by H. P. Munro
Sensing Lily’s nervousness Eva sighed. “Are you as good as your daddy says you are?” she asked, looking at Lily’s reflection in the mirror.
Lily dropped her eyes to gaze at her hands toying with the last of her rags, her brown skin reddened at Eva’s question. Finally, she raised her eyes to find Eva still waiting on a response. She nodded quickly as if worried she would be accused of bragging.
“If your daddy thinks you are good enough, why on God’s great Earth would you be worrying about the opinion of that dead husband of yours, a man that lied almost every time he opened that mouth of his?”
“I don’t need a lecture on how stupid I was Eva,” Lily warned.
Eva tilted her head to the side and her expression softened, “I didn’t say you were stupid honey, what would be stupid is to let Henry’s words dictate to you now. Open the letter and you’ll know whether you’re good enough.”
Taking a deep breath Lily picked up the envelope and slipped her fingernail beneath the seal. She slid the folded letter out and with a final glance up at the mirror at Eva, who was smiling at her encouragingly while clutching her hands to her chest, she opened the paper up and started to read its contents.
Eva waited an excruciating couple of seconds before taking a step forward, trying to see beyond Lily to the paper.
“Well?”
Lily turned and gathered Eva into her arms, “They want to see me.”
Both women started to dance around yelling in celebration.
“Is it over?” a male voice yelled from outside the room.
“Is what over?” Eva asked testily, as the owner of the voice appeared in the doorway, scratching absently at his overnight growth of beard.
“The war. Is it over?” he asked again as he pulled his suspenders onto his shoulders with a snap.
Lily shook her head, “Sorry Eli. No, it’s not the end of the war.”
Eli gave a disappointed shake of his head, “Then what the hell has got you two hollering so early in the day.”
“It’s Lily,” Eva said proudly, her arm still around Lily’s waist. “She’s got an interview to go fly planes.”
***
Headquarters
Army Air Forces Flying Training Command
Fort Worth, Texas
April 1943
Dear Mrs McAllister,
It will be convenient with this headquarters for you to be granted an interview any day, Monday through Saturday, between 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.
This office is located in the Texas and Pacific Building, Room 1001. It is suggested that you bring your logbook and pilot's license at time of interview.
Yours very truly,
Jacqueline Cochran,
Director
Women’s Flying Training
Lily looked at the piece of paper again. Re-reading the words, a slow smile spread across her face. She folded the letter along its already worn crease lines, the damage betraying the number of times she had opened it to check that the content had not changed. She placed the letter back in the purse on her lap and watched the landscape change as she departed New York and traveled towards Texas. She let the noise of the train lull her as it beat its rhythm along the rail tracks, while half-listening to the chatter of the uniformed men sharing her carriage. Finally, she thought as the scenery swept by, finally I'm going to be doing something useful.
***
Sitting stiffly outside the office waiting to be called, Lily was dressed in her Sunday best. Her light blue suit, despite her best attempts to steam it in the bathroom at her hotel, was slightly crinkled from being in her small suitcase during her journey to Texas, her gloved hands toyed nervously with the handle on her purse.
“Mrs McAllister?” a woman said, looking up from the paper in her hand towards where Lily was sitting.
“Rivera,” Lily corrected. “It's Mrs Rivera,” she smiled as she stood up and shook the woman's outstretched hand.
The woman looked down at the paper and frowned, “I'm sorry…administrative error…come in.” She opened the office door and allowed Lily to enter first.
“So…tell me why you want to join the Women's Airforce Service Pilots?” the tall lean woman asked, as she sat down behind a large wooden desk, indicating Lily towards the chair opposite.
Lily swept her hand to arrange her skirt before she sat perched on the seat, her knees pressed tightly together, she swallowed nervously her hands still clutching the handle of her purse. She was thankful that she was wearing gloves despite the Texas heat, that way the director would not be able to see how white her knuckles were from her anxious grip. She reached a cautious hand up to her pillbox hat to check that it was still in place.
“I have been flying since I was able to walk and I want to serve my country Miss Cochran,” Lily answered, her voice unwavering despite the nerves. She gave each finger of her glove a gentle tug and slipped them off, before laying them neatly in her lap.
The director smiled and nodded in understanding, “You are married?” she asked gently, nodding towards the gold ring on Lily's finger. In these times, it always felt a dangerous question to ask. However asking questions was the point of these interviews.
“Widowed,” Lily responded, her jaw tightened slightly as she answered, “earlier this year.”
Deciding to move back onto safer ground Jackie looked at the credentials she had in front of her. “You have logged over two thousand hours in the air?” she looked up in surprise towards the young woman in front of her.
Lily gave her a slow smile. “Like I said I've been flying since I could walk,” she laughed. “My Dad co-owns a fixed base in Miami, so I've been around planes my whole life. I would have logged more but my air time was limited while I was away at school and then I got married.”
Jackie laughed, “You have a degree in music I see.”
“I majored in violin and was playing with the New York Philharmonic when I heard about what you were doing.” Lily could feel herself start to relax; her heart rate had slowed as her nerves started to disappear. “Miss Cochran,” she said growing in confidence, “I would relish the opportunity to use the talent that I was born within this service.”
Nodding, the older woman smiled, “I trust we're talking about your flying abilities and not your musical acumen?”
Lily frowned thinking she had made a mistake. Her nerves started to make an unwelcome reappearance.
“Yes, sorry. I meant flying,” she corrected, feeling flustered.
“Relax Mrs Rivera. I’m teasing,” Jackie laughed, her face almost immediately turning somber. “I am surprised that we haven’t seen someone with your experience before now, we’re on our ninth intake you know?” Her tone held just a hint of challenge in it.
“I’m aware of that. When I heard last year of what you were doing I wrote to my husband,” a touch of red appeared on Lily’s caramel skin as she recalled the memory. “He forbade me to join.”
“I am sorry for your loss, but I am glad that you reconsidered,” Jackie said kindly, smiling empathetically. “If you could ensure that you show my secretary your pilot's license, log book and papers, we'll be in contact.” She stood up and stretched her hand out over the desk, “Thank you again for taking the time to come Mrs. Rivera. It's been a pleasure meeting you.”
Feeling disappointed that her interview had been so short, Lily stood up to shake the older woman's hand. As she turned to leave she opened her mouth to plead her case further but closed it again as she lost confidence, before quietly uttering her thanks.
“Thank you Miss Cochran.”
Lily left the office and walked over towards the secretary's desk, pulling out her papers for verification. As she walked, she noticed that another woman now occupied the seat that she been sitting in. However, in stark contrast to Lily's stiff demeanor today, this woman was relaxed, her body language oozing the confidence that Lily so desperately desired. Even her hair, swept up into a fashionable victory roll at the front, fell into relaxed waves
of blonde curls, unlike Lily’s own tightly pinned brown locks. As Lily waited for her papers to be verified her eyes met with the blue eyes of the woman sitting waiting, they shared a smile of acknowledgement that both were here for the same reason. The blonde woman glanced towards where the secretary was jotting down information from Lily's license, raising her eyebrows conspiratorially towards Lily in recognition of the hoops that they were currently jumping through.
“Miss Richmond?” Jacqueline Cochran asked exiting her office in the same manner she had done only fifteen minutes previously to ask Lily to enter.
The blonde woman stood, smoothed her suit over her trim frame, and gave one last smile towards Lily who returned it with a smile of support and a slight nod. Lily watched as the blonde woman entered the office and closed the door, only snapping back to the moment when her papers were waved in front of her face. She retrieved them, thanked the secretary, and left the building squinting into the Texas sun as she pulled her gloves on. She released a long slow breath, “And now we wait.” She gave a half laugh as her stomach reminded her loudly that her nerves had made her forgo breakfast. Now that the tension had finally eased she set off in search of some lunch.
***
Helen Richmond walked into the office feeling her bravado from the outer office slip in the presence of the famous female aviator. “Miss Cochran, it is an honor and privilege to meet you,” she gushed. “I have long been an admirer of you... I mean of your achievements,” she corrected quickly.
“Well, thank you! Please come in and have a seat,” Jackie motioned to the seat opposite, smiling at her new interviewee. “I see that you have a varied amount of experience,” Jackie said her smile growing wider. “You’ve been based in Hollywood for a while doing stunt work, do you know Pancho?” she asked, referring to fellow aviator and one time stunt pilot Pancho Barnes.
Smiling, Helen nodded, “Our time didn’t coincide but I have met her, she is a force of nature.”
Jackie smiled an acknowledgment, “That she is.” Her smile wavered as she turned to the one issue that troubled her with Helen’s application, she hesitated uncertain whether to voice her reservation. The dilemma lasted seconds before she went ahead. “I am concerned that we won’t be able to satisfy your taste for risk and adventure Miss Richmond. We transfer aircraft and participate in training and we’re military trained,” Jackie cautioned.
Taking a deep breath Helen answered with as much passion as she could muster, “I have no desire towards risk or adventure Miss Cochran, I only wish to perform my duty, had it not been for family matters I would have been here last November pounding on your door.”
Jackie nodded, “I met your father in Washington before the war started. He was a remarkable man as well as a great General and his death was a loss to our nation.”
Helen swallowed hoping that she managed to hide her grief, despite the passage of time she still struggled to accept her father’s death.
“Thank you Ma’am, I appreciate that.”
Placing her palms on the desk Jackie pushed herself out of her chair. “Thank you for coming, I have enjoyed our chat,” she held her hand out for Helen to shake. “Provide my secretary with your logbook info on your way out and we will be in touch.”
Helen rose and shook the tall woman’s hand, “Thank you for meeting with me, I can assure you Miss Cochran that if you let me, I will give you all that I have.”
“Of that I’m in no doubt Miss Richmond, no doubt at all.”
Walking back into the main office Helen smiled absently at the woman now sitting waiting to go in, her mind flashing back to her earlier exchange with the woman with dark soulful eyes and caramel skin that had been interviewed before her. It had been a while since she had shown an interest in any woman and their brief exchange had both calmed her pre-interview nerves while creating an altogether different flutter in her stomach. She was intrigued to see the name of the woman who had sparked such a response in her. She handed her papers over and furtively looked over the secretary’s shoulder to look at the list. She smiled to herself as she spotted the name on the line above her own,
Liliana McAllister, she thought, I sincerely hope the song is correct and that we do meet again.
.
Chapter Two
July 1943 – Sweetwater, Texas
Lily stood across the street facing a large square building; it was nowhere near as tall as the buildings that she was accustomed to in New York but here in Sweetwater, Texas, the hotel was an imposing building in the small town's skyline.
Her purse hung loosely from her wrist as she tightened her grip on the handles of her suitcase and violin case. Taking a deep breath, and forcing her shoulders back, she walked towards the Bluebonnet Hotel. Entering, she felt the cool drafts of the ceiling fans take the edge off the searing Texan heat. She approached the empty desk and hit the service bell. A small grey-haired woman appeared.
“Welcome to Sweetwater,” she said in a lazy drawl.
“Thank you. I have a room booked for the night, Riviera?” Lily said putting her suitcase down at her feet and switching her violin case into her left hand.
The small woman appraised the young woman standing in the foyer, her lips pursed as she narrowed her eyes. “You one of those fly girls?” she asked.
A small smile crept onto Lily's face, the pride at being called a 'fly girl' and the excitement about what she was about to undertake unable to hide itself, “Yes Ma'am...yes I am.”
The receptionist sucked air through her teeth. “Thought so, can spot you lot a mile off with a squint. Well here's hoping I don't see you in a couple of weeks crying your heart out cause you got washed out,” she added as she pulled together paperwork for Lily to complete. She passed the form over with a pen and gave Lily another once over before turning to collect a room key from the rack behind her.
Lily stood contemplating the woman's words. She had never even thought about the possibility of being kicked out of the program. A feeling of self-doubt, which her acceptance and enthusiasm had kept at bay, started to seep in. She took the pen and filled in her details.
“Room sixteen. Dinners at six. Doors lock at nine. No bringing men back to the room,” the older woman recited absently as she took the paper and pen from Lily and handed her the key. She took a look at Lily’s luggage. “And don’t be playing that fiddle.”
Lily flashed a smile and, taking the key, picked up her bags before heading up the stairs towards her room for the night.
***
It was still dark when Lily awoke the next morning; her excitement robbing her of sleep that she suspected she would be lamenting later. The months since her interview with Miss Cochran had passed slowly for her. After the initial wave of activity, that included her medical and written test, it became a waiting game until she was informed of her acceptance onto the program and instructed to head to Sweetwater.
She was grateful for Henry’s insurance payment that meant she could pay for her travel to Texas and hotel stay while retaining their apartment in New York. She would be earning far less as a WASP than she could earn with her violin and that was before she paid for her room and board on the base. She smiled as she thought of Eva who was now no doubt claiming the larger bedroom in her absence. She had thought that she would never smile again when she received the telegram telling her of Henry’s death and the subsequent events that unfolded. Had it not been for Eva’s friendship and dogged determination to move into the home that Lily had shared with her husband. That prediction may have proved correct. The move had benefited both of them since, although small, Lily’s apartment in Greenwich was more comfortable than Eva’s in Harlem.
Standing and stretching out her stiff muscles, she grumbled that her body clock was still assuming she was keeping her usual pattern. After her hours with the orchestra, she would play with various nightclub bands, often arriving home as others started their day. Her nerves about the day she was about to face were starting to return along with concerns ab
out her abilities. All of her insecurities seemed to come out in the dark. She could hear Henry’s voice telling her that she was only playing with the orchestra as there weren’t enough male violin players because of the war; her stomach started its familiar roil.
She walked over to her violin case and opened it carefully. She reached in and caressed the smooth wood with her fingertips before lifting the violin reverently from its case, leaving the bow nestled in its slot. Placing the instrument beneath her chin her fingers started to dance silently across the strings, her empty right hand mimicking her smooth bowing action as she soothed herself with the only thing, other than flying, that she knew could calm any anxiety she felt. When she finished she felt better, stronger and more assured, she walked to the window, drew back the curtains and looked up at the night sky. From nowhere, Eva’s words about letting Henry still influence her emotions came to her.
She squared her shoulders and said defiantly towards the heavens, “Damn you to hell Henry McAllister, you will not dictate my life any longer!”
She nodded confidently towards the stars before slipping back into her bed and trying to reclaim any sleep that might come her way.
***
By zero seven hundred hours Lily was up and ready to join the muster point outside the hotel as her acceptance letter had instructed her. She paid her bill and walked out into the morning; the sun had started to warm the air but had not yet cast its glare down on the town. Instead, a cool breeze blew which caused dust from the road to dance along the sidewalk.