by Davis, Mary
Pete excused himself from the crowd and came over to her with Ivan at his side, carrying a portable gasoline tank. “The kid said you’d ferry him back and forth from the gasoline station.”
“Sure.” She opened the back door of the Model T for her brother, who started to set the tank on the seat. “Put it on the floor, silly.” Ivan complied, moving his fishing pole out of the way.
Pete gave some money to cover the fuel and went back to his waiting audience, and she and Ivan motored off to town. She didn’t want to leave. She wanted to watch each and every time that beautiful piece of machinery took off and landed. She wanted the image carved deep into her memory so she could play it over and over when this flyboy left for greener pastures. She pulled into Bill’s Garage.
Bill came out of the weatherworn wooden building, wiping his greasy hands on a greasy rag. In fact, most of Bill’s attire was permanently grease stained. “I just got your tire fixed.” His words were a bit muffled between his gums.
“Swell. I need this extra tank filled with gasoline.”
Bill squinted at the tank Ivan was taking out of the back. “Whose is it?”
“The flyboy’s. Did you see the yellow aeroplane fly overhead?”
“Who could miss it? You think if I put in my teeth, he’ll take me up in his aeroplane?”
“Of course. He’s offering rides for five dollars apiece.”
“You don’t let him leave before I get there.”
“Ivan here volunteered to fetch his gasoline, and guess who’s stuck helping him?” She tried to sound put out.
“You’re about as disappointed as an ant colony when a sandwich gets dropped on top of their hill.”
She broke into a wide smile. “I’m going to get to fly. I never believed this would actually happen. Who would think a real live pilot would land in little ole Cashmere?”
“I guess it’s better than a dead pilot.” Bill winked at her.
She shook her head at his humor. “Don’t tell my dad.”
“If I haven’t told him about that half-built contraption you got out back of my shed, why would I tell him about this? But I think he might figure you saw it when word gets around town.”
“Speaking of that, tell everyone who stops in to come out to Johnson’s field for aeroplane rides.” She wanted this flyboy to hang around for the entire day. She paid Bill for the tire and for the gasoline Ivan pumped.
The day passed with Lizzie and Ivan replenishing the fuel and the lieutenant taking person after person up. Bill had come out and gone for three rides. The lieutenant only let him pay for the first one, so Bill gave him some free gasoline. At the end of the day, the flyboy had to send several people away with the promise of another chance tomorrow.
Dorcas, Agnes, and Margaret, three girls from town whom Lizzie had gone to school with, fawned over Pete all day, smiling and flirting in their bobbed hair and knee-length dresses. The lieutenant lapped up every bit of attention the ladies dished out, before and after he’d given them rides. All three promised to return the next day.
The sun was dipping toward the mountains, and Ivan was up in the air. As promised, his ride was longer than the others. Lizzie would be the last passenger for today, but her trip up would be different.
❧
Pete turned his Jenny around, pointing it into the wind, ready for his next and last passenger for the day. And the one he looked forward to the most. This small town had been more profitable than he’d expected. He hadn’t thought he’d have enough passengers to fill the day, and he had people coming back tomorrow. He hoped Lizzie would be back. He’d hardly gotten to see her at all. Half the time when he landed, she was off retrieving his fuel, which he was very grateful for; the other half, she stayed at a distance with Fred curled up in her lap. Lucky dog. She did bring him lunch but wasn’t around to eat with him. Ivan was. He was a good kid, but Pete would rather spend his time with a beautiful doll.
Now it would be Lizzie’s turn, and he wouldn’t be able to talk to her up in the air, only look at the back of her head.
Ivan jumped out and to the ground, swiping off the helmet like he was born doing it. “Hot dog, that was fun.” He handed the helmet to Lizzie. “You’re going to love it.”
Pete hoped she would. Enough to return tomorrow. He went over to her and took the ends of the helmet strap from her hands. She’d been doing fine, but he wanted to help, so he buckled the helmet securely on her head. “I’m just going to fill the tank. You can climb on up.” He held her hand, helping her up onto the wing, then turned to fill the tank.
“Hey, Ivan. Do you think you can talk your sister into coming back tomorrow? Tell her I need you to fetch gasoline for me again.”
“Ask me something hard. She’d be glad to do it.”
“Are you sure?”
“When we first saw you fly overhead, she ran off the road and nearly hit a tree because she was looking up instead of at the road.”
So he mesmerized little Miss Lizzie who hardly looked at him. She must be a little shy. That just made garnering a kiss a little more challenging. Tomorrow. He wouldn’t push it today.
He filled the tank, then grabbed hold of a support pole and swung up onto the wing. He stopped short. Lizzie was in the back seat of the fuselage. His seat. He put on his most charming smile and leaned over the edge of the opening. “Doll, haven’t you noticed all day that this is where I sit?”
She looked up at him with an impish smile and batted her eyelashes. “Mm-hm.”
She was cute. There was no doubt about that. Did she think she was going to sit on his lap or something? As appealing as that was, he wouldn’t be able to fly that way. “You’re going to have to move up to the other seat.”
“I like this one.”
“I can’t fly from the front seat, so if you want a ride, you’ll have to move.” He cocked his head toward the front.
“I’ll fly.”
His smile fell immediately away, and he coughed. She couldn’t be serious. “What! No one flies Jenny but me.”
She turned and folded her hands together. “I know I could fly her. Please let me try. I think your aeroplane is real darb.”
She was trying to charm him with sweet talk and compliments. He wasn’t going to bite. He was the king of schmoozing. He shook his head. He didn’t want her accidentally taking off. “You don’t know the first thing about piloting an aeroplane.”
She pointed to the instruments one by one. “This one is the water temperature indicator, the altimeter, airspeed, oil pressure gauge, and the tach.” She smiled up at him proudly.
“Impressive, but no. You either move up front or you don’t get a ride at all.”
❧
Lizzie sized up her opponent. Would the lieutenant buckle if she pushed? If she batted her eyelashes a little more? She wanted to fly his aeroplane so badly. A ride would be fine, but she wanted to be in control. If she turned down a ride today, would he offer her another one tomorrow? She couldn’t risk it. This might be her only chance ever to go up into the air. But she would give piloting one more shot. “I’m a fast learner. I bet a smart fellow like you could teach me.”
He folded his arms and shook his head. “Like I said, no one but me flies her.”
She stuck out her bottom lip in a feigned pout as she climbed from the pilot’s seat to the other, careful to keep her mid-calf-length dress from riding up above her knee.
The flyboy settled into the seat behind her, then maneuvered the aeroplane around. “You ready?” he hollered over the engine noise.
She gave him a thumbs-up, then pretended she was actually flying.
They moved slowly at first. Then as the aeroplane sped up, the air seemed to be sucked from her lungs as they went faster and faster until the moment she felt the rough ground fall away. All was smooth. She sucked in a great breath and gripped the side of the opening. Her body pressed into the hard seat. She looked over the side as the ground pulled away from them or rather they pulled away from the ground
. Free at last. She just had to be able to fly this amazing craft.
She felt a hand on her shoulder.
“It’s all right. You’re safe,” the lieutenant yelled over the engine and wind noise.
She threw her hands straight up. “Yippee! I’m flying.”
The lieutenant flew level, then circled the field. She wished he’d do one of those loops or rolls he’d done when he flew alone. She turned around and drew a circle with her finger. The lieutenant shook his head. She nodded hers. He shook his again, and she turned back around. Then he started flying higher and higher. Was he going to do a loop, after all? Instead, he banked hard and dove toward the ground, leveling off before they were too close. She supposed he didn’t want to scare her. He’d thrilled her, though. She wanted to do it again. She wanted to fly it. She pulled the bobby pins from her hair and let it fly in the wind from under the helmet.
The flight was over all too soon.
The lieutenant circled around like he’d done for all the others and lined up his craft with the field. She wanted to beg him to stay in the air but didn’t. Disappointment weighed heavy when the wheels grabbed hold of the earth once again. Maybe she could finagle another ride tomorrow. Maybe she’d get him to let her fly it.
The lieutenant stopped the aeroplane and climbed out onto the wing, holding a hand out to her. She took it and stepped onto the wing with him. He jumped down, put his hands on her waist, and lowered her to the ground. That was when she looked into his chocolate brown eyes and stayed there a moment with her hands still resting on his shoulders.
“Did you like the ride?”
She removed her hands and smoothed her dress. “It was delightful.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Delightful?”
“It was hardly spectacular. Your aeroplane can do far more.” She was hoping to shame him into letting her fly his Jenny.
He put his hands on his slim hips. “Can she?”
“Maximum speed 75 miles per hour. I don’t think we were close to that.” She had no way of knowing if they had been or not. “Rate of climb, 400 feet per minute; stall speed, 45 miles per hour; endurance, 2 hours 18 minutes; service ceiling, 11,000 feet.” She scrunched her mouth sideways. “Am I forgetting anything? Wing span, 43 feet 7½ inches; height, 9 feet 10 5/8 inches; fuel capacity 26 gallons.” That should prove to him she knew enough to fly the Jenny even if she did learn it all from magazines and newspapers.
He stared openmouthed at her.
She tried not to smile at his surprise. “Tell me, do you prefer a tractor-style Jenny with the engine in the front or a pusher model with the engine behind you like the Maurice Farman?” When he still stared at her, stunned, saying nothing, she went on. “I don’t think I’ll ever fly a pusher. Too dangerous. Well, we have to be off. But we’ll be back tomorrow. And, Lieutenant, tomorrow I’ll be flying your Curtiss JN-4D.”
She sashayed away. That would give him something to think about overnight. She climbed into the Ford and drove off without so much as a glance back at him.
❧
Pete stared openedmouth at Lizzie’s retreating form. He’d watched her wave her arms and take in all there was to the flying experience. She’d even pulled the pins from the back of her hair and let it loose. She was the most surprising and complex doll he’d ever met. His gape turned to a smile. And he’d see her again tomorrow. He’d make sure he gave her more attention. But as far as her flying his aeroplane, that was out of the question.
❧
Lizzie drove as fast as she dared and stopped with a jerk in front of the post office. Daddy was standing on the sidewalk, glaring. Ivan scrambled over the seat into the back.
Daddy hobbled to the passenger door and opened it. He lifted his peg leg in and sat, then pulled his good leg in. “You better have a good explanation for being more than a half hour late.”
“I’m so sorry, Daddy.” She put the Ford into slow speed and jerked forward. Daddy glaring at her made her nervous. She usually drove very well. She was even considering teaching Ivan to drive. Daddy hadn’t consented to that yet, but Ivan was working on him and would soon have permission.
“So, why were you late?” Daddy was not going to let it go until he had a satisfactory answer.
And no answer she gave would be good enough.
“It was my fault.” Ivan leaned forward and poked his head between them. “I talked Lizz—Elizabeth into taking me up the canyon to go fishing.” He pulled the tip of his pole up to the front seat to prove his point. “It didn’t quite work out. I didn’t catch a thing.”
She was thankful for Ivan’s intervention. Daddy accepted his excuses more readily than hers. And it was true. Ivan had talked her into driving him up the canyon to fish, and she’d brought along a book to read.
Daddy crinkled up his nose and sniffed several times. “Smells like gasoline in here.”
“Bill let me pump the gasoline. I guess I must have spilled some,” Lizzie said, taking the blame for that one.
“That’s why women shouldn’t be allowed to do things like that. You just let Bill pump the gasoline from now on.”
She nodded, hoping nothing further would be said about today. Bill often let her pump her own gasoline. And she and Ivan had taken turns today pumping gas, spilling on occasion. If Daddy only knew how much she knew about engines and machinery, he’d have a fit. Between Bill and her late granddad, they’d taught her plenty. More than a lot of men knew.
That night after Daddy had gone to bed, Lizzie pulled out her Bleriot monoplane design sheets and unfolded them carefully on her bed. She just had to finish her aeroplane now. After being in the air, she couldn’t live the rest of her life trapped by gravity.
Three
Lizzie rose the next morning and cooked a breakfast of eggs, bacon, and flapjacks. Then she dressed in her best Sunday dress and went out to the Ford. When she’d told Lieutenant Garfield she’d return today, she’d forgotten about having church. Ivan was already sulking in the backseat.
“Don’t worry, Ivan. Daddy usually takes a good long nap Sunday afternoon. We can go over to the Johnsons’ field then. But only for a short bit.”
Ivan sat up straighter. “Do you think Pete will still give us free rides?”
“He might,” she whispered as Daddy came out of the house and struggled into the front seat.
Ivan was turning out to be Lizzie’s pal while still remaining on Daddy’s good side. Now that Lizzie was an adult of twenty, Daddy was holding more tightly to her than ever. He regularly lamented that he would shrivel up and die the day she married and left him. There would be no one to care for him.
She knew he wasn’t that bad off and her leaving wouldn’t likely be his demise, but the guilt he heaped on was still effective. If she ever did choose to marry, her husband would have to be willing to live with Daddy. But more likely, she would become an old maid caring for Daddy.
At church, Lizzie struggled to keep her mind on what Pastor Littleman was saying. Would Lieutenant Garfield still be at the field? Did he have enough people to keep him busy all morning? Or had he tired of waiting for them and left? Please, Lord, I know my request is selfish, but it’s not only for me but for Ivan, as well. Let the lieutenant still be giving rides.
She forced the ninety horsepower bi-plane from her thoughts and focused hard on the pastor’s words. He was talking about freedom. Something she longed for.
After church Lizzie made lunch, then busied herself with the dishes until Daddy announced that he was going to go lie down. She finished in the kitchen as quickly as possible, then went looking for Ivan. She couldn’t find him anywhere. When she went into her room, she found a pair of Ivan’s trousers on her bed. She’d asked him for them. She didn’t want to worry about a dress being indecent. She knew Daddy thought a woman wearing trousers was indecent, but she didn’t care. She needed them today, and Ivan had been more than happy to let her borrow a pair of his. He’d done it before.
If he’d left these here for her, he’d le
ft without her. That sneak.
She quickly changed and went outside. She was afraid if she started the Tin Lizzie, she’d wake Daddy. She could either walk or push the stupid thing away from the small farmhouse and start it down the road. She’d never tried pushing it without Ivan’s help. The lieutenant likely already had someone to fetch his gasoline, so she walked. She could pick wildflowers on her way home. But she’d better get home before Daddy woke and caught her in trousers.
She ran most of the way there but stopped by a maple tree showing the first hints of fall color at the edge of the field to catch her breath. She saw two automobiles but no bi-plane. Suddenly from over the trees in the orchard at the far end of the field flew the yellow Jenny. By the time the aeroplane landed, she’d joined her brother in the small group. “You left without me.”
Ivan shrugged, holding Fred. “I figured I’d come ahead to make sure Pete didn’t leave before you could get here.”
She put her hands on her hips. “Don’t give me that. You came for yourself.”
“I left you the trousers.”
She gave him a soft punch in the shoulder. “Thanks.”
The lieutenant jumped down, helped his passenger safely down, who looked like he was very glad to be back on the ground, then walked over to her. “It’s a pleasure, Lizzie. Ivan told me you were on your way.” He took her hand and kissed the back of it.
She took a deep breath, almost forgetting why she’d come. “Ivan was wondering if he could get another ride today, Lieutenant Garfield.” So that wasn’t exactly why she’d come, but if Ivan got a ride, she’d likely get one, too.
“Please call me Pete.”
“That’s rather bold.”
He took a step closer. “Everything I do is bold. Call me Pete, and I’ll take the boy up. And if you smile pretty for me, I just might take you up.”
“Can I pilot it this time. . .Pete?” She gave him a big smile.
