a picture instead. If Saint-Exupéry had a cell phone 80 years ago, I wonder if he would have taken photos instead of reading. From above, I saw flocks of sheep on the plains and unmelted snow and ice scattered over the creased mountains.

I returned in the opposite direction from where I’d been in the morning and landed safely. Tomorrow I’ll try a little further north. I found Heimel, handed back the keys and accepted the checklist. As I was signing it, I heard the blonde Czech co-pilot’s annoyed voice from inside the control room. It seemed her reserved taxi had been canceled.

“Going on strike all of a sudden in a day. I just can’t understand this country.”

“Take the bus. They come every hour unless there’s an issue.”

With that, Mr. Heimel took the checklist I handed him and signed his name next to it. The card I’d swiped earlier in the day was charged and a receipt was handed back to me.

“Last time I was here, I spent two hours waiting for the bus.”

“At least you got on. Some days the buses don’t come in at all.”

“Are you kidding me?”

As I listened to their conversation and packed my bag, I paused.

“Would you like a ride to the city?”

It wasn’t a difficult task, and I wasn’t busy.

In this day and age, it might be a bit risky for a woman to accept a ride from a stranger, but Heimel vouched for me. Without hesitation, she agreed and showed me the address of her hotel. It was completely in the opposite direction. I briefly regretted not asking for the address before offering, but I started the car with her outside.

Heimel was leaning against the control room door, arms folded, staring out. She loaded her luggage into my trunk and waved to him. We drove slowly over the plains with the setting sun heading towards the city. She dozed off a bit, perhaps tired.

There was nowhere to park, so I pulled over a short distance from the hotel. After helping her with her luggage to the hotel, she stopped me from returning to the car.

“As a thank you, let me buy you dinner.”