Morning came slowly and she was up before Crik’s rooster crowed. Liddy had the blue-gray suit laid out and her small suitcase had been packed for a week. Once she was washed, dressed and fed, Liddy sat at the table feeling lost for the first time in her life. A knock on the little door sent a twitch up her spine. It was Daniel who had come to ride along when Crik drove Liddy to the station.
“You ready to go?” His eyes were red and he had his hands shoved deep in his pockets, which rounded his shoulders.
“Ready, Ace!” Liddy picked up her suitcase and stepped outside.
“Is that all you’re bringing?” Daniel looked at what Liddy was carrying as she stepped down from the trailer. “When Celia went to Kansas City to visit her sister for a week, I hauled three suitcases to the station.”
“Guess that’s why she always looks so pretty. You’re a lucky guy, Daniel Cooper.”
Daniel looked sideways with a little boy smile and his face reddened to match his eyes.
“One suitcase is all I’m allowed. Besides I don’t think I’m going to need much where I’m going.”
Traveling to the train, a truth filled the truck cab. A beginning was about to bring an end. Liddy’s life—all of their lives—were setting themselves to change, and none of them liked it. The talk was labored and finally they gave up altogether and sat in silence for the remainder of the drive. When they pulled up in front of the depot deck, Daniel hopped out to get Liddy’s suitcase from the bed of the truck.
“Take it easy on Daniel. He’s not ready for loops.”
“Crowds are gettin’ thinner. I’ll be closin’ down for awhile, ‘till you go end this war.”
“Yeah, I’ll get right on that,” Liddy joked. “I’ll write. Make sure Daddy hears my letters, okay?”
Crik patted Liddy’s cheek with the back of his hand. “You look real nice, honey. Seen you in a dress two days in a row now, can’t remember the last time before that.” Crik searched his memory. “It was the St. Patrick’s Dance over in Shelby, since you proved you had legs I think. Your mama would be real proud. You look more like her dressed like that.”
Liddy smoothed the fabric of her skirt. “Well I don’t think it’s gonna last. I don’t expect to see this suit for months once I take it off.” She looked at Crik and tipped her head. “Do I look like Mama, Crik?”
“I think so.”
“You remember what she looks like then?”
“Oh yeah, I remember.”
“How come you’ve never told me that before, that I look like her?”
“No reason. Just didn’t come up.”
Liddy studied his face for a moment. When she saw the moisture rise in his eyes, she kissed him on the cheek and climbed out of the truck. Daniel handed her the suitcase. His cheeks shined where he had been wiping away his tears, and his eyes pooled with the next pour.
“Look after Crik, Danny Boy. Make sure he keeps busy.”
“Alright, I will.” Daniel used the cuff of his flannel shirt to soak up the tears that were blurring his vision. “Liddy, be careful. No crazy stuff.”
“Why, Daniel, have you no confidence in me at all?”
“Sheer confidence, that’s what worries me.”
Liddy didn’t wait for the whistle. She squeezed and kissed the men and turned to board the train. When she hit the second rung of the steps, she stopped for a moment, then took the next two and entered the car without looking back.
Chapter Six
Inside the train, Liddy stood at the end of the aisle and looked for the empty seats. She surveyed her choice of traveling companions: an elderly couple, three very proper middle-aged ladies (definitely not) and a petite redhead who was intently reading Wings Over America.
Liddy strolled up the walkway and plopped down across from the unsuspecting fly girl. “Long ride to Sweetwater, should know each other pretty well by then.”
A chewed nub of a fingernail shot up to the woman’s mouth and the nail, what was left of it, clicked between her teeth as she bit at it. She puzzled over Liddy’s omniscience. How did this woman know where she was going?
Liddy motioned to the book and leaned back to take a long look at her traveling mate. Red ringlets bounced like springs on the top of her head. Her tailored suit matched her navy blue eyes that had a cat-like slant. Her skin was cream-ware white and matched her blouse. How patriotic, Liddy mused to herself.
“Oh, of course, the book. For a moment I thought my parents had sent a chaperone after me.” The young lady grinned, relaxed and held out her hand to Liddy. “I’m Betsy Bailey. Bet, call me Bet, okay?”
“Okay, Bet it is.” Liddy rocked Bet’s hand side to side like a swinging hammock. “I’m Liddy Hall.” Liddy slipped out of her jacket and folded it over her arms. “Call me Liddy.”
“Okay.” Bet tilted her head like a confused pup. “You’re kidding.”
“Yes, I’m kidding.”
“How long have you been flying?” Bet scooted her bottom to lean back on the seat and her feet dangled above the floor.
“My dad said I flew out of the pumpkin patch. Thought I was flying the first time he took me up. I’m not really sure when it was actually me in control, I guess.” Liddy smiled at the fact.
“Is he an Army pilot, your dad?”
“No, he was infantry in the first war. Army pilots take a written test—my dad couldn’t.”
Bet’s blue eyes fluttered and she shifted uncomfortably. She picked up the book in her lap and asked, “Ever read it?”
“I can read if that’s what you’re asking?” Liddy said with a tease of sarcasm.
“No, I was just—”
“Changing the subject, I know. Look, everyone that flies in our county, the state maybe, was taught by my father or by someone who learned from him. He was taking up experiments when he was just a kid. He’s jumped off some pretty high places with some strange things strapped to his back. And he’s sat in contraptions that would never be recognized as an airplane today. If someone had an idea, my dad was there to help them test it. I’m proud of him.” Liddy set her suitcase on its side between the two seats, pushing half of it under Bet’s feet, and propped her own on her side.
“Thanks,” Bet smiled and pinched her hands between her knees as she rested her feet on the case.
“Now back to your question, Miss Bailey. It is Miss, isn’t it? You don’t have a hubby and pack of children you’ve run off and left, do you?”
“No, I’m not married.” Bet looked sideways at Liddy. “That was a joke.”
“Yes it was.” Liddy kicked off her shoes and swung her feet under her skirt. “You’re catching on fast, Bailey. Again back to your question. No, the answer is no, I haven’t read…” Liddy grabbed the book from Bet and ran her finger past the title, “… Wings Over America, The Inside Story of American Aviation. All those book ideas about flying, kind of takes the fun out of it.” She tossed the book back to Bet. “So when’d you take to the blue, Bet Bailey?”
“College, just last year. My parents weren’t too keen on the idea.” Bet blew a red curl away from her eye and tucked the book between the seat and the wall. “So I used my clothes allowance to pay for flight time.”
“That’s some clothes allowance. And who needs clothes anyway?” Liddy tossed her jacket and let it fall on the seat.
“Well, I have plenty, but my mother can’t bear the thought of her only daughter wearing anything out of season.”
Bet’s shoulders relaxed as the two women settled into a comfortable rhythm. She was full of questions. So much so, that she’d ask one before Liddy was able to finish responding to the previous two or three. And her questions of Liddy spun into her own experiences and ideas. It was quite a trail of words. She also let Liddy in on a huge collection of observations about the people she knew and the places she’d been. Bet led her on a tour from coast to coast and across three continents. For such a young gal, she had been around.