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Restoration

By Robin Densmore Fuson

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Restoration
Year-1996
Chapter 1
Helicopter blades whipped the air above my head. My brother Steven, who was the pilot, and I wore headphones. The chopper, a Bell 206 Long Ranger, zipped us through the air over the Cook Inlet. Grayish-blue water sparkled under us. Crystal clear sky held a few white puffs in the distance. All in all, a perfect day for flying.
Not sure of our destination, I relaxed against the seat but kept my eyes peeled on the beauty before me. The bubble windows provided an excellent view. I never tire of viewing God’s creation from the air.
Earlier, Steven called telling me he needed to show me something important.
“But this will set you back financially.”
“It’s already covered. Don’t worry, Rebecca. You love to go up in the bird. Trust me, you don’t want to miss this.”
“All right. What time?”
“Pick you up in fifteen.”
The call ended as it always did, without a good-bye. “Love you too,” I said to the phone in my hand. Steven, never on time, surprised me. In thirteen minutes he arrived. I grabbed my purse and a jacket. In Alaska, one needed to be prepared.
The view through the Plexiglas inspired and provoked the imagination. Our last-minute trip might be to a cow moose who had given birth and Steven found out and wanted me to experience this new life. How thrilling! To witness a calf moments after birth was rare. There could be twins or even triplets. I sat up straighter in my seat to scrutinize the shoreline and the trees beyond. Those magnificent beasts have such spindly legs and the newborns teeter so precariously on their first steps.
Or maybe he flew me to watch bears fishing or with the warm weather, the glaciers could be “calving” faster or more dramatically. Any outing in a helicopter turned into an adventure with my brother.
The helicopter tilted a bit as we headed back toward Anchorage. Confused, I asked in my mouthpiece, “Where are we going?”
“You’ll see.”
I guessed that was all the information forthcoming.
The helicopter flew over the bay loaded with boats and ships of all sizes. Below, I saw buildings and vehicle traffic, a train and tracks, and small doll-like pedestrians. From this height, everything took on the appearance of the model train and town scene I had seen as a child.
“Here, you’ll need this.” He reached into his breast pocket of his leather jacket and handed me an envelope. “Open it.”
I opened the flap and pulled out a pink piece of cardstock in a weird shape. A teardrop? No, flat on one side. I grappled with what the thing could be and turned it over. Large letters printed in bold didn’t make any sense. The top line read, REBE, the second, I, the third, A.
“Steven, what does this mean?”
He glanced over. “In a minute, you’ll know.”
Anchorage streamed by faster than in a car. I recognized landmarks and knew roughly where we were.
“Hold the paper up at twelve o’clock.”
I frowned and lifted the strange shape in front of my face.
“Without moving your hand shift your head a bit to the right. Use both eyes.”
I complied and tried to focus my right eye farther out. The chopper headed toward the ground. A huge identical shape and color with other letters caught my eye. The top row read, CCA, the second one, HAVE, third, QUESTION. The other half of the paper. Together they spelled out, REBECCA I HAVE A QUESTION.
I lowered my piece and scanned the parking lot below. Steven maneuvered the chopper to land a few feet away from the message. I took the headpiece off and unfastened my seat belt as the blades began to slow.
My door opened. Steven just watched as arms scooped me up and carried me away from the helicopter. Giggling, I said, “What are you doing? Brute, put me down!”
My handsome captor squeezed me tighter and wiggled his eyebrows. “Not without a kiss.”
I wrapped my arms around my hunky bush pilot boyfriend Kyle’s neck. He dropped his head to mine. A sweet kiss. Strong arms glided me to my feet.
The top of my head reached to his shoulders and I tilted back to gaze into his brown eyes. “Kyle, what did you want to ask me?”
He took hold of my left hand and tugged something out of his pocket as he knelt on one knee. “Rebecca Porter, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”
The small open box revealed a ring with a breathtaking diamond sparkling in the sunlight. I could hardly breathe. I whispered, “Yes.” I gasped and shouted, “Yes!” He slipped the ring onto my finger, scooped me up, and swung me around. Over my shoulder he shouted, “She said yes!”
I peered back. Steven stood with arms crossed and a huge grin on his face.

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