Free 35 Miles from Shore by Emilio Corsetti III

trip, she told him. The excitement in her voice was obvious to anyone within earshot
.
    Margareth had given notice weeks earlier and hadn’t expected to still be flying. She had agreed to take the trip at the last minute because she wanted to buy some champagne for her wedding at the duty-free shop in St. Maarten.
    Margareth was twenty-four and had been with ALM for three years. Her father was a lab technician and her mother a former nurse. She had a twin brother, Carol, an older sister, and three younger siblings, two boys and a girl. Margareth had applied to ALM at the suggestion of her uncle, who worked for ALM as a purser.
    Margareth loved being a stewardess. It was a glamorous job in those days, considered to be nearly on par with that of a model oractress, especially in the eyes of young girls who admired the stylish uniforms. She would often hop on a plane on her days off to explore some of the islands that ALM flew in and out of: Aruba, Bonaire, St. Maarten, Jamaica and Trinidad.
    She was an avid swimmer. Long layovers would usually find her out by the pool or strolling along a nearby beach. In her stocking feet she stood just five-foot-five, which was an advantage on the smaller aircraft that ALM flew. She had impish green eyes and long auburn hair that she wore in a French roll under her uniform cap. 1 The rule at ALM was that the hair should not reach the collar. The girls didn’t complain. It was a quick and easy hairstyle, which came in handy on those early morning departures. Like most people schooled in Curaçao, she could write and speak in several languages including English, Dutch, Spanish, French, and Papiamento—the local language of the Netherlands Antilles.
    Margareth’s fiancé, Robby Schouten, was a television producer and on air personality who had his own one-hour television show. The show, which ran two times a month, was a showcase for local musical groups and performers. The TV program aired both in Curaçao and Aruba.
    Robby shared Margareth’s passion for traveling. They took trips together to Venezuela and Puerto Rico and had romantic getaways on sun-drenched islands like St. Barths. On a whim they would jump on the ALM DC-8 to New York and catch a Broadway show.
    When she wasn’t flying or out exploring nearby islands, Margareth helped Robby with his television show. She sold advertising time; she helped with the sets; and she took care of the show’s guests. As much as Margareth loved her job as a stewardess, she was looking forward to working behind the scenes on Robby’s show. 2
    Assisting Margareth on the flight were stewards Tobias Cordeiro, who went by the nickname of Tito; and purser Wilfred Spencer,whom everyone called Boy. Wilfred had been on the very first New York–St. Maarten flight in January along with Margareth.
    Wilfred Spencer had decided to become a flight steward in 1964 when KLM first formed ALM. At the time, he was working in the communications department for KLM. His father, who was a police officer and who had died when Wilfred was in the third grade, had once worked for KLM as a security guard. Wilfred was ready for a change of pace, and the steward job paid more.
    While male flight attendants were somewhat of an anomaly among domestic carriers, they were not uncommon among foreign carriers. Thirty-percent of the flight attendants at ALM were male. Wilfred had worked his way up to the purser position in just three years. He had also developed an interest in union activities. His interest in labor unions began after forming a friendship with the head of the ALM flight attendants union. Wilfred volunteered his services, helping with union correspondence on layovers and other miscellaneous tasks. The skills he learned working in the communications department were well suited for union work. It was the beginning of a long association with labor unions for Wilfred.
    At thirty-one, Wilfred Spencer was enjoying life. He was married and