Chapter Fifteen
19
th
December 1944
The winter evening sun was starting to set in the distance as Helen neared their destination.
“Tower, this is Army 344780. Permission to land?” the radio cackled while she waited for a response.
“Army 347780, this is tower. Can you confirm the highest rank on board?”
Helen turned to Stewie the engineer accompanying her on the trip to pick up a part for a bomber. Stewie shrugged in reply.
Being a WASP Helen had no rank; she quickly checked the engineer's rank insignia and called back to the tower, “Army 347780. Corporal. Over.”
“Can you repeat?”
Frowning Helen repeated the message into the radio.
“Permission granted. Proceed to landing. Over.”
Helen set the plane down and taxied to the position that the tower directed her to. She completed her flight checks quickly and shut the engines down. She and Stewie jumped out of the small UC-78 utility plane onto the tarmac.
Helen turned to close the door and looked quizzically at Stewie at the sound of approaching sirens. They were walking away from the plane towards the base when cars and Jeeps screeched to a halt around them halting their progress.
“Put your hands on your heads,” a voice yelled from behind an open door of a Jeep.
Helen and Stewie exchanged worried glances before slowly raising their hands up complying with the order as far as their winter flying gear would allow.
“Is there a problem?” Stewie asked, his eyes scanning the number of guns currently trained on him and the small WASP pilot to his right.
“We have reason to believe that you are flying a stolen plane,” the disembodied voice informed them as hands grabbed them from behind; their hands were roughly dragged from their heads and handcuffed behind their back.
The military policemen that cuffed Helen shouted over her head to the officer in charge. “This one’s female, Sir.”
“You sure?”
Helen gritted her teeth, her jaw tensing at the ridiculousness of the situation. “If he's not sure, I sure as hell am,” she shouted in the direction of the query.
Two hours later after repeated questioning the military police weren't getting anywhere, both detainees were consistent with their stories. They had thrown Helen and Stewie into separate cells to wait while they called the Dodge base to check out their story. Helen folded up her heavy leather jacket into a makeshift pillow, lay down on the small bed, and waited for them to come back. Automatically, when not thinking about flying, Helen's mind would settle on her other favorite thing in life... Liliana.
Her lips curled into a smile as her mind conjured up an image of her lover. She hoped that their conversation during the summer had done enough to convince Lily that they had a future together, unable to discuss it openly it in their letters was proving frustrating, and with more and more victories announced on the radio, it started to feel like the war was going to be ending sooner rather than later. Greece, and Albania, had been reclaimed during the previous two months and Helen wondered whether their future may be closer than either she or Lily were prepared for. Her thoughts drifted to their impeding leave over Christmas, which she hoped would allow them to spend time to discuss what their future together would look like.
The door to the cell opened and a rather sheepish looking military policeman cleared his throat, “So we've spoken to Major Chiswell and it appeared that your story checks out. We're sorry and if it’s any consolation he’s just chewed our asses off for arresting you both.”
Helen raised an unimpressed eyebrow at him, “Why on Earth did you think we'd stolen the plane?”
“Corporal is a low rank to be the highest on a plane. Tower thought it was either stolen or hijacked,” the young officer shrugged inspecting the cell keys in great detail.
Standing Helen swept up her flight jacket. “So can we get our part and go now?” she asked walking out of the cell into the hall where Stewie was waiting on her, a look of relief on his face.
“Sure…we just need to complete some paperwork and you're both free to go. However, you may want to stay tonight and fly back tomorrow. There's a storm coming in.”
Helen rolled her eyes and followed the man towards the office.
***
“Home, sweet, home,” Stewie sang as Helen taxied the plane back into the base. “Never thought I'd be relieved to be back here.”
Helen gave him a quick grin, “Me neither!” she switched off the engine and waved to Matty who was standing on the line waiting on her.
“Well if it isn't Bonny and Clyde!” Matty shouted as Stewie and Helen walked back from the plane. “Rumor has it that Chiswell asked them to keep you Hollywood but after only one night they said you were too much trouble.”
Helen stuck her tongue out at her friend and thrust her parachute into her arms, pushing the her friend back onto her heels.
“Very funny Matty, tell me again about the rampaging cows that were out to get you?” Helen smirked referring to Matty's emergency landing of the previous month; where she had landed in a farmer's field, only to find it full of his dairy herd, which were rather inquisitive at the new addition to their grazing patch. Being a city girl Matty wasn't used to animals of this size and immediately took to her heels in panic, with the herd in tow, she had thrown herself over the fence and had landed at the farmer’s feet much to his amusement.
“Funny, for a fugitive,” Matty muttered as she followed Helen into the ready room.
“Gordon, Richmond the Major wants to see you both, his office ASAP,” Lewis' voice filled the room.
Matty looked at Helen confused, “I get why he wants to see you, but what did I do?”
***
Lily landed in Romulus Base; she had been excited when she had seen the entry on the flight roster for a delivery of an AT-11 Kansan to the Michigan Base and had swapped with Rita for the duty. A trip to Romulus meant she could catch up with Adrienne, even if it was for only an hour or two before she made the return journey in a Bobcat.
Adrienne was waiting huddled in her winter flying gear for Lily to climb down from the plane, As she jumped down Lily noticed the look on her friend’s face.
“Hey Red, what's up?” she asked hugging Adrienne tightly.
Adrienne blinked back tears and held out a piece of paper, “It's over.”
“What do you mean, it's over?” Lily asked confused taking the paper, she looked down and started to read the orders that Adrienne had passed her.
Her eyes scanned the order. The words ‘
No longer needed
,’ and ‘
Program to be inactivated immediately and all WASP be released immediately,
’ leapt off the page at her. She looked back at Adrienne her mouth open in shock.
“It's over,” she repeated, her tone full of resignation.
Adrienne nodded dumbly, choking back tears.
***
Helen and Matty walked back out of the major's office; trying desperately to mask the bubbling emotion of disbelief and disappointment that their service had ended. Lewis waved at them as they passed.
“Hey you two, hurry up! We've got a full schedule of flights planned today.”
Shaking her head, Helen yelled back, “You're going to have to get someone else, we've been deactivated.”
“What?” Lewis shouted. “Who the hell is going to fly these planes?” he asked gesturing around him.
“Not our problem,” Matty managed to get out, her hand immediately going to her mouth to cover her trembling lip. “We're demobbed,” she squeaked.
Helen put a comforting arm around her shoulder, “You'll have to get one of your pilots to take them up.”
Looking around him at the empty hangar Lewis held his hands up, “Can you see them? ‘Cause I sure as hell can't.” He thumped his hands back down against his thighs and stormed off to speak to the major.
“So what now?” Matty asked as they walked back to the nurses’ quarters, arm in arm.
Helen took a deep breath, “Now we get on with the rest of our lives.”
***
“I'm sorry what do you mean I can't get back to Vegas?” Lily asked the base flight coordinator.
“We don't have a delivery going out there now for another couple of days and you can't fly yourself back as you're no longer authorized to fly military aircraft,” he shrugged.
Lily huffed trying to control the anger that was rising in her, “So what am I supposed to do, all my stuff is in Vegas and I'm here?”
“You can either wait for the delivery flight and we'll let you ride along on that, or you make your own way back,” he said uninterested, snapping closed the folder and turning away from the woman whose face was starting to flush with rage.
“Fine,” Lily seethed and stormed out of the office, running into Adrienne.
“Whoa,” Adrienne said taking in Lily's demeanor. “Not good news then?”
Lily took several breaths so that she didn't release her rage on her friend, “I can either pay my own way back to Vegas or wait two days to get a delivery flight back down.”
Adrienne shook her head, “What a crock.”
Laughing at her friend's description, Lily growled and shook her head, “Yes it is, so I guess I have to wait. Any ideas on how I can entertain myself for two days?”
Adrienne looped her arm through Lily's. “About a hundred and almost all of them are legal,” she ginned, starting to run pulling Lily with her.
***
Helen hugged Matty. “You stay in touch,” she demanded.
“I will! You too,” Matty replied, fighting back tears as she picked up her case and stepped up onto the train.
Helen stood on the platform, rolling her neck trying to release the tension that had been there since the previous day when their orders had come through. She had tried to contact Lily by phone but the girl that had answered in Vegas said that she was on a delivery flight and would not disclose where. Helen had no idea where Lily was when demobbed.
The guard blew his whistle and the train’s pistons started to move back, and forth, forcing the crank and connecting rod to move, the wheels started to turn slowly and the train belched into life with smoke billowing from the chimney up front. Matty pushed the window down on the door and stuck her head out, shouting over the noise of the departing train.
“Hey, Pocket Rocket. Happy landings!” she waved her hand madly then ducked back into the train.
Helen waved in response waiting until the train was in the distance before leaving the station.
***
Lily entered her bunkhouse, both Rita and Sadie's lockers were empty, and their beds stripped. She let her head fall forward in disappointment it would appear that her delayed return meant that she'd missed both their departures. A note signed by both of them had been placed neatly on her pillow.
Hey L
Sorry we couldn't hang around, but we got the opportunity to get a lift north by an officer going on leave…couldn't pass up the opportunity of a free ride (especially since the Army won't pay for our trip home!)
Keep in contact and best wishes for the future.
Rita and Sadie
P.S. Your friend Helen called the base…she left a message said you'd know what it meant…IWU?
***
Throwing her duffle bag over her shoulder, Lily took a meandering route to the main gate of the base. It felt odd to be walking through the flight line for the final time and to be dressed in civilian clothes. She said a silent goodbye to the planes sitting gleaming proudly in the winter sun, before checking her watch. The base commander generously had offered to pay a cab to take her to the station where she would catch a train to New York. She had tried to get hold of Helen when she had returned but had been told that the she had left Dodge and they didn't know where she headed. As Lily walked towards the guardhouse, the guard on duty saluted her.
“You don't need to salute me Dan,” she said lifting her violin case. “I'm just a musician now.”
“No Ma'am, you'll never
just
be anything,” Dan smiled. “Your ride’s here,” he added noting her departure down on his clipboard.
“Thank you,” Lily said smiling towards Dan as she walked around the guardhouse. “Take care of yourself, and your…” she stopped mid-sentence as she turned her head round. “Loved ones,” she said absently, her eyes never leaving the figure leaning cross-legged against a red motorcycle.
Helen sat opposite the gate of the base, dressed in blue jeans and a white t-shirt, Aviators blocking out the Nevada sun.
“Thought you might need a ride,” she shouted, standing up and indicating towards the bike.
Lily walked forward, dumped her belongings onto the dusty road in front of Helen, and pulled her into a hug.
“I do,” she eyed the motorcycle over Helen’s shoulder, “and the first thing we're doing is buying a car.”
“What!” Helen protested, pulling from Lily’s embrace. She bent down and picked up Lily’s suitcase, “You don’t love my ‘cycle?” she asked, tying the case to the back of the bike.
“I love you and your ‘cycle, what I don’t love is how I can’t feel my ass after twenty minutes,” Lily grinned, happy to be with Helen again.
Helen threw her leg over the bike and settled onto the seat, “If you want I can feel your ass for you in twenty minutes, save you the bother?”
Lily laughed as she picked up her violin case and mounted the bike. “I will take you up on that offer,” she whispered in Helen’s ear, smiling at the shiver that went through the blonde-haired woman’s body. She wrapped one arm around Helen’s middle and relaxed her other arm with her violin case at her side.
Smiling, Helen started the engine, she was about to pull on the throttle when the familiar sound of a bomber drowned out the motorcycle’s engine. They sat in silence watching as the bomber flew overhead towards the runway.
“Can you believe you flew those?” Helen asked her eyes still on the now empty sky.