“Not married,” she repeated sadly. “As for flying, when I was sixteen my father was hosting a benefit dinner for one of his charities and one of the guests was Amelia Earhart. I heard her talk about flying and I was hooked. I begged him for lessons and within a month I had my license,” she laughed as a barrage of questions about her meeting Amelia Earhart were fired her way. Patiently she answered her star stuck bay mate’s questions, until finally they ran out of queries. Adrienne turned in her bed to face towards the woman in the bed next to her, “Marjorie?”
Marjorie raised her head up from her pillow. “I'm married to Daniel; he's a doctor and is out in the Pacific and my first…” she looked over towards her sister. “Well I guess our first flying,” she clarified with a sly smile. “When we were kids we stayed near a base and we would both run out anytime we heard a plane going over. There was just something about the sound of the engine.”
She and Lucy shared a grin as Lucy took over the story.
“We both got onto the Civilian Pilot Training Program while at college and got our licenses through that, so I guess compared to the Addies here,” she smiled towards Adrienne and Adele, “we're late bloomers.”
Adrienne groaned and picked up her pillow and tossed it in Lucy's direction. “You just know that name is going to stick!” she grimaced towards Adele who laughed in response.
Lucy laughed and tossed the pillow back, “I'm married to Peter; he's also a doctor and is serving with Daniel in the Pacific.”
“Please tell me that your other first times aren't as linked as your husbands and flying experience,” Adrienne grinned as she tucked her pillow back under her arm and turned her attention towards Lily. “So, our two quiet ones! What're your stories?”
Lily's eyes widened. “I, um, I'm not married,” she said hesitantly. “And my first time was when I was twelve. Flying that is,” she added as she noted the raised eyebrows from Adrienne. “My dad owns a base so I grew up around planes, he took me up on his lap when I was four and I was hooked,” she smiled fondly as she thought about her father and the others at the base in Florida. “And up until a few weeks ago I played violin for the New York Philharmonic. Just in case you were worried by the violin case. It's not for show, I can actually play it.”
Helen frowned during Lily’s speech, as she listened she looked closely at Lily's left hand which bore the telltale indent on her ring finger. She could have sworn that Lily had been wearing a wedding ring when she had seen her at the interview and the paper work that she had seen, when completing her own, had her name listed as McAllister.
“So, hey, Richmond just you,” Adrienne called, stopping Helen's musings.
“Oh yeah, um, not married, never will,” Helen nodded to emphasize her words. “I was about seven when my father took me and my brother to see a barnstormer near where he was based.” She took a deep breath as her mind flashed up the image of her father and brother’s smiles that day, “We basically lived on Army Air Corp bases our entire life without blinking twice at a plane and then after that one afternoon that was it for us, we both talked nonstop about planes and flying. We drove my father insane!” She giggled and shook her head at the recollection. “My father refused to teach us but agreed to my brother getting lessons when he turned sixteen. I tagged along and begged the instructor to teach me. I worked after school washing planes and doing any bit of work they would throw my way just to get them to teach me, I got my license after around a year. I wanted to fly so I did chores for money and saved every dime I got until I could afford to buy an old wreck of a 1929 Travel Air, got the old girl going, and then started off barn storming and offering rides,” she shrugged as she finished her introduction, realizing she had shared more than she intended. “I worked my way across the country until I hit water. I stopped in Hollywood and have been flying stunt planes there ever since.” She focused her gaze on her pillow, “Then my father was killed in the Pacific last year and I wanted to do, no, I
needed
to do something.”
Lily reached over and gave Helen's arm a sympathetic rub. The blonde looked up and smiled gratefully.
Eager to break the atmosphere that had settled in their small bay, Adele turned onto her side and looked at Helen, “And the other first time?”
Helen hooted with laughter, “Definitely not for first night discussion.”
The sadness evaporated from Helen and conversation started to flow seamlessly between the six women. They were shocked when, in the middle of an in-depth discussion about the films that Helen had flown in, the lights suddenly went out in their bay and they could hear the sound of a bugle playing the mournful tones of Taps.
“Well ladies I guess that is that,” Adele murmured in the darkness. “I s'pose I'll be seein' y'all in the morning.”
They muttered good nights to each other and settled down for their first night’s sleep in strange surroundings.
Chapter Four
Helen heard the first notes from the bugle playing reveille. It had only started the repeat when she was out of her cot and in the bathroom to brush her teeth. She used her flannel to wipe the remnants of sleep from her face and freshen up before returning to the living quarters. Her bay mates were in various states of consciousness; apart from Lily who was still blissfully asleep on her front, with one arm and leg draped over the side of the bed, brushing the floor.
Helen went to her locker and pulled out a white shirt and shorts. She changed quickly, pulling her zoot suit onto her lower half and secured it with the canvas belt, leaving the body and arms flapping at her backside.
Adrienne mumbled a good morning as she padded past her towards the bathroom, wash bag in hand with Marjorie, Lucy and Adele following like goslings behind their mother.
Making her bed and tucking the blankets into the corners Helen fell naturally into a long forgotten habit. She realized the benefit of being a military baby, she had been conditioned to be up, 'As soon as the bugle player wets his lips' as her father drummed into her. She ran a hand through her short blonde curls and surveyed her handiwork.
Yup
, she thought.
The General would be proud
. She smiled to herself as she raised her eyes from her neatly made bed towards the explosion of blankets and limbs in the bed next to her. Guiltily she allowed her eyes to trail up Lily's exposed leg, appreciating the tanned shapely calf and view of her thigh thanks to Lily's shorts having ridden up during her sleep. She smiled as Lily continued to sleep deeply, soft, snores coming from the pillow that her face was partly submerged in.
“Lily,” she called walking around her cot to stand beside Lily's bed. “Lily, wake up.”
She gingerly tapped the sleeping woman's shoulder.
Getting no response she shook her gently, “Lily, it's time to get up.”
She chewed on her lip wondering what tactic to take next in order to wake the woman who would seemingly sleep through a tornado. She was about to give Lily another shake when Adrienne returned.
“What gives?” she asked noticing Helen hovering above Lily's bed.
“I can't wake her,” Helen replied indicating down towards the still sleeping Lily.
Adrienne deposited her wash bag on her bed.
“Let me try, my brother Cameron would never get up when we were at home. So I'm pretty good at this.”
As she walked back over she hooked Adele's pillow from her vacated bed, swung it above her head and smacked Lily square on the head.
“What the…!” Lily yelled as she sprang up on her arms blinking her eyes, desperately trying to focus. She looked up towards a wide-eyed Helen who simply raised a hand and pointed behind her. Turning, her eyes focused on Adrienne who was standing still holding the pillow, a smug smile on her face.
“Told you, never failed me yet. Morning, sleeping beauty,” she added, tossing the pillow back onto Adele's unmade bed and sauntering back towards her own area to get ready.
“That's no way to wake someone,” Lily grumbled pulling herself up into sitting position facing Helen and stretching out the kinks that the small sprung bed had put into her back and shoulders.
Helen felt her face flush as Lily's stretching accentuated her breasts. Standing, Lily sleepily pulled the legs of her bed shorts down from where her sleeping position had pushed them.
“Morning Helen,” she mumbled, her mouth dropped open as she took in the neat bed beside her.
“You're dressed and your bed is made!” Lily said astonished, rubbing at her still sleepy eyes with the heel of her hand.
“How long did I sleep in?”
“Not too long.” Helen replied. “You go freshen up and I'll take care of your bed,” she offered, reaching down to the floor to retrieve the blankets from Lily's bed.
Lily flashed a grateful smile. “Thank you, I'm not much of a morning person,” she admitted, pulling her things from her locker and passing the others as they left the bathroom. By the time she'd returned from the bathroom washed and dressed, Bay Four was ready for the day; Helen was just finishing mopping the floor, wringing out the mop into the bucket which Adele took outside and poured into the dirt. As she returned they heard Foster's voice ringing out along the bays.
“Fall in.”
Quickly putting her wash bag back in her locker Lily pulled her shoes on and ran along with the rest of the bay to line up outside, zipping her zoot suit as she ran.
***
“Someone from Bay Two washed out,” Adele said as she placed her mess tray down and sat beside her bay mates.
“Already?” Marjorie asked surprised. “But we've not even been near a plane.”
Adele shrugged as she tucked into her breakfast, “Something showed up in the eye test.”
The other women looked at each other in silence each thinking the same thing -
Now it was real.
Lily looked over at Helen and gave her a hesitant smile, “Thank you again for earlier.”
Helen raised her attention from her oatmeal, “You're welcome. So when you say you're not a morning person. You mean you're
really
not a morning person.”
Laughing Lily shook her head, “Not that early, no. Being a musician you keep odd hours, it's more likely getting in at dawn, not usually getting up,” she smiled broadly. “So you're a morning person then?”
Helen scrunched her face up. “I never thought I was, but growing up on bases with my father means I'm conditioned to either sleep or wake depending on what the bugle is playing,” she grinned.
“Ladies!” Foster's voice captured the mess hall’s attention. “This morning you will be allowed to go into Sweetwater, the General Store should be able to cater for all your clothing and shoe,” she looked pointedly at Adrienne, “requirements. On the notice boards there is a list of the items you will need, remember your ration books.”
Foster raised her voice over the low rumble of the women starting to talk excitedly amongst themselves.
“The truck will be leaving at nine am, those of you that drove yourself here are permitted to take your own vehicle into town. You should be back on base by twelve noon.”
Foster took a breath to sustain her voice for the final set of instructions, “Your first class today is navigation you will be lined up outside the mess hall ready to go to Ground School in thirty minutes, remember to clean your trays away.”
***
“It’s eight forty five an' ma head is thumping!” Adele groaned as they returned to the bay to change out of their zoot suits and into civilian clothing for their trip into town.
“Navigation class at seven thirty in the morning will do that to you,” Lucy commiserated, pulling her arms from her overalls.
Marjorie pulled her suitcase out from under her bed. “I'm not sure I know which way is up or down anymore,” she shrugged, opening the latches to select something to wear. “I'm driving into town if anyone wants a lift,” she added absently as she rummaged through her suitcase.
Adrienne's head shot up. “Oh God yes,” she replied. “My ass still hasn't recovered from the ride here,” she moaned as she slipped on her blouse.
“Me too!” Adele added waving a hand in the air.
“That would be lovely,” Lily smiled gratefully, buttoning up the small buttons on her floral print dress.
Helen sat on the edge of her cot as she pulled on a pair of blue pants, “Thanks for the offer, but I'm going to take my motorcycle.”
“It was you!” Adrienne exclaimed. “You passed us yesterday like a... Adele, how did you describe it?” she asked turning to the smaller woman.
“Like a bat out of hell with a rattlesnake up her ass,” Adele grinned.
Blushing slightly as she fastened the button on her trousers Helen smiled, “That would be me.”
As the others returned their attention to getting ready, Lily perched on her bed. With her hands tucked under her thighs and her shoulders nearly touching her ears, she quietly asked a question of Helen. “What does it feel like?”
Helen grinned, “As close to flying without leaving the ground, I'll take you out on it sometime.” She nodded encouragingly towards Lily, whose eyes widened in excitement.
“I'd like that.”
“We all set ladies?” Marjorie asked slipping her shoes on. “We have shopping to do.”
***
They wandered slowly around the small general store assessing the range of goods on offer that could be of use for their 'informal' uniform.
“Anything we don't got, we can order fer ye,” the owner drawled in a smooth Texan tone before smiling at the throng of young women edging round his small shop.
“Aren't you going to get a spare shirt?” Marjorie asked Adele as they picked up the white shirts that formed part of the uniform. “Otherwise you're going to be constantly doing laundry,” she remarked, lifting another shirt in her size.
Adele's cheeks flushed as she ducked her head slightly towards Marjorie, “I just plain can't afford it,” she admitted. “I'm gonna have hands like an ol' woman by the time we graduate.”
She laughed as they walked to collect their whipcord slacks. Adrienne moved into the space they created and checked the sizes of the shirts before tucking five of them under her arm. Aware of being behind the others she moved briskly to catch up with them in selecting her pants.