“Good morning, Herr Rittevon,� greeted a man in a pilot’s uniform, walking alongside his passenger, “Your luggage arrived several minutes ago. If you’re ready to depart, we’re all fueled up and ready to go.�

“Excellent. Let’s get going,� Mr. Rittevon snapped, “Eric! What are you waiting for?�
Frowning, Eric hurried away from the car after his employer, waiting behind him as he offered his hand to the pilot, who took it and helped him up onto the staircase.

“I’m coming with you, sir?� Eric asked as he walked up the stairway, hesitant.

“What does it look like?� his employer replied, not kindly.

With a sinking feeling, Eric followed Mr. Rittevon onto the plane, and he could hear the engines start to warm up. The door was closed behind him, and he stood silent, afraid to touch anything.

His employer was seated at small table with a glass of wine, talking to the pilot who stood next to him. After the pilot smiled and walked away towards the front of the place, Mr. Rittevon downed his glass of wine and sighed, gazing lazily out the window as the plane taxied to the runway.

“Have a seat, Eric,� Mr. Rittevon said, void of emotion, “We’re going to take off soon.� Eric made his way over to a leather couch on the opposite side of the plane.

An attractive young woman walked up to him with a pen and pad of paper.

“Would you like something to drink?� she asked, tilting her head a little in a very Mr. Rittevon-esque manner. Eric’s heart skipped a beat.

“Uh… Just some water would be fine for right now, thank you,� he replied, with a forced smile.

“I’ll be right back with that, sir,� she said, flipping her dark hair a little as she turned away.

Eric blinked. He didn’t think he’d ever been called ‘sir’ in his life.