Narrative Essay: Charlie Matheson's Phenomenon

Arriving in the midst of a predawn storm wasn’t something Charlie Matheson had planned for the second day of her new job. Rain poured over her vehicles windshield. Wind buffeted the airport issued Bronco as if it were a child’s toy. The jagged spear of lighting that, seconds before cracked across the inky sky, had locked her fingers onto the steering wheel in a death grip.

Still, it wasn’t the prospect of getting fried by lighting or the probable storm –caused chaos awaiting her as Willoughby, Texas’ new airport director that had pinpricks of nerves crawling the back of her neck. It was the thought of facing Bass Monroe, the one man who could suck the air out of her faster than any natural disaster.

He’d always had that effect on her,
She’d find out soon enough if she had what it took to run the airport.

Minutes later, Charlie steered onto the drive that led to the employee lot. Braking at the gate, she rolled down her window and slid her id card through the slot on the reader. The process took mere seconds, but when she pulled her arm back inside, the cuff of her red silk blazer was soaked.

“Great.” She shook her head, giving thought to her raincoat, still packed in one of the crates the movers had stacked in every room of her new apartment. Water sprayed beneath the Broncos tires as she pulled into her parking space. Umbrella ready, she shouldered the door open against the wind, plunging into the storm.

Water slapped at her like an angry demon. The wind tossed rain under the umbrella, snapping its ribs up straight. By the time she raced through the door into the terminal, her red silk suit was drenched and she was soaked to the skin.

“Wonderful.” She muttered, cramming her ruined umbrella into a trashcan. With a sigh of resignation, she slicked her long hair away from her face and looked around. Even at this early hour the terminal was