Clifford's Spiral: Chapter 9

Chapters are serialized here for paid subscribers.About This Novel

In Clifford's Spiral, the stroke survivor’s past is blurry, and his memories are in pieces. He asks himself:

Who was Clifford Olmstead Klovis?

Stroke sufferer Clifford Klovis tries to piece together the colorful fragments of his memories. Lost in the clouds?

Chapter 9

It was after Ruth and before Tessa. Clifford was dating Chloe, who worked as an administrative assistant for one of the big consulting engineering firms. Chloe’s work pal was Pam, who was in a committed relationship with Larry, a Vietnam vet who was ten years her senior. Larry was news traffic manager at a local TV station, a tedious job with a graveyard shift. He had a way of making his work sound like high adventure to his barroom buddies.

Larry claimed to have had flying experience in Nam, but he was no fighter pilot. More likely he’d flown a desk, as the jet jockeys say, coordinating Air Force logistics. His job in news traffic demanded much the same skills as he dispatched and tracked helicopter crews to cover highway accidents, car chases, and big thunderstorms. Larry was proud to hold a single-engine private-aircraft license, which was how Clifford came to meet him. Their brief acquaintance added another memorable experience to Clifford’s mental album — and his fear of flying.

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