Page 94 of Scars Like Wings
I—
I didn’t want this to all be too good to be true.
Birds of a Feather
“You know, when I told y’all to make my birthday something to remember, getting lost in the boonies and possibly ending up in aWrong Turnsequel was definitely not what I meant.”
I glanced between the GPS display and the road every few seconds to make absolutely certain I didn’t miss a turn. Simone, Maisie, and I had piled into my SUV with our suitcases in tow to go… somewhere that they refused to tell me still. Simone hadn’t even sent me the location until we were in the car and I connected my phone to the CarPlay.
“We aren’tlost, Byrd! The GPS says we are less than five minutes out,” Simone said, leaning on the middle console. “Besides, we aren’t in absolute bum-fuck nowhere! I saw civilization just back there.”
“Simone. That wasn’t civilization. That was a Waffle House, a Dollar General, and a gas station advertising the best fish and deer bait for miles.”
“I don’t know, Bee,” Maisie added. “They had a boiled peanut bar. Over seventeen flavors, including seasonal ones, sounds pretty highfalutin’ if you ask me.”
“Your Southern accent is horrible.” I rolled my eyes, and Maisie laughed. “I can’t believe you sent me apin, and it was GPS coordinates. Right down to the longitude, latitude, degrees, and minutes!”
“As if you wouldn’t have looked up what the place was if we had sent it to you any other kind of way beforehand?” Maisie snorted and leveled me with a look.
“We have been planning your birthday trips for years, Byrdie. We know how tech-savvy you are and how you will do literally anything to spoil your surprise. You ain’t slick,” Simone teased, poking my sides teasingly.
I laughed at her tickling me and tried to squirm away while still staying on the road. In earnest, I wasn’t trying to ruin my surprise. I loved how hard Simone and Maisie worked every year to go above and beyond in giving me the best birthday ever. They killed it every time with the trips and activities they planned out. The girls never disappointed.
The issue was that I have zero patience.
We had gotten up early to drive over an hour outside of Blackbell. I was fine when we hopped on the interstate, thinking maybe we were going to Atlanta or something for the weekend. But when the GPS told me to exit the highway and go on backroads for the remaining stretch, I really started to wonder what in the world my friends had up their sleeves. I started racking my brain for everything I had said I wanted to do that they could have added to their list of potential birthday trip ideas that could lead us here. Had they rented a unicorn farm for the weekend for us to stay in a renovated barn? I had found a ranch like that nearby a few months back and sent it to them for us to try to visit. Could we be headed to a magical winery to drink fairy wine and smoke enchanted hookah? Was there a festival or something out here that the girls had found and thought Iwould love? What could it be that would make us come out in the country?
I mean, I didn’t mind a little bit of country—I was born and raised in a modern farmhouse in Northern Georgia, after all—but I definitely hadn’t packed my cowgirl boots for this trip.
The farmlands and spaced out farmhouses with expansive yards soon gave way to a massive fenced-in area of land on my right. I glanced at my car’s display that said I needed to take the next right coming up past this fence. Pulling up to the turn, there was a large sign that welcomed us to… Oakwood Hills Municipal Airfield?
Why are we going to a tiny airport? Wouldn’t Atlanta’s airport have been better?
What in the world did they have planned?
“Uh, I didn’t pack for a flight? Was I supposed to?”
“No worries! You are totally good, I promise!” Simone said, waving me off without any further elaboration.
After a few more turns, we ended up at a security gate and barricade. The guard posted there smiled as I pulled up. I smiled back and tried my best to not show how uncertain and confused I was. I rolled down my window. “Hi!”
“Good morning! How can I help you ladies today?”
“Oh, uh—?” I started, turning to Maisie questioningly.
Simone leaned over me to speak to the guard. “Hi there! We’re here for Byrd’s surprise!”
“Of course! Y’all have fun!” The guard nodded before pressing a button to allow us in.
While the gate was opening, I turned around to look at Simone as she sat back in the backseat. I raised my eyebrows at her. She bounced so gleefully the SUV shook as she asked. “Are you excited?”
“I’m super excited, but I’m also super confused. What in the world did y’all do?”
“Oh, you are going to love it.” Maisie smiled wide. “Just you wait.”
The barricade lifted, and I pulled forward. Without the gate, I could see a series of large plane hangars on the right with private jets parked in front of some of the open ones. As I drove by, my jaw dropped at the sight.
“Did y’all charter aprivate jetfor my birthday?!”