PART 2 — The Name Nobody Recognized
Boarding was less than fifteen minutes away.
Margaret quietly placed her old leather duffel bag on a wooden bench.
Nearby competitors couldn't stop watching.
Tyler folded his arms.
"I can't wait to see this."
Margaret slowly unzipped the bag.
Inside was a perfectly folded professional competition jumpsuit.
Every movement was calm.
Deliberate.
Practiced.
She slipped into the suit with the ease of someone who had done it hundreds of times.
A nearby judge happened to glance in her direction.
Then he froze.
His face changed instantly.
"No..."
He slowly walked closer.
He looked at the faded embroidered name stitched above her chest.
M. Collins
The judge smiled.
"I can't believe it."
Tyler frowned.
"You know her?"
The judge looked at the younger competitors.
"You really don't know who this is?"
Everyone shook their heads.
He laughed softly.
"Thirty-two years ago..."
"...Margaret Collins became the first woman in America to win three consecutive National Accuracy Championships."
Silence.
The judge continued.
"She trained military instructors."
"She coached national champions."
"And for almost twenty years..."
"...nobody could break her landing record."
Tyler's confident smile disappeared.
"No way."
Margaret adjusted her harness.
Without looking up, she quietly said,
"Records are temporary."
"The love of flying isn't."
One of the younger competitors finally asked,
"So why did you stop?"
Margaret smiled.
"I didn't stop."
"I went home."
"I raised two children."
"I helped raise five grandchildren."
"I buried my husband."
"And when life finally became quiet again..."
"...I came back."
Nobody laughed.
Not a single person.
The loudest competitor at the airfield was now completely silent.
The boarding announcement echoed across the runway.
"Elite Accuracy competitors... prepare to board."
Margaret picked up her helmet.
The judge looked at her and smiled.
"It's good to have you back."
May you like
She nodded.
"It's good to be home."
