Free Flying Backwards by Jennifer W Smith Page A

last night… A repairman will be here sometime on Tuesday to fix the loose board on the back step… Sorry I ate the last yogurt– didn’t have time to go to the store. I owe you.
    As the months passed, Nora’s confidence in her job skills grew. She had gotten the hang of the scheduling system and enjoyed the long overseas layovers in Paris, Madrid, and Frankfurt. She quickly learned that she could work the bulk of her monthly quota of eighty hours early in the month by signing up for back-to-back trips. Each overseas trip averaged more than forty hours. So, she could time out after two trips as long as she had the required rest time in between, a minimum of twenty-four hours. To time out meant she would not be on call for the remainder of the month; she could enjoy some free time.
    Nora was planning to use her flight benefits to see destinations of her choice after timing out; additional discounts were available to flight attendants at hotels and some restaurants. Even if the overall pay wasn’t much, in Nora’s view the free-flight benefit couldn’t be beat. She could finally see the world–or at least the destinations Meade flew to.
    In late April Nora had successfully timed out. She decided that Rome would be her first adventure. She’d done her homework and researched some hotels, bus routes, and places of interest. She decided on a hotel that was off the beaten path but within walking distance to a city-tour-bus stop. That way she could save a little money. She did not want to blow all her income on one trip. She had big plans to visit as many places as she could, within reason. She had been hoping to travel with Bree that month, but Bree didn’t get the chance to time out early enough in the month. Nora felt kind of bad going about without her friend, but she could not miss out on her small window of opportunity. She only had about a week before she would be on call again.

Chapter Six
    Nora checked into her budget lodgings at the Hotel Grande in Rome. It was small but clean. “Grande” seemed a misrepresentation. She had some time before lunch, so she decided on a stroll. Familiarizing herself with the area would be a great start; she would keep an eye out for a café where she could get something to eat. The dark-haired girl at the tiny lobby desk handed Nora a map, circled a few sites, and gave her directions to the bus stop in English. Nora smiled and thanked her and was off to explore. She felt a little jittery and nervous. She was actually in Italy–all by herself! She was making extraordinary things happen in her life. She was letting go of her safety net, putting herself out there, and embracing the unknown. She knew she was going to be just fine.
    Nora, lost in her thoughts, realized she had not arrived at her piazza destination. She unfolded her map and began to retrace her steps. The narrowing residential alley didn’t seem right. As she turned to go back, she was suddenly knocked backwards; she toppled to the ground. She felt a yank at her elbow as her bag was pulled free from her arm. The thief dashed away before she even saw him. She twisted around, yelling, “Heeeeyyyy!” only to see the pumping legs of his form retreating down the alley. She shook with panic as she thought, Oh no, my wallet’s in there…‌my money and ID!
    Nora blinked back frustrated tears several times. Then she saw a brawny man reach out and knock her assailant to the ground with one swift punch to his face. He reached down and pulled the guy up by the front of his hooded sweatshirt, twisting his fist for a thorough hold before he sent a second blow to his chin, dropping the assailant to his knees. The guy dropped Nora’s bag and mumbled something in Italian. The larger man shoved the attacker away, pointing and warning him in menacing Italian. The hooded guy scrambled up into a staggering run and was soon back at top speed, dashing from sight down another alleyway.
    Nora sat on the ground, stunned by what had just