Cynthia Cartier - Wings

By the spring of 1945, the war in the air overseas was winding down, and it was up to the ground troops to move in force and push back the enemy’s lines. In March, Daniel was shipped back to the states to finish out his enlistment at a base in North Carolina. He would be one of the many men that were filling the jobs the WASP had done. When Liddy heard he would be testing repairs and rebuilds her gut twisted, but he had survived the war and she had decided he would be fine.

Liddy went to Holly Grove to help Celia plan his homecoming party. Crik cleaned out the old hay barn and set up fire barrels, and Liddy and Celia did the rest. The day Daniel was to come home, the two women drove to the station to pick him up. He was already waiting when they pulled up to the platform. He had taken an earlier train and the telegram he’d sent didn’t arrive until after he did.

Liddy couldn’t stop giggling as she watched Celia crush her man till she thought Daniel would pass out. When she finally let go, Daniel set down his duffle and hugged her back and kissed her. Then he gave Liddy a big hug, and she kissed him big on the cheek.

“Hey, Danny Boy, you made it.”

“How ‘bout that. But really, was there any doubt?”

“Not in my mind, Daniel Cooper. Welcome home.”

The party was one big reunion and Liddy noticed that Holly Grove had grown up. Married couples and babies had replaced wild young people, and it was a different kind of party from the ones Liddy had known in her hometown. Rowby cradled his seven month old son Tony on his hip while he danced with Trina. In spite of her pregnant belly, she still oozed her Italian sexuality.

Faces were missing—some would return, but many would never appear again. And there were new faces. Like Rowby and his Trina, girls and boys had found each other because of the war. Letters, USOs and the moving of soldiers across the country had brought hearts together and new faces to Holly Grove. But mostly, there were less faces.

May Tully was there without her boyfriend Harlan, who was still fighting in the infantry, and she seemed a little lost without him. Comfortable old shoes, even when they have a hole or two, can be better than no shoes at all for some people. But then there are those people who prefer to go barefoot. Evidently, May was not one of those people.

Liddy hadn’t seen Frank and some of her other old run-abouts since her WASP career ended, and she had no desire for the company of a man. She wondered if parts of a person can just cease to exist. She did enjoy time with old friends, but was happy to get back home to her little house in Clayton and be alone. She sat on her sofa reading Stick and Rudder, while Gossy sat behind her head and purred.

The next Monday morning, Liddy delivered an Ercoupe to one ALB Enterprises in Chicago. When she pulled into the private hangar a Lincoln limousine was waiting. By the time she had shut everything down and left the cockpit, the new owner was circling the plane. She walked up to the man and peeled off her gear. “It’s all yours Mr. …” She looked down at the paperwork on her clipboard and finished, “…Bradon.” Liddy grinned when she saw his shock. It just never got old.

He held out his hand. “Alan Bradon,” he said and smiled with his whole face.

Liddy tucked the clipboard under her left arm and shook his hand and said, “Liddy Hall.”

Alan Bradon was just slightly taller than Liddy. His black hair was slicked back and shined. His blue eyes were part of the whole face smile that Liddy couldn’t help but smile back at. A pinkness glazed his very fair cheeks, and his teeth were gleaming white and perfect. His nose and mouth shared the space on his face with his eyes quite cordially.

His vested suit was as beautiful, although not as colorful, as the one Uncle Geoffrey wore at the WASP graduation. It was tightly tailored to his shoulders and his waistline. His black shoes were so clean and new that they were reflective like his hair. He had the look of money but not the air. He was as pretty a man as Liddy had ever seen.

“I need you to sign here and here,” Liddy said as she pointed to the Xs and handed Alan Bradon a pen. “So are you going to be flying this girl?” Liddy asked and then offered, “I can go through her with you if you want.”

“That would be great.”

Liddy cleared her things from the cockpit and walked the plane with its new owner. She talked about the wing span, weight, top speed, landing speed, and she showed him the instruments. Clearly he knew nothing about planes by the questions he was asking, but he asked with such enthusiasm that it was endearing, so she finished the tour.

“So, what are you going to do with this fine machine, Mr. Bradon?”

“It’s that obvious is it?”

“That you don’t know a flap from a rudder? Yeah, it’s pretty obvious.”

“I want to learn how to fly. I was told this was a good plane for a beginner.” His eyes danced like a kid on Christmas morning.

“Well, she’s not exactly chopped liver, she can scoot, but I guess if you take it slow, she’ll be good to you. I have to get back, got another delivery today. Get yourself a good instructor, Mr. Bradon and good luck.” Liddy shook his hand and zipped her gear into her bag and walked toward the doors.

“Miss Hall.”

Liddy stopped and looked back.

“Can I give you a ride to your gate?”

“Sure, thanks.” Liddy felt pretty silly as Alan Bradon’s driver took her old leather bag and placed it in the trunk of the limousine like it was filled with china. Then he opened the back door for her and she slid in. Mr. Bradon talked non-stop all the way to Liddy’s gate and then continued until she had to interrupt and leave for her flight. He was possibly the most pleasant person she had ever met. The way he made himself laugh as he talked, made her laugh too.

Liddy had a run of interesting deliveries that week. If I can’t fly for my country, this is a pretty good gig, she thought as she flew a Piper J-3 Cub down to New Mexico. The little put-put seemed a toy compared to flying a P-47 Thunderbolt or even a primary trainer, but it took her into the sky and she gave the little girl a loving pat when they leveled after take-off.

At her destination, she was greeted by a rancher and Rusty, his pilot, on a dirt strip that was a mile or so from a sprawling ranch house. Rusty was a week or two out from a shave, and his flight suit and gear had more miles on them than Liddy had days in her life. When Liddy ran through the features and manual with him, she knew he was seasoned.

Rusty reminded Liddy of what Jack would have been like as a man of thirty. She was pleased that the arrangement was for Rusty to shuttle her to the Albuquerque airport to catch her flight home. He wasn’t quite as talky as Jack, but maybe Jack wasn’t either at that age. She took in every word and enjoyed the outback way he flew. He didn’t finesse the plane. He just had complete control of the up and down, and right and left.

The following week brought another order from ALB Enterprises in Chicago and Liddy thought, some people really do have more money than sense. But when she found out that it had been requested that she be the pilot to make the delivery, it seemed that a plane may not be all that Alan Bradon thought he was buying.

Liddy pulled into the hangar and saw the Lincoln and Bradon standing by its door, smiling. She shut everything down and grabbed her bag before she left the pit. “So, we meet again, Mr. Bradon. Your lessons must be going well. This ship is hotter than the last one you bought.”

“Well, I thought it might be good to have a back-up and variety.”

“Nice if you can afford it. No doubt of that.” Liddy held out her clipboard and pointed to the Xs. “If you can sign here and here, I’ll be on my way. The manuals are in the pit. Your instructor will be able to get you familiar with her.”

Alan Bradon smiled as he signed and passed the board back to Liddy, and she picked up her bag and walked away to leave.

“Miss Hall.”

“Yes,” said Liddy as she turned and walked backwards.

“Can I give you a ride to your gate?”

“I’m good walking, but thanks.” Liddy turned back around and left the hangar.

She was a hundred yards across the mat when the Lincoln pulled up beside her. The back window lowered and Alan Bradon looked out. “It’s that obvious is it?”

“Painfully so,” said Liddy as she kept walking and the car rolled along with her.

“I’m sorry. I just wanted to see you again.”

“So you bought a four thousand dollar airplane to take a five minute ride to my gate?”

“Actually, I was hoping we could have dinner.”

“I have a plane to catch.”

“Miss Hall.” He opened the door and hopped out of the car that rolled alongside the two of them now. “I’m sorry, really, it was a stupid thing to do. It seemed like a rather romantic idea at the time, but—”

“Romantic? I don’t even know you.”

He shuffled out in front of Liddy and held up his hands as he stepped backwards. “Please, just stop for one minute, please.”

Liddy stopped walking and clenched her jaw.

“Haven’t you ever made a mistake? I made a big mistake. Please forgive me.”

“Okay, I forgive you. Now I’d like to catch my plane.” Liddy stepped around him and started walking again.

“I don’t believe you’ve really forgiven me. This doesn’t look like forgiveness to me.” He walked backwards in front of her, but to the side. “David, does this look like forgiveness to you?” he called out to his driver and looked at Liddy with his happy face.