162.5 Million Bags of Peanuts

by Madeline Carrasco

 

Fatherıs Day

 

            Jackie walked into the airport lounge at Houston Hobby, not knowing where Rick was or whether he would even be coming through Houston that day. She had news for him, something she wanted to only tell him in person. Just minutes before she headed for the airport, she had taken her last test, reading ³positive²!

            They had been trying to have another child for six months, and yet the test she took two nights earlier was still negative. She had taken the last couple of days off from her flight attendant job, in order to attend her best friendıs wedding. Before leaving she took a test, showing she was still not pregnant.       

            But today, when she had been shopping for Rickıs Fatherıs day present, she decided to pick up another pregnancy test. Jackie and Rick had been married six years and already had a little three year old daughter, Camille. But now another child was on the way, and she knew it was the prefect gift for Rick on Fatherıs day.

            Suddenly, Jackie recognized one of her friends behind the ticket counter and learned that her husband wouldnıt be flying through Houston that day, but he would be back in his hotel room by six. He was a pilot for Southwest Airlines and would be gone for the entire weekend. She got the number of the hotel and headed home; she had six hours before Rick would reach the hotel. Seeing in him in person was out of the question, but not telling him at all was equally impossible. Jackie called the hotel and asked them to help her surprise Rick.

            When Rick finally landed he called Jackie, and she did all she could to keep her little surprise to herself. He arrived at the hotel and was given a specific room. Normally the crew arrives and they simply split up the keys, but this time, Rick had his own room mysteriously assigned to him. He of course was puzzled by this. The crew and hotel staff tagged along hoping to catch Rickıs reaction to this mysterious room.

            Rick opened the door, with eight other people peeking in from behind him. There were balloons on the bed, tied to a little stuffed bear. The ice bucket was filled with Coors light, and he slowly read the card, which was lying next to an assortment of little toys.

            He slowly looked up at his guests and told them the good news, his wife was pregnant! Once everyone left, he sat on the bed, reading the card from his lovely wife; what a wonderful Fatherıs day gift. His feelings were so conflicting, though. Looking around the cold hotel room, he was extremely excited and happy, but at the same time, he felt lonely and missed his family. More than anything at that moment, he wanted to put his arms around Jackie and kiss her neck lightly. A phone call would have to do for now.

 

Part-Time Job

 

            In her second year at UT she was already immersed in the universityıs journalism major. There were aspects she liked, and yet she knew her future laid else where. She was not content with the direction of her life, so one morning she woke up in her dorm and finally decided to do it. She went down to the registrarıs office and dropped all of her journalism classes. Standing next to the line of students she went down the line and asked if they were adding or dropping. If they were dropping, she picked up every class that fit with her schedule.

            Eventually, she graduated with a degree in Liberal Arts, but she still didnıt know what she wanted to do. Her mom suggested that she apply to be a stewardess, until she figured it out. Jackieıs immediate response was, ³thereıs no way I am going to go around picking up peopleıs trash.² After searching for a job, she finally gave in and applied to Continental airlines part-time. It was two of the worst years in her career. The company was bankrupt and had a terrible reputation. She applied to Southwest Airlines and decided that if she didnıt get in she would go back to school. She has now been with SWA for twelve years, and everything that is a part of her life now is because of this job.

 

Big Hair

 

            After a long day of flying, Rick finally landed in Midland and headed to the hotel. He went up to the room, changed out of his uniform, and took a quick shower. He and his crew were meeting in the lobby soon to go out to eat. He took the elevator down, and he didnıt recognize anyone from his crew. However, sitting in one of the huge lobby chairs was this young woman, with big curly brown hair. ³Oh, sheıs cute,² he instantly thought. Seeing how dead the lobby was, and knowing there wasnıt much of anything in Midland, he took a huge chance and asked if she also worked for the airline. ³My big hair must have given me away,² she responded with a smile. They chatted for a little while, both of them waiting for their crew. Neither of them had been working for SWA long. He was a first officer and had only spent six months with the company. Jackie had only been working for three months.

            Everyone went out to eat together, but Rick didnıt end up sitting next to Jackie like he had hoped. There was an attractive male flight-attendant hitting on her. Once he was back in his hotel room he laid on his bed, disappointed he didnıt get to talk more with Jackie.

            The next morning Rick headed to the airport for his first flight, and soon saw Jackie there also. She was flying with him that morning. He had hoped he would see her again, and here she was.

            After the plane leveled out, he rang the attendantıs phone. Luckily it was Jackie who answered, and he asked, ³Can you come up here?² She wondered if he needed anything in particular, and sheepishly he said no. She told him she was going to finish passing out the peanuts, and she would be up in a minute. Jackie had no idea what he needed; usually they wanted coffee or something. ³Strange,² was all she could think.

            Once she was done, she opened the cockpit door and sat in the third seat. ³So, whatıs up?² she asked. ³Well, nothing really, I just wanted to chat a little. I didnıt really get to talk to you at dinner,² said Rick. Iım such an idiot, he thought, Sheıs going to see right through me! Jackie was a little puzzled but still pleased.

***

            My uncle Rick married Jackie two years later. My little sister was their flower girl, as I had been for his first marriage. It had taken him a while to jump into his relationship with Jackie; he was still licking his wounds from his divorce. Jackieıs first impression of Rick was ³heıs a waste of time guy.² All he kept saying was how he was never getting married again. But you canıt stop the inevitable; they were a perfect fit.

 

 

Buttons, Lights, and Financial Reports

 

            Ever since Rick was five years old, he had been infatuated by airplanes. He was the youngest of six and the only child left in the house when his parents started traveling. He was able to fly all around the world. His first time in a plane was on a chartered DC-9 traveling from Harlingen, Texas to Las Vegas. The rules were very lax at that time, so the pilots asked him if he wanted to visit the cockpit. The wide-eyed five year old sat with the pilots and couldnıt take his eyes off all the lights and buttons. Wild horses couldnıt pull him away, and he ended up staying with them during take off and landing. He was mesmerized by it all, and from that day forward he was intent of flying someday.

***

            By 5th grade his love for flying had not dwindled. He sat at his blonde Formica desk and used a pencil and ruler to sketch an airport runway, full with lights, terminals, etc. He had a DC-9 toy plane which he flew in the air, brought it in for landing, and slowly taxied it up to the terminal, sound effects and all. After completing a successful landing, he suddenly realized that the whole class was watching him. The teacher had asked them to be quiet and was also watching in amazement.

***

            When Rick was 16, he went to his father asking to take an Aerospace course from his private school. It was $1500 and every student was given the opportunity to gain a pilotıs license. His father asked if he wanted to be a pilot as a career, and all it took was a moment of hesitation from Rick for his father to turn him down.

            However, Rickıs mother, Naomi, knew how much it meant to her son. Later that week, she and her husband went to Las Vegas, and after a good night at the card table, she sneaked away enough money for the aerospace course. When Naomi signed Rick up the following week, he had never loved her more.

            He had already missed two weeks, but Rickıs passion made up for that lost time. It turned out that he was the first to solo, first to graduate, and the only one to make it to an airline. The majority of the other students either quit or lost interest. He always wondered how he would have reacted to the course if he had not first been deprived of it. All he knew was that once he took the controls of the airplane and was airborne, there was no question where he felt most comfortable.

***

            He went on to attend Southwestern University and got a finance degree in 1984. He always knew he wanted to work for Southwest Airlines. Every assignment he did was either about SWA or flying. He wrote about deregulation, the prospectus of SWAıs financial report, and even the history of Vietnamıs air war. He was able to read airplane magazines as research and loved every minute of it. It was the only thing that helped him stay focused.

 

Southwest Airlines 

           

            Rick and Jackie have pride in their company and it makes those lonely nights in a hotel room much easier. After 9/11 Southwest Airlines was the only company to return all of the money for the tickets lost. Even after that enormous loss, their company still remained in the black. After an economic crisis, SWA actually does better, since their rates are so much cheaper.

            The main reason Jackie and Rick stay with SWA is the working environment. The employees of SWA are a family that will help each other even if they are traveling off duty.

            Rick was once traveling off duty when a woman had a heart attack. He immediately offered his services, and took up the flight-attendants jobs, so that they could be free to assist the woman.

            Even the smallest things can help in a long day of flying. Each year SWA distributes 162.5 million bags of peanuts. Sometimes itıs such a relief when an off-duty flight-attendant relieves her of her peanut passing duties for even that one flight.

            Rick and Jackie have not flown together very often, but they have been able to give each other feedback on aspects of their job which could be made easier by each otherıs help. There are over 1,000 couples working within Southwest Airlines. In other words, there are approximately 2,000 SWA employees who have a spouse also working within the company. The communication that these couples are able to give each other makes the company much stronger.

            Rick and Jackie have been married for 9 years, and have never thought once about leaving SWA. However, they do admit there are many straining circumstances which working for an airline poses. The hardest aspects of the job are the holidays and dealing the new found dangers.

 

³Double Meat with Cheese, Please²

 

            It was Rickıs first Christmas as Captain. And although he was glad he passed all his tests for his Captainıs promotion, it was like going from high school to college. He was finally in high seniority as a 1st officer, and now amongst the captains he was at the bottom of every scheduling list. For a few months he only saw his family one to two days a week.

            His flight ended in Las Vegas on Christmas Eve ı96. Normally the crew would go out to dinner once they reached the hotel, but this Christmas, all the crew, except Rick, had flown their family in to join them. Camille, Rickıs daughter, was almost one and he was missing her first Christmas.

            He decided to stop feeling sorry for himself and treat himself to an expensive steak dinner. He went down to the Circus Circus restaurant, by himself, and was relieved to see it wasnıt busy at all. Walking up to the host he was asked if he had a reservation. Even though the restaurant was near empty, there was not an opening until 11 pm. He left the restaurant pissed off, only to find a minimum of a 2 hour wait at every other restaurant on the strip. He went to four different places before slipping into a ³Slots of Fun² hole in the wall restaurant. He sat in the rows of benches surrounded by people with no teeth and the homeless. Finally he recognized some other pilots who had also had a hard time finding a restaurant, and they agreed it was the worst Christmas ever. His Christmas dinner was a double meat cheeseburger costing a grand total of $2.50.

 

9/15 - The Smoking Towers

 

            Rickıs first destination after all the grounded planes were allowed to fly was Albany, NY. He had never felt so unsure of flying. The airline industryıs whole world had been shaken. He was fearful of not only the flight, but what it might mean for his job security. He realized at that moment how much his familyıs life relied solely on Southwest Airlines.

            When he was flying into the airport, he could see the rubble from where the World Trade Centers had once stood. Smoke, there was still smoke. Everyone on the plane hardly spoke; they were all a bit paranoid and tense. Rick just stared out the window, in disbelief and terror.

***

            Later that month, Rick flew into Islip, NY. He went with a couple of crew members to play golf at a near by course. Another man ended up joining their group. Rick doesnıt remember a single shot he took that day, but he remembers meeting this man vividly. This was his first day off in over a month. He was a New York police officer and had been working everyday 12 hours on and 12 off at ground zero. The look in the manıs eyes made it clear he was scarred for the rest of his life. He told them about the haunting smell, the bone chips he was ordered to collect so they could start identifying people, and the sludge. He thought there would be tons of metal and glass, but it had all turned into a sludgy mud. Everything had disintegrated into a dust.

 

³Itıs Only Southwest²

 

            Jackieıs first day back since the 9/11 attacks was flying to Midland. That early morning, she was getting slowly back into her morning routine. Once she was busy getting things ready, all the troubles and fears slipped her mind, and she was happy and energetic. She got the drinks together and went to her first passenger. To her dismay it was a small Arab man with a turban and long beard. She showed no signs of fear, but inside she was shocked back to the horrors of 9/11. She kindly asked him if he wanted any coffee, and then turned to the men sitting across the aisle from him. Suddenly she smiled. The two Texas boys sitting there were at least 700 lbs. combined and would obviously be able to handle any mishaps. Her nerves calmed down, and she then remembered what one of her fellow attendants had said, ³I really donıt think we have anything to worry about, itıs only Southwest!²

            Rick and Jackie both had many emotions running through them after 9/11. Telling themselves ³itıs only Southwest² didnıt necessarily calm their fears. The airline industry had never received such a deep wound like it had that terrifying morning. Like the rest of the American people, a sense of security was lost, but the hardest part for Rick and Jackie is knowing where they are still weak. Even though planes have now been installed with cockpit doors practically impossible to get into, they are still very vulnerable. For safety reasons I wonıt divulge the many ways vulnerabilities of which they informed me, but needless to say, they do not feel safe.

            There are rumors that have spread throughout the airline community, further adding to a feeling of violation. According to Rick, there were pilots that went missing after the planes were grounded on 9/11. Supposedly a Delta plane that was grounded that day due to weather had a 1st officer of Middle Eastern decent disappear. There were also two other pilots that were riding in the jump seat, 3rd seat in the cockpit, out of professional courtesy, where pilots from other airlines can fly free. They had faked credentials and when the planes were grounded they disappeared. Their own system was used against them, which adds fear to any situation that now arises. If there is a ruckus in the back, it would have been blown off as probably a drunk passenger, but now the hair on the back of Rickıs neck will stand on end, until he finds out exactly what is going on.

                       

Sky, Ocean, and Land

 

            Visiting Rick and Jackie at their home gave me a window into just how much their life revolves around their jobs. Itıs easy to miss at first, but when looking around their living room there is no doubt where their heart is, due to all of the SWA paraphernalia present. They have an entire wall next to the kitchen dedicated to flying SWA. Amongst the pictures of Rick and Jackie in uniform, there are flying pins, model SWA aircraft, and a good sized painting of SWAıs 737, which a fellow pilot drew. Among the childrenıs toys scattered throughout the room are many toy planes, belonging to their three year old son Clyde.

            Their home is very comfortable and inviting. They are a loving family, and Rick admitted that the time Jackie and Rick spend apart helps to keep their relationship fresh. They are also very similar creatures. They love the same lifestyle, living their lives in the sky only to come home to live it on the water. This family hardly ever touches the ground. Their home is in Clear Lake, Houston on a small island, and it is only a golf-cart ride away from the channel and their boat. They often go out and spend time on the water, watching sail races or fishing. Even when Rick comes down to visit his brothers and mother in the Rio Grande Valley, he flies down, simply to spend time on South Padre Island, fishing. When Rickıs feet do touch the ground, he spends his weekends off flying private planes and bought a motorcycle for those trips in which he absolutely has to drive.

            It seems his need for adventure, which he was instilled in him since childhood, will also influence his son Clyde. All the ingredients are present for his son Clyde to follow in Rickıs footsteps. Who would want to touch the ground when growing up in the clouds?

 

Authorıs Afterward

         Writing this piece was the most difficult yet. The sequencing was what gave me the most trouble. I had to keep the story flowing, and since I had so much information, I did not know what to include at first. Once I began to write I realized how much wasnıt really necessary, and the workshop helped me to see what the reader was left wanting to know.

            I was able to spend the weekend with my aunt and uncle, and their two kids, but I didnıt know if I should include any of that in the paper. I ended up only mentioning myself once in the first draft, just to set up that we were related. But I later added more because I was told the reader wanted to hear more about Rick and Jackieıs lives at home.

            I wanted to convey the life of an employee of an airline, really showing how much their lives revolve around their job. Starting with the pregnancy story was my way of leading the audience into their personal life and yet shows how much their job shapes their experience of it. Ending with finally revealing their son was my way to bring it full circle.

            My professor gave me the great idea of asking post 9/11 questions. But as I would have found anyway, you can not talk to an airline employee without 9/11 coming up in conversation. So much of their job has now changed.

            One thing that I kept noticing was the pride they both had working for Southwest. That struck me and I decided to do some research on a website that Jackie gave me www.ifly737.com. I was really helpful and I got some of the funny statistics from that site.

 

Source Page

 

I used the website www.ifly737.com in my research.

You can get a hold of Rick and Jackie at (281)334-7371.

            I think this piece of work could fit in a People Magazine, or some medium that wants to offer insight into a lifestyle/sub-culture honestly and yet still be entertaining.

(I am not sure if you even asked this question J.)