Sojourners of the Sky

by Clayton Taylor

  “Oh, that sounds splendid.”

  He was about to launch into the story when Sue walked into the cockpit. Suddenly all of the men, except for Charles who could be heard snoring, stopped what they were doing.

  “Hello, Miss Gruber. I see that you’ve brought your two lovely friends for a visit,” observed G.R. with a sly grin.

  “Why yes, G.R., I have. Things are rather quiet in the back so I thought I’d come up and see if you fellas needed anything,” she said.

  Sue could have easily been a model. She had a voluptuous, Barbie doll figure that was topped off with long brown hair. She breezed through college and promptly got accepted into medical school. Sue almost made it through her first year before excessive harassment from the opposite sex forced her to quit. Brilliant or not, Sue was forced to conclude that people of the mid-nineteen fifties were simply not ready to accept a female orthopedist. Smarting from the rejection, she reluctantly decided to choose a more acceptable occupation for a female. Being a stewardess was glamorous and provided her an opportunity to see the world.

  Though Sue was as smart as a whip, to survive in her new career she allowed all those around her to believe that she was all looks. She kept her sharp mind hidden, unless it was needed to repel any unwelcome advances. Luckily, one of her most powerful assets in the carnal world was a smile that would cause men to melt in their shoes.

  “We have one bunk open,” joked G.R. “No waiting.”

  “That’s very funny,” said Sue with a slight, yet playful sneer. Then with all eyes upon her, she grabbed the top of her blouse with both hands, pulled it a few inches from her body and gazed down into the opening. Pausing a moment for effect, she asked, “What do you girls think?” She then nodded her head while gently shaking her upper body.

  Each man present watched in wide-eyed wonderment and with jaws agape. The scene proved quite stimulating for them all.

  Sue released her blouse, stood erect, and added, “Sorry, G.R., but my friends don’t think very much of your offer. They are insulted that you think a woman’s worth is to be found on her chest.”

  “Now hold on there,” said G.R. “I think you have exquisite legs, too.”

  “Well, that makes all the difference in the world,” joked Sue.

  “It’s good that we see eye to eye,” noted G.R.

  “I hate to hurt your feelings, G.R., but I’m holding out for a much younger man. You oldsters don’t have the stamina,” replied Sue, tapping G.R. on the head like a puppy.

  Everyone, including Asa, who practically wrenched his neck to see the show, laughed heartily. The laughter was loud enough to cause Charles to stir in his sleep, causing everyone to resume speaking with quiet voices.

  Asa quickly turned around and scanned his instruments. Being the youngest in the group and new to the airline business, he didn’t fully understand the sometimes flirty nature of pilot and stewardess conversations. Their bluntness incorrectly led him to believe that all of the girls could be his for the asking. That is, if he ever bothered to ask. But Asa wasn’t attracted to women who were as forward as some of the stewardesses, so he’d decided early-on to keep his distance. He didn’t realize their conversations, often laced with sexual overtones, were simply a way to have fun and ease the tension of being far from home.

  Asa turned up the volume on the number one radio and listened to the other airplanes communicating with Gander Control in his earphones. His heart belonged to a college girl back home and he had no intention of putting that in jeopardy.

  When she first entered the cockpit, Sue had planned to sit on Asa’s lap and give him the business. But knowing how shy he was, and after watching how he’d turned abruptly, retreating into his own world, she decided to leave the young man alone. “Do you boys want anything from the galley?” she asked.

  “Thanks, but I think I’m going to wait until breakfast,” replied Ed, as he stood to observe the stars once again.

  “Last chance, Sue. I’m about to take my nap,” suggested G.R. “and those bunks can get mighty chilly.”

  “G.R., I’d say you could use a little chilly air right about now,” said Sue.

  “I love working with you, Sue. Do you know that?” he said.

  “I love working with you, too, G.R. It’s a shame that you’re not thirty years younger.”

  “Then I’d be younger than yo…,” said G.R. before stopping himself. “Then I’d be out of your league,” he added, pleased with his quick thinking.

  “OK, boys, call me if you need me,” said Sue as she glided elegantly from the cockpit.

  The moment things returned to normal, Lars looked at the senior engineer and said, “Sonny was involved with a woman earlier so I left him alone. Do you think I should go back again?”

  “Lars,” said G.R. “if he’s not asking her for a date, then by all means try again. Maybe she softened him up.”

  The engineer’s words made sense. Lars thought about it for a few more seconds and decided to give it another try. As he stood to leave, G.R. added, “And be quick about it. I’m ready for my nap.”

  *

  “As you were saying,” said Liesel in a soft voice.

  “The love of my life, long before I met you, of course, was a girl named Lynn Helms. I mentioned her earlier. She’s the girl from high school who was not only gorgeous, though not as gorgeous as you, but she was also super-smart. Whenever we were together I had to be on my toes. She was on the debating team and could beat the pants off half the teachers,” said John. “Anyway…”

  Eight

  “Lunch is ready for those of you who can tear yourself away from this airplane,” announced Lynn Pratt, Bill’s wife of many years.

  “What are we having, Grandma?” asked Jack.

  “It’s a surprise,” she replied.

  “Grandpa,” said Lucy, “your neighbor is staring at us again.”

  Instantly, the small group turned to gaze across the cow pasture at the shadowy figure standing inside his home, looking out his bedroom window and wearing no sign of a smile.

  John Tacker never wanted Bill Pratt to move in next door. He despised everything about the man. Who the little crumb-snatchers were that had suddenly taken up residence didn’t much matter. But it did matter that the trio was spending nearly every waking hour of the day working on an old airplane. John knew that nothing good would come of it. Fighting his apprehension, he knew that the time had come to put his foot down.

  Lynn smiled and waved when she saw John standing in the window. A moment later, she watched as her reluctant neighbor ducked back into the shadows.

  “He gives me the creeps,” said Lucy.

  “He’s harmless, dear. Don’t pay him any mind,” replied Bill.

  “What’s the deal with him anyways?” asked Jack.

  “Let’s go have lunch and I’ll tell you,” said Bill.

  The group put down their tools and, with the exception of Jack, eagerly made their way to the house. Jack trailed the group, constantly turning to look over his shoulder, wondering if the weirdo next door was still spying on them.

  After momentarily closing his eyes and silently saying grace, Bill quickly shifted his eyes toward his wife, hoping for some guidance. He knew it was a story she didn’t want to hear. But when she turned away, showing no sign of emotion, he took it as a sign to proceed.

  “When John and I were kids, we were the best of friends. We did everything together. One hot summer afternoon a barnstormer appeared in the sky out of nowhere. He zoomed in low over our heads and then nearly hit a grain silo. His engine was racing and smoke was billowing from the bottom of his airplane. He pulled up and then disappeared behind some trees. The two of us ran as fast as we could because we thought the pilot was in trouble. It looked like a crash was imminent.”

  “What’s ‘imminent’ mean, Grandpa?” asked Jack.

  “It means something is about to happen,” answered Bill. “Anyway, just when it looked like he was about to crash, the smoke stopped and he
pulled the airplane straight up. For the next ten minutes we stood there watching this daredevil pilot execute all manner of loop-de-loops and rolls. I have to tell you, our jaws were hanging wide-open as we watched that fearless man with a leather cap on his head, defy both gravity and death. We were awestruck. It was the first time either of us had ever seen a real airplane. It was simply breathtaking. When the show was over, he landed in a field just outside of town. The two of us ran over and proceeded to pester him with question after question. The entire time we talked, both John and I gently rubbed our hands over his wood and cloth biplane. We didn’t realize it just then, but seeing that small yellow airplane perform incredible aerial stunts before our eyes was all it took to plant the aviation seed inside of us.”

  “But, Grandpa, wasn’t your dad a pilot?” asked Jack.

  “Yes, he certainly was,” replied Bill. “My dad was a pilot for Pan Am, but he rarely spoke about his job when he was at home. I knew my dad enjoyed flying, but I think he preferred to keep his two lives separate. Before that barnstormer flew into town, I never thought much about what my dad did for a living. And I’m quite sure John Tacker never had any reason to give airplanes any more than a passing thought. Yup, that tiny canary-colored airplane with two wings, flying freely above the Earth, ignited a passion in us both, that’s for sure.

  We ran home that day, hoping to get the two dollars it would take to ensure a ride in the man’s contraption the following morning. But it was the waning days of the Depression and money was still pretty scarce. We both had a small stash of coins under our beds, but it wasn’t enough. We put what we had together, along with what little we could pry from our parents, who by the way had no idea what it was going to be used for, but still came up thirty cents short.

  We showed up the next day prepared to do our best begging. The pilot smiled and chuckled as we took turns wearing him down. We weren’t sure if we were making any headway because he just sat there the entire time tinkering with his machine. I’ll never forget looking into his squinting eyes, wondering what made him tick. He was a man of the skies: a Sky God. Well, a god with oil stains on his face and a big bushy mustache.

  Our ride through the crystal clear skies lasted for only a few minutes. Sitting together in the forward cockpit, both John and I hung on for dear life. Unfortunately, I don’t remember much of it anymore. But I can tell you that I was both thrilled by the experience and scared to death.”

  “You were afraid, Grandpa? Of what?” asked Jack.

  “Well, I was terrified that I might fall out. Anyway, after that, John and I began building, flying and trading airplane models. We read trade magazines and discussed the stories we’d read. We both began socking away a chunk of our weekly allowance to pay for flying lessons, and kept an accounting of how much we had versus what we would need. It was an exciting and magical time for us. Of course, neither of us knew that our dream of flying airplanes would not come to pass for many years.”

  “But, Grandpa, what made him go crazy?” asked Lucy.

  Lucy’s words brought an unexpected chuckle from Lynn. The other three instantly looked up after hearing her response, but she put her head back down and continued eating without an explanation.

  “Back then,” Bill continued, “John Tacker was into almost every sport. His bookwork always came second, especially if any of us were outside putting together a game of football. His folks rarely said anything because John was as smart as they come. You probably noticed how tall he is. Well, being taller than most, coupled with his ability to read something and remember it forever, would have spelled doom for most kids in public school. But John’s abilities as a football, baseball and tennis player made him more of the kind of guy everyone wanted to be associated with.

  John’s high school years were pretty much the kind everyone wished they’d had. He was the starting quarterback in both his junior and senior years. He was also the baseball team’s starting pitcher. The one thing that he did not excel at, however, was an ability to hide his ego. But in spite of his often overflowing sense of self-esteem, John had such a warm and friendly demeanor, practically everyone wanted to be his friend. It was a situation that allowed him to pick and choose who would be among the chosen. Nearly all the other kids hung on his every word, and he loved it. And knowing that everyone wanted to be near him was like a drug: fueling him, driving him, inflating him.

  When we were seniors in high school, John was on top of the world. It went without saying that he could have pretty much dated any girl he wanted. But I think in an odd way that turned him off. The only girl who truly caught his eye was the one who treated him as though he was just another guy.”

  Bill’s sudden pause caused his two grandchildren to look up. Bill exchanged glances with his wife, but said nothing; allowing the silence to hang heavy in the air.

  “Well?” asked Lucy. “Who was she?”

  “Yeah, come on, Grandpa, spill your guts,” ordered Jack.

  “You’re looking at her,” said Bill with a smile.

  Nine

  “We just passed sixty-forty,” announced Ed, interrupting Liesel and John’s deep conversation. “Here you go, buddy,” he added, handing Asa a slip of paper containing the updated estimates.

  “Thanks, Ed,” replied Asa. He then studied the numbers in preparation for his conversation with Gander Control. He was bound and determined to make his youthful voice come out sounding like a seasoned professional when he passed along their position report.

  “We are just a hair southeast of Greenland,” observed Ed. “Practically gliding distance.”

  “I suppose,” said Asa. “That’s if you like ice and rocks.”

  “Well, if things get ugly, Bluie West-One is on the southern tip. It’s a nice backup if you need a place to land,” noted Ed.

  “No way!” said Asa. “Charles can land there if need be, but not me.”

  Diverted by the talk of diverting, John looked away from Liesel and added to the conversation. “I don’t even want to think about going in there,” he said. “I’ve flown with guys that have and they swore they’d never do it again.”

  “I’d better go,” suggested Liesel.

  “I wish you wouldn’t,” said John, regretting his momentary lapse of attention.

  “No, it’s not fair to the other girls,” said Liesel.

  “Oh well, OK. I’ll talk to you later,” he said.

  Liesel kissed John on the cheek, leaving him with a flushed face and a fresh batch of hope.

  *

  Sonny listened as Marie talked about her wedding. He actually began wishing her husband would return and rescue him. Though she was quite pretty, with brown hair and a smooth complexion, he had difficulty concentrating on her words because his mind raced wildly with corporeal ideas.

  The young woman’s yammering seemed to go on forever and Sonny feared he might lose interest. Still, he was mesmerized by her milky white skin. He closed his eyes for a moment and visualized her standing undressed before him. Remarkably, he could recall even the most intricate details of her body. Deep in vivid thought, he didn’t realize how much he was smiling on the outside.

  Sonny had been with Marie at least twice--on those occasions when his wife claimed headaches were limiting her interest. He never intended to play so close to home, but he was a driven man and needed a release. It was Sonny’s belief that if he wasn’t getting what he needed at home, he would seek it elsewhere. The fact that his wife two-timed him made him desire Marie even more. It was a chance to pay back his cheating wife. Oddly, his mind simply refused to see the hypocrisy.

  Eventually, there was a pause. Figuring he had only a short time left in which to play his hand, the moment Marie stopped to take a breath, Sonny asked, “Marie, don’t you remember me? You and I had, uh, relations a couple of times while you were working at Miss Mary’s up in Pawtucket. Remember?”

  Marie nearly fell out of her seat. She stared at Sonny for a very long moment in silence. She simply could not b
elieve that anyone would remember her, especially someone on board a Pan American flight. It was beyond belief. She’d given up that life long ago. Marie had reluctantly taken a job at Mary’s granting favors to men only to get enough money to get by while things were tight. It lasted but a few months. She’d never even mentioned it to her closest friends. Marie felt paralyzed, knowing she’d told Dirk that he was the first. She knew he would never understand, especially now. Up until that moment she had successfully managed to lock those unpleasant memories away, never to be recalled. Marie’s mind was in turmoil. She fanned her face, fearing she might faint.

  Sonny looked up and noticed Marie’s husband emerge from the lav. He was blocked by Kelly, who was handing drinks to a couple in the first row. Sonny knew his time was limited; he had to act fast. After all, there was a possibility for a once in a lifetime conquest. There was no way that he could just simply let it slip past. “I’m guessing your husband thinks he’s the only one?” asked Sonny.

  Marie couldn’t speak. She only managed to nod that his assumption was correct.

  “I tell you what. For old time sake, why don’t you, say ten minutes from now, go and use one of those bathrooms back in first class. I’ll give you a minute to get ready and then I’ll come back. We can have one for the road as they say. You do one for me and I promise to say nothing from now on. Otherwise, I can’t be sure of what I might accidently blab to…uh, what was his name again? Oh yeah, Dirk.”

  “Oh, no. Please no,” pleaded Marie. “I have a new life now! Please don’t ruin it for me, I beg you.”

  Dirk managed to squeeze past Kelly and quickly made his way toward his new wife wearing a loving smile. He was clearly a man living on cloud nine.

  When he was only a few steps away, Sonny said, “Make up your mind, Marie. I fear I may tell some secrets. I can already feel them on my lips.”

  “Please, oh please, no,” she murmured in complete despair.

  “Marie, do you still have that tiny mole on your rump? You know, shaped like a heart?” asked Sonny in a whisper.