Brick Barbeau - Airline Pilot
And, while with silent, lifting mind I've trod
The high untrespassed sanctity of space,
– Put out my hand, and touched the face of God."
Brick was not quite certain when his tolerance had begun to go, but it had. And so now, only two drinks in, a pleasant buzz was already settling over his limbs, leaving them light and pleasantly numb. He leaned back on the heels of his feet, giving a low hum. And in that moment, it was suddenly feeling downright balmy out, as if warm air were rushing over his face. He inhaled it deeply, looking out at the glittering buildings set against the setting sun. He took them in as deeply as his breath.
“If only I was born Italian...All the best Yankees are Italian...My mother makes spaghetti with ketchup, what chance do I have?” he said to no one in particular, looking up. “Sorry...uh, you know, Brighton Beach Memoirs? By Neil Simon? It’s a play. I don’t know; I just thought of it.”
Aurora has had a very long last couple of days. Her bar had flooded from old pipes underneath the bar top. Luckily there wasn’t too much damage and she mainly just had to lift valuables and get fans in there to dry the place. So the last 48 hours have been her dealing with that mess and writing up a quick announcement about the opening delay. So this little rooftop party came at a perfect time. Aurora needed a night to let loose and it was even better knowing she would get to meet her neighbours.
She made her way up the stairs to the roof, realizing after that she could have just gone out her window and up the fire escape if she needed. It was her first time really up there and taking it all in. She would enjoy using the easy access up there late a night in the future. Aurora loved high places and being able to look out over the city and look at all the lights. It somehow made her feel a little less alone. It seemed as though she was the first one up there, so she look the opportunity to sneak a joint in before more people showed up. She didn’t like to smoke around people who might not want to be around the stuff so she always tried her best to be mindful of others.
Although he had lived in the building for several months now, Brick really only had gotten to know a handful of his neighbors; his work and travel schedule gifted him odd hours. And so, this little get-together proved something of a boon as he at the very least made an effort to acclimate himself to the community. Still, he had shown up looking like the dad at the barbecue, lingering about in a well-fitted polo and pair of shorts with a case of beer in his hand. Still, people had not really begin filing out yet, so, the conversations, for the moment, were few. But he did recognize a somewhat familiar face. Seeing things were not kicking off just yet, he ducked down as he made his way over to Aurora, offering a small smile.
“Hi there. I was...uh disheartened to see that announcement you made. I hope everything turns out all right,” he offered with a nod. He sniffed the air briefly, recognizing the smell, but didn’t say anything. He was a child of the 70s after all; it was absolutely not the first time he got a faceful of weed. Besides, he was trying to be cool now, hip, a bachelor, one of the youngsters. Youngsters. Jesus Christ.
there was something about the quaint apartment complex that charli had always enjoyed. it was just about the opposite of where she may have been raised to want to live , but the atmosphere was kind and refreshing and it brought out her better said. that said , she makes her way into the building , shopping bags in hand when she runs into a familiar resident at the bottom of the staircases. “ hey ! do you have a second ? i just really need to know … ” a hand reaches into a bag , pulling out a sweater that looks like it was the highest fashion ––– in the mid seventies. “ is this sweater like too grandma-y or do you think it would look cute as a little cropped situation ? and you can’t tell me you’re not qualified to answer because i need all and any options before i wear this to teach tomorrow. ” ( @villagestarters ! )
“I...uh...I think my mother had that sweater, when, I was, like, five or six? And if that reads grandma-y to you, wow, I must be decrepit.” Although the question had initially taken him by surprise, Brick managed to stammer out a response with some genuine good humor, giving a small laugh. “And to be fair, my mother lived in rural Iowa, and as much as she would have liked one, there was not a shopping mall. Which means she had that for at least five years at that point.” He pursed his lips. “But vintage is back in, I hear, so maybe? But, uh, yeah, you really shouldn’t ask me these kinds of things. I’ve worn nothing but uniforms for twenty years.”
gracie was sitting on a floor next to her apartment door. it wouldn’t be the first time she left the apartment and left her keys on a table. there was just one way how to get inside. call the locksmith. so she did and waited for him to come. a few couple minutes later,she hoped it was him but unfortunately it was somebody else. “oh, hi.” she said from the floor.
@villagestarters
“Uh, hi there. You waitin’ for someone?” Brick was perhaps too absorbed in his own cellphone to be watching where he was going, but hearing a voice, he paused and looked up. He offered a smile and nod before doing a little turn in place. “I’m on the wrong floor. I actually went up a whole extra flight of stairs. Wow..”
“Alleyways and elevators? More like snakes and ladders.” Aurora joked, smirking to herself, thinking it was rather clever. “Wow. Fifteen years? I’ve only been here three months.” She said, rather surprised but slightly impressed that he’s been there that long and still doesn’t know his way around town. She couldn’t help but chuckle at his question as she nodded. “It’s just a normal bar and don’t worry, we have normal beer too.” She smiled softly at the man.
Brick laughed at that. “Well, chute.” That was less funny, but he said it anyway. He clicked his tongue. “Fifteen years total. Four months now ‘round here. And I’m afraid I didn’t have much reason to be before this. But Manhattan’s overrated.” He grimaced. “Ah, good, then I’ll pop back in for a normal beer. A friend tried to drag me to this sci-fi disco thing, and let’s just say the 80s left us for good reason.”
An amused smile curled up on Emma’s lips, hiding any laughter that she might have. “Please don’t take this the wrong way, but I’ll be honest, when you first started speaking, you reminded me of my father. Especially with the Snapchat thing. You know if you need help navigating the app, I could always help out. That’s the only thing about what you said, that reminded me of him, by the way. I just wanted to clarify that.” Emma couldn’t help but let out a soft laugh at the mention of Our Time. “I wouldn’t say that you should be on Our Time. It seems like that person was just be shady. Don’t go on Our Time. If you must try any, try Eharmony or something.”
“Well, I’m someone’s father, and we all have to go to...you know, dad school,” Brick replied with some mock indignation, wrinkling up his nose. There was a wittier reply in there somewhere, he decided, but it did not come out quickly enough. He sighed. “I guess I could use the help, but I don’t know. I’m walking a fine line between being the cool parent and one of his little friends.” He said this with an out-of-place southern accent, likely some reference to his mother or grandmother landing now on clueless ears. “Thank you. I appreciate that. I don’t know what ‘shady’ means, but sure. Mean, right?” He laughed. “We had that back in the day, you know. When there was dial-up, but I guess I can go for that non-threatening guy look you see in the commercials.” He let out a huff.
“Oh, I was definitely smart-alecky as a teenager- my parents would probably tell you that I’m still a smart aleck. But at least it keeps things interesting, right?” Sipping on her iced coffee, Wisteria grinned across the table at Brick, her legs drawn up against her chest. “Besides, how much of a pain could he possibly be?” she asked, quirking a brow. Of course, she didn’t know anything about rearing a child herself, but her parents seemed to have a breeze with the ordeal- and she definitely hadn’t been a ‘fall quietly into line’ kind of kid. Still, she thought it was sweet that Brick was trying his best, there were tons of parents who couldn’t say the same.
Wisteria hadn’t been at the village very long, but her knack for making fast friends meant she was already well acquainted with a number of her building mates- Brick being one of them.
When he mentioned his lack of Snapchat knowledge, Wisteria snorted and leaned forward, holding her hand out across the table for his phone. “It’s really not that hard, grandpa,” she teased, swiping his phone and looking for the familiar Snapchat icon. “I can give you some pointers though, I’m something like a Snap-Pro,” she joked. “And, y’know, a dating app or two can’t hurt. I can download Tinder for you instead- but I’ll warn you now, you’re probably not going to find a long lasting, meaningful relationship on there.”
“Well, that’s one way to look at it. Me? I was perfect. Polite, respectful, helpful. If I weren’t so into sports and all, I’d probably have been an Eagle Scout. Or at least helped a few old ladies cross the street,” Brick replied only half-jokingly, with a wry glint, features falling into a wistful stare before giving away to a light laugh. He shook his head. “But ah, I suppose I wasn’t modest. There’s the flaw.” He hummed at that, cocking his head to one side, sobering at the question. “He’s a good kid, and he’s been through a lot. The...separation wasn’t easy on him, but that sort of thing isn’t on most kids.” It had been long enough, and Brick found he still had trouble saying the divorce word aloud. But he genuinely was trying to make a good go of this co-parenting thing, even if part of him worried he had already ruined it beyond repair before all this happened.
But no matter. He wouldn’t get into all that. This friendship he had stricken up with Wisteria was as new as it was unlikely. But he was a young-ish professional, he had decided. Now was the time to branch out, to meet new people. Sure, he was a jet-setter by trade, but his travels extended only so far beyond Midwest airport lobbies.
He met her laugh with an incredulous one of his own. “Yeah, all right, Snap-pro. I am absolutely not putting those little dog ears on my head.” He made a move for his phone, but giving up, he let her swipe around on it without protest. “Yeah, I don’t know if I’m ready for Tinder yet. And we did have OkCupid and EHarmony back in, you know, the olden days. There used to be this weird stigma around them, I guess. I don’t know. I never tried them.”
“Oh yeah, I think there’s some studios above shops in the next building beside us. Although I can’t be too sure. I’m still really new here so I understand your confusion.” She smiled sheepishly. So many people just assume she knows her way around but in reality, she needed her phone to get to work everyday. She’s pretty much got it down by now but still doubts herself. “Thank you. It’s very nice to meet you Brick.” She said sweetly as she glanced around at the state of the place. “Yup, hoping to open by this Friday if my cards are dealt right.”
“New York, and it’s hidden treasures, I guess. S’all alleyways and elevators. I’ve lived in the city about....oh, fifteen years now, I suppose, but I’m pretty new to this neighborhood myself. And I’m afraid I don’t venture all to far from my apartment. Thus, the wandering into incorrect buildings,” Brick smiled, giving an endearingly bashful shake of his head. He also kept odd hours, so he really didn’t know many people in the area. “Ah, that’s fascinating. A bar, is it?” Maybe that was a dumb question, but then again, New York was a trendy place. It could have been some kind of new-fangled office space. “Maybe I ought to check it out. Unless it’s, like, super cutting edge and I’d bring down the vibe. You’ll have to let me know if you serve just regular beer.”
“Are teenagers all so...smart-alecky?” Setting down his phone, Brick gave a small sigh, running a frustrated hand along his brow. And rolling his shoulders, he leaned forward to take a small sip from his coffee cup, “I don’t remember being this much of a pain at 13,” he added, glancing back to see if another text from his son had come in. It had not. And by any account, he himself was absolutely was a pain at 13. But no one could prove that. He sighed once more. “Maybe I’m getting old. Christ, I operate a 450 ton jet every day, but damned if I can figure out how Snapchat works.”
Thinking on this, Brick seemed to be overcome with indignation, which he tempered by hiding his face in his mug. “Do you know...okay, so, I have this co-worker named Cooper. Flight attendant; nice guy. He tells me today, and completely sincerely, I ought to try Our Time. You know, like the dating site? I mean, do I look that old? I come across as thirty-five. Tops.” He hummed distantly, managing a proper smirk. “I’m rambling. I’m sorry, How are you?”
Aurora turned to look at the clearly confused looking man. “Oh that’s alright.” She said, giving a light chuckle. It took her a second to remember the address of the place, she was so used to just knowing how to get there and kept a sticky note in her binder to reference when doing forms. “It’s 1382. Which place are you looking for? Maybe I can help you.” She smiled, liking to help as much as she could. “I’m Aurora by the way.”
“Uh...hmm, 1384. Ah, so, one over I suppose. A friend of mine keeps a studio on an upper floor there, but I never know what the outsides of these places look like. They never have signs....and there’s always weird names like...Place...or...Locale...” he sighed apologetically, trailing off into a mumble. “But maybe not a construction area, huh?” He grimaced before squinting down at his phone, moving it back and forth a few times as if trying to get his eyes to focus. “Wow, I hope I’m not going blind,” Brick laughed. Thankfully, it seemed to only be the change of lighting from outside to in; his vision adjusted quickly. Middle-age wasn’t hitting him quite so hard yet. And he wasn’t ready to retire. “That’s a nice name, Aurora. I’m Brick. Like the house? Well, really like Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, but that’s even before my time. It’s nice to meet you, even though I sort of...invaded. Sorry about that. You’all opening soon here...?”
“yeah well, friday night new yorker’s bullshit was particularly difficult to deal with last night, okay? i can’t make it. i have so many reports to catch up on, i’m sorry,” she bluntly spoke into her phone as she made her way up the stairs to the 6th floor apartment she lived in. she preferred the stairs. letting out a groan as she realized her wife… well, soon to be ex-wife, hung up on her. again. arms full of files she rounded the corner, almost running into one of her neighbors, “shit– sorry,” she sighed as she moved aside. hand rising to rub her eye, “hey, since i have you here, did you by chance hear anything from outside last night? trying to decide if it’s raccoons keeping me awake or some teenagers fucking around.” though in all honesty, work had been what kept her up. the non-normal-for-new-york noises had just been a distraction.
“Ah, it’s quite all right. It was my fault.” Composing himself, Brick offered a polite, if somewhat embarrassed smile for having almost collided with her as he made his way down the hallway. But straightening up, he cocked his head to one side, giving a small nod. “Uh...I happen to have a bedroom window facing a restaurant loading dock, so I’m afraid I didn’t hear anything beyond Luigi forgetting to order the veal again. But my Italian is getting pretty good.” He said this jovially, with a joking lilt, and it was unclear just how genuine he was being. Nevertheless, finishing the bit, he managed a degree more seriousness. “But, uh, maybe, yeah. I do think there’s some raccoons in the one alleyway where they leave the trash. But everything wakes me up, so...” He trailed off, raising his brow. “Do you...need some help? Your hands look pretty full.”
Leo Choi, sat at his usual table in his favourite little cafe with a cup of cold coffee on his left and his laptop on his right. It was unusual for him to be there so late in the evening as he liked to joke he was reaching the age where coffee after 4 meant staying up all night, but he was swamped with work and needed a place other than kitchen table to get it down. Leo had just spend the last 15 minutes re-reading an email from his boss, but all he couldn’t focus on anything.
With a sigh, Leo folded his arms across the table and rested his head. Just 5 minutes, he told himself. He wasn’t sure how much time had passed when he felt a hand on his shoulder, shaking him awake. Sitting up, Leo rubbed his eyes and looked up at the person. “Uh, sorry. Coffee’s a little weak.”
Brick had landed perhaps only an hour prior, and for the moment, he was refusing to drink any of the slop they peddled at the airport. And so, sleepily tugging himself along, he stopped for coffee on the way home. He sat now in the corner of the cafe, feeling a little more energized as the caffeine settled into his limbs and woke them pleasantly up. It had been a bumpy flight, for sure, and the turbulence required much of his concentration; he was pleased for the opportunity to have a day or two off now. He finished his cup in a long gulp before making a move to stand up and order another. That’s when his gaze fell on Leo, whom he recognized vaguely from down the hall of his building.
“Uh...hey, buddy, you good? You’re going to knock your stuff over. Hate for you to ruin your laptop,” he said at last as the guy at the next table started to nod off. “Maybe you need a shot of espresso or something, huh?”
Aurora had spent her day at the bar, getting it ready for opening day that was quickly approaching. She couldn’t wait to reveal her baby to the world. She took pride in her work. Construction has been going smoothly for the most part and the once old dive bar is now turning into a stylish new place that will hopefully be the new favourite. She just finished for the day and was sitting at her bartop, enjoying a well earned drink. She was just sitting there, starting to zone out when she heard the door open. She must have forgotten to lock it. “Sorry, we aren’t open just yet.” She said as she turned to face whoever just walked in.
Blinking a few times as he barreled through the door, Brick stopped abruptly in his tracks, as if suddenly registering that he was absolutely not in the right place. Looking to his left and then to his right, he fished his phone from his pocket and scrolled a few times in search of the building number when someone spoke up. “Oh! I’m sorry. I...uh, I think I came through the wrong door.” Clearing his throat, he offered an apologetic, sincere smile. “What’s the address here? I think I must be trying to go next door.”
The dark sky forming rain clouds seemed as though it was handcrafted for her. It had been an awful day to say the very least. Her alarm hadn’t gone off that morning, causing her stroll into a meeting with a client looking a mess. She had spilt her coffee on her white jeans and now, to make matters even worse, her car had broken down. As the red head peered under to smoking hood of her Cadillac, her face read undeniably choleric and her hefty sigh reinforced this. Feeling a set of eyes glue to her, the hot headed girl turned on her nude pumps and locked her eyes on them. “Can I help you with something?” She hissed as she crossed her arms against her blouse. She had grown used to people staring especially in this city. “Or maybe you can stop standing there and help me. Come on.”
Standing beneath an overhang, Brick cast blue eyes upward to the darkening sky, fingers tightening around the handle of his umbrella. He sighed deeply, sniffing the air as if searching for the first hint of rain. And with that, he scanned the street, debating stepping out into it. But forging ahead, he lifted his gaze to a stalled car and a shape hanging over its smoking hood. However, he did not snap to attention until said shape spoke up. Seeing her now, Brick managed a disarming, if terse, smile. “I’m sorry. I...uh, didn’t mean to stare. Overheating? May I have a look? I’m pretty good around an engine.” As if in a peace offering, he extended his hand and offered the umbrella, looking upward once again to see if the clouds were ready to burst.
brett tucker. cismale. he/him. ❝ can you hear bette davis eyes by kim carnes coming from apartment #309 ? that must mean brick barbeau is home. the forty-four year old is currently an airline pilot and they live alone. they’ve been living in the village for four months and residents have gathered the libra’s manicured yet insincere demeanor. ❞ ted. 26. he/him. est
Hello, everyone! I’m Ted, and I’m excited to write with you all. Please feel free to reach out anytime, but below, find a basic bio for Brick.
Brick Barbeau grew up in the outskirts of a small town in rural Iowa. His mother was something of a local celebrity for three distinct reasons: she appeared as a three-time winner on a mid-70s episode of Match Game, she used her earnings to relocate to the Big Apple and pursue her dreams as a dancer, and finally, she moved back in with her parents just under a year later upon finding herself rather pregnant. To that end, Brick was raised in the house in which his mother was raised, taking up residence in a whitewashed bedroom with fading floral wallpaper and cows out the window.
His childhood was largely a happy, if somewhat modest one — with chores in the mornings, church on Sundays, and evenings spent bouncing up and down the wooden staircase to his mother’s records. What it did lack, however, was friends the boy’s own age. His birth had been something of a local scandal, and neighbors kept their distance. Still, if Brick were lonely, he hardly noticed.
The world shattered when his grandfather passed away, and left with a mother and grandmother who were loving, doting even, but not exactly macho, Brick became rather fascinated with this phantom father that apparently lived on the East Coast. And so, faced with these questions, his mother embellished, perhaps out of embarrassment, gave him better qualities than he had, made him an athlete, a hero, a heart-breaker. As he crossed the threshold into his teenage years, Brick thus molded himself in this nonexistent image no one had the heart to shatter.
In high school, despite somewhat average grades, he became something of a track star, blossoming into himself and gaining a new confidence once he noticed his ears were no longer too large for his head. He was popular. Nevertheless, while he competed well on the regional playing field, he had little chance nationally and was thus not able to ride athletics into college as he might have hoped.
Still, perhaps it was an eagerness to get out of the corn-fed town he called home, the same eagerness which had made his mother leave so many years ago, but Brick eventually decided to join the military and earned his education on the Air Force’s dime.
Following the completion of his service, the young man was able to leverage his flight experience to break into the competitive aviation industry, where he now works as a commercial pilot for a major airline.
He met the woman who would become his wife during a delay at Kennedy Airport. She worked for a Manhattan-based pharmaceutical company and was unable to make her business trip due to snow. The pair got talking and dated for about a year prior to their engagement.
Their marriage lasted over a decade and produced one son, now a teenager. But travel schedules, a lack of intimacy, and distance would prove their undoing. While Brick’s wife seemed eager to plant her roots, he stayed hooked to the friendly skies.
It’s since been two years since their divorce, and with the dust finally settled, Brick has set unsteady feet in a new bachelor pad at the Village Apartments. He’s not always around, frequently on a flight somewhere or another. And it feels odd now trying to find somewhere to call home when he perhaps should have done it while he still someone’s husband.
All the same, somewhere during the proceedings, both he and his ex-wife realized they perhaps had stopped being themselves during their marriage. And maybe they never should have married in the first place. They forge ahead now with the goal of co-parenting, but the bitterness of time wasted still has not passed.
