“John, what happened between you and your son? He just up and disappeared. What kind of father were you? Did God hand him twenty dollar bills, too? Were you jealous of his successes? What else could explain his need to get away?” asked Bill, suddenly contemplating what might have happened had they all eaten their crew meals. He wondered if it was a setup--killing the pilots and thus allowing his father to step in and become a hero. His mind swirled.
“He’s not my son,” blurted John.
“What?” asked Bill, snapping back from his thoughts and unsure about what he’d heard.
“Kenneth is your father’s son. He’s your half brother,” said John.
“You’re a liar, John! You’re a fool and a damn liar! How dare you drag my father’s good name down into the dirt with you and your kind. My dad was an upstanding man, and I won’t have you dishonor him with your filthy lies!” yelled Bill, with far more emotion than he expected.
“I’m sorry, Bill, but it’s the truth.”
Bill wanted to scream his head off, but he simply could not force the words to come out. He found he was again seething with anger, so much so that he temporarily forgot about his grandkids and all thoughts about someone trying to kill him.
John pulled up his knees and tried to force his head back to help stop the bleeding. He groaned, but refrained from speaking. He then shook his head back and forth in the dirt, ashamed of himself and the person he’d become. He suddenly realized that he never once paid any attention to the words he’d spouted out so freely to others. Though he always loved Liesel with every ounce of his being, he knew his love for her changed the day that he learned the truth about Kenneth. For the first time in his life, John could clearly see that he’d allowed himself to be consumed by the negative. He’d spent a lifetime being angry at the world. He’d been existing in a life that he long-felt he didn’t belong in; seeing himself as an outcast: alone.
John struggled to get up from the ground. Lynn reached over and helped him, handing him a towel to cover his nose. As he stood, he looked deep into Lynn’s eyes. Neither spoke. A long moment later, John finally understood.
“You’re right, of course. I was given much, but blinded by what was taken away,” said John. Then turning from Lynn, he looked at Bill and said, “Your father was indeed an honorable man. He tried to look the other way, but I really messed up. If I hadn’t been such a fool, I would have double checked my altimeter conversion. I don’t know why I didn’t. I blamed him, but it really was my fault. I’ve been an arrogant ass. What a waste. I got what I deserved. Your father was one of the best aviators I’ve ever had the pleasure of flying with. The only man I have ever met who was a better pilot, I’m looking at right now. But the truth is, my old friend, he did have an affair with Liesel.”
Bill was about to object, but John cut him off.
“Bill, please, hear me out. I have no reason to lie. Liesel and I had been dating for only a short time. I was deeply in love and thought she felt the same. I think she did, but maybe not quite as deeply as me. She was the only person who ever made me happy. So when she started talking about marriage after only a few weeks, I was on cloud nine. But, looking back, I think it’s because Liesel knew. Yes, your dad cheated on your mom. I’m sorry, but it’s true. Liesel discovered she was pregnant before we were married and let me believe for a long time that the baby was mine. I don’t know, perhaps she wanted to tell me, but I never gave her a chance. I always believed Kenneth was mine; I had no reason not to. I raised him as my own. But when Kenneth was away at college, Liesel had a scare. She thought she might have cancer and wanted to reconcile her life, end the lies. I flew into a rage. It was the only time that I have ever struck a woman.” John then paused for a moment, remembering.
*
“You whore! You filthy whore!” roared John.
“Please, John, please,” cried Liesel.
“How many hundreds of men have you been with? Have you slept with all the pilots on the Pan Am seniority list?” he bellowed.
“John, please don’t,” she mumbled through the tears.
“You disgust me! Do you know that? I can’t stand to look at you!”
“I tried to tell you, John.”
“Stop the lies,” he barked, his voice nearly hoarse.
“I’m not lying. I’ve told you everything.”
“Bitch!” he shouted. Then, with the back of his hand, he slapped his wife across the face, sending her to the floor.
*
Tears appeared in the corner of his eyes as he recalled staring down at his wife, writhing on the floor in pain. Within days, he began drinking to help fill the emptiness inside. It was his ever-faithful wife who eventually convinced him to stop. He winced, seeing himself as the ogre he’d been.
It took a little while for John to regain his composure. “It was a horrible period, and I struggled to stay in the marriage. When it came down to it, I had to admit that I loved her and I knew that she truly loved me. Times were different back then. I know she did what she believed she had to. Eventually I got over it, but it was too late for Kenneth. Overwrought with anger, I called him on the phone and told him to stay away--that I no longer loved him. I said horrible things, but something inside refused to allow me to take the words back. I knew I could never look him in the eye again,” said John, through tears of pain and sorrow.
There was a very long silence.
“And Bill, there is one more thing. Your father probably didn’t tell you everything that happened on that flight across the Atlantic. I will not mar his name further, but I can tell you that there was much more to the story. You were a captain for a long time, and as good as you were, even you screwed up on occasion. But having known you since I was three feet tall, I know that you’re the kind of man who accepts responsibility for his actions, regardless of the outcome. I’ll say no more about that,” said John in a very calm and truthful voice. “Liesel was slowly getting weaker and the doctors couldn’t figure out why. Our trip to Japan was meant to help her, not kill her,” he said softly. The moment the words left his lips, he began to sob uncontrollably. His body shook and a river of tears flowed freely. It took a few minutes for the decades of emotion to expel itself from his body and mind. “She told me that you two were friends, Lynn. I was really happy about it on the inside, but I just could not bring myself to tell her that. She needed you and I’m glad you were there. If I hadn’t been so blinded by bitterness, I, I… Bill, I spit on your dad’s picture when his obituary appeared in the paper. I could not be any more ashamed of myself as I am now. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I’m sorry for all the pain I’ve caused. Please, please forgive me.”
Silent words hung in the air. No one knew exactly what to say.
Lynn remained silent. She then gently bit her lip, as right before her eyes she witnessed a man being transformed into someone else. John, an older, wiser and kinder man, emerged from the ashes. She alone saw it, and the image left her momentarily stunned.
John looked at Bill with his hand extended and said, “My dear old friend, I have truly been a fool. I beg you, please forgive me. I am to blame for our lost friendship.”
“Join the club, John. We’re all in this cesspool together. What you said here today has hit me hard and wounded me deeply, but I want you to know that I believe you. It won’t change how I feel about my dad. I mean, after all, he was only human,” said Bill, shaking John’s hand. “I’m sorry for some of the things I said, too.”
All three felt wetness on their cheeks as they stood and smiled at each other. They knew it was time to let the past go and make the best of their remaining years.
Though Bill was never known as a man who overtly displayed weakness, the former Marine found himself slightly overcome by the moment, but not for very long. Suddenly realizing that they had more pressing problems at hand, he said, “Right now, we need to get you to the doctor.” Then turning toward Lynn, he said, “Honey, drive John down to Geisinger Hospital and drop me off at the Schul
tzville Airport on the way. I have to get into an airplane and try to call the kids on the radio.”
“Bill, my nose can wait. You find an airplane and I’ll call Wilkes-Barre tower on the phone. I’ll see if they can spot them on radar,” suggested John.
As the three turned swiftly toward John’s car, they looked up when they heard the sound of an approaching vehicle. It was the Pratt’s daughter and son-in-law.
*
“I see Grandpa’s field!” said Lucy, with excited relief in her voice.
“I see it, too,” said Jack. “Are you up to this, Sis?”
Lucy looked at her brother and smiled. “I guess we’re about to find out.”
“Let me know if you need me. I’m here,” said Jack with cool self-assurance.
“I know, little brother, I know.” And it hit right then. She knew that for the rest of her days, her little brother Jack would be there for her, and she would be there for him.
Forty One
“What’s going on?” asked Kathy as she climbed out of the car. Then, after noticing the stranger whose face was covered in blood, she added, “Oh my goodness!”
“Move your car, dear. We need to get to the airport,” ordered Bill.
“Airport? This man is hurt, Dad,” said Kathy.
“Where are the kids?” asked Peter, as he closed the car door behind him.
Bill was about to answer, but stopped himself when the sound of an approaching airplane drew his attention. He could tell by the sound that the airplane was low and approaching fast. They all turned to look just as ‘626 zoomed over their heads at eight hundred feet under nearly full power.
Bill sighed so loudly that everyone turned to look at him in surprise. He pointed his finger toward the red and white Cessna, rapidly rolling into a steep left bank over his house, and said, “Right there.”
“What?” asked Peter.
“There’s your kids, right there,” stated Bill calmly.
Kathy clapped her hand over her mouth, unsure of what to say.
Peter wanted clarification. “What did you just say?”
“I said your kids are right there. And judging by the fact that they used the rudder to help make that steep turn over my house, I’d say Lucy is flying. Jack still has a little problem with coordinating his turns,” observed Bill with a smile. Though the young aviators’ parents may have been terrified, Bill was relieved. He knew his grandkids could handle it from here.
“You let my children fly an airplane by themselves?” asked Peter. “Are you insane?”
“This here is John Tacker from the FAA,” said Bill, pointing at the man with a bloody face. “He knows they’re up there flying and he isn’t the least bit concerned. Isn’t that right, John?”
John nodded his head. With a muffled tone he said, “That’s right. I approved the flight just this morning. Those two kids are a couple of damn fine aviators.”
Bill and Lynn stared at John for a moment with wide eyes, both believing that it was the first time either of them had ever heard John Tacker swear.
“It would be a shame for you two to split this family up,” stated Bill.
“Split up the family? What are you talking about, Dad?” asked Kathy.
“Isn’t that why you dumped the kids on us for the summer and never bothered to call? Not even once?” asked Bill.
Kathy and Peter looked at each other and smiled. “Well,” Peter said, “we have been arguing a lot lately; that’s for sure. Last spring I was offered a job in Philadelphia. It was a good offer, but accepting it meant Kathy would have to quit her job and start over. With the kids getting older and well entrenched in school, Kathy thought it would be too much of a change. I wanted to go because it meant a big pay raise, but Kathy fought me. We argued about it constantly. It started to come between us. We finally decided to take some time, just the two of us, and go to Philadelphia for a few weeks to get a feel for the area. Then we went down to a couples-only resort in Florida to hash it out. We agreed beforehand that it would be just the two of us, no kids. We were tempted to check in, but we decided that we needed time to be just the two of us again. And I’ll tell you something, Bill, it was good for us. We talked a lot of things out. We discovered why we fell in love in the first place. Our lives have been overrun lately by our busy schedules. It was time to take a step back. Then when we got back home, we decided that we liked the peace and quiet. And since you guys weren’t bugging us to come get the kids, we spent the summer living like a couple of newlyweds. I hope we didn’t ruin your summer.” Then nodding his head with a smile, he added, “I’m sure you two have discovered just how much of a handful two adolescents can be.”
Bill and Lynn stole a quick glance and a wink. They had no idea what their son-in-law was talking about.
“Anyway, Dad,” said Kathy. “We decided to take the job and move to Allentown. That way, you guys will be a lot closer to your grandkids and we can sort of start over as a family.”
Lynn was about to speak, but paused when all five heads turned toward the Cessna after hearing the engine rev-up.
The four adults watched as Lucy made a low pass over the field to check for obstructions before pulling up and turning onto a downwind leg for landing.
Both Lucy and Jack could see the adults down below and wondered what was being said. Both knew it didn’t matter, they believed their adventure was over. Little did they know that it had only just begun.
Lucy lined up on final approach trying to forget that she saw John Tacker’s car in the driveway, knowing his presence meant trouble. She also saw her parent’s Toyota, and could only imagine how much the two were carrying on. But, doing as she’d been taught, Lucy compartmentalized her emotions and concentrated on the task at hand.
The kids had departed that morning as novice students, but were returning as experienced airmen. Both of them could feel their self-confidence blossoming. They were pilots; they could handle anything.
Lucy activated the carburetor heat and set the flaps, adjusting the power as necessary to keep her speed at seventy knots. As the plane approached the runway, she slowed to sixty-five knots and slowed her descent slightly.
A few feet above the runway, Lucy pulled the power to idle and then slowly pulled the control yoke into her lap, allowing the speed to gradually dissipate mere inches above the short green grass.
Lucy’s landing was the best she’d ever made. It was so good, her brother slapped her on the back and said with a smile, “Way to go, Sis.”
Lucy looked at her little brother and smiled faintly.
The smiles between the two quickly morphed into near-hysterical laughter. Neither of them knew what lay ahead, but after looking at the small crowd gathered near their tie-down spot, they suspected they would learn their fate soon enough. Both anticipated a plane-load of trouble.
Lucy looked at Jack and said, “Thanks for your help, little brother. I want you to know that whatever happens, I’ll always be there for you.”
“I know,” said Jack.
“OK, well, we’d best gird our loins, ‘cause here it comes.”
“Gird our what? What did you say?”
Lucy shook her head with a smirk, but said nothing.
Both pilots incorrectly assumed that they had just completed their last flight. But hoping to prolong the experience for just a little bit longer, Lucy looked at Jack and asked, “Shall we?”
Jack nodded enthusiastically, guessing at her intentions.
Both members of the newest generation of airmen grinned as they taxied past the waiting crowd. Figuring the airplane would be out of commission for a while, the siblings, both having developed a strong affection for their little red and white Cessna, preferred to have it stored safely inside the barn rather than leave it exposed to the harsh elements on a tie-down.
They stopped a few feet from the barn door. After a deep breath, Lucy pulled the mixture control to silence the engine. A moment later she said, “OK, come on. We’ve had enough fun for one day.
Let’s put ‘626 in for the night where he’ll be safe.”
“Where ‘he’ll’ be safe?” asked Jack. “All pilots refer to their airplane as a ‘she.’”
“Don’t be stupid all your life,” said Lucy.
“Don’t you be stupid,” said Jack.
The two looked at each other and smiled. With lifetimes that still stretched far beyond the horizon, the bond that had formed between them during the last care-free summer of their lives would remain in place for the rest of their time on Earth. They were family, friends, confidants, and most of all: they were Sojourners of the Sky.
Epilogue
Over the next fifteen years, the friendship between John Tacker and Bill Pratt continued to grow. The two truly reveled in each other’s company, much as they did in their youth. Their golden years were spent laughing and talking about old times. The “gray beards” flew ‘626 for many hours together, flying whenever the sky invited them aloft and then returning to land on Bill’s homemade strip. Hours would slip by with the two pilots sitting together on Bill’s back porch. They’d discuss all manner of things, or sit silently, basking in the comfort of each other’s friendship. Though never expressed in words, they both knew it was a shame that they hadn’t resolved their differences decades sooner.
Lynn’s mind remained sharp well into her old age. Indeed, whenever John was over for dinner, Bill would have to leave the room because the discussions between Lynn and his best friend were often much more involved than he cared to think about.
When Lynn unexpectedly passed away, Bill and John became even closer, drawing on each other’s strength and the memories to help ease the pain of their loss.
John finally allowed himself to feel grateful for all the good things he’d been given throughout his life, and accepted the fact that everyone needs a little rain just as much as they need the sun. It took a while, but he finally came to understand that in the final accounting, it didn’t much matter how things got doled out.
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