“Yes, they look so tiny. Hey, can we see our house from up here?”
“Of course. We’ll fly over it in just a couple minutes.”
Allison watched the shoreline where the blue of the ocean met a thin strip of sand, and then rocks jutted out, cutting into the surf. It looked vaguely familiar. “I see the lighthouse!” she yelled, pointing. “So that must be our house right there. The roof blends so well with the rocks, it’s hard to spot it at first. And there’s Grace’s house. I almost didn’t recognize it.”
They flew a wide circle over the area where they lived, and Allison spotted the red jalopy in Grace’s driveway. She wondered if Andrew was home, then silently scolded herself for even thinking about him. After last night she had been trying to convince herself that she was only a friend to Andrew. Nothing more. He was probably nice to her simply because she was Heather’s best friend, and everyone knew how deep Andrew’s loyalty was with his sister. Besides, Andrew could have his pick of all the girls in school, and with beauties like Karen and Beverly around, Allison didn’t have a chance. No, she was determined not to think about him anymore.
James took off and landed four times for practice before they finally called it quits. Each time went perfectly, without a single hitch. Finally, he taxied the plane back to the hangar, where they all climbed out. James pulled out a small brown flight log and began to write in his time, then Mac signed his name by it.
“You did great, Dad. How long will it be until you have your license?”
James did a little figuring. “Not long. It looks like I only need about eight more hours, then I can solo. Right, Mac?”
“That’s right. And you’re ready for it, Jamie. If you get those eight hours in this week, you could be soloing by next Saturday.”
“Really?” exclaimed Allison. “That’s swell. Then you could probably take me up, and I could sit in the copilot’s seat, and—”
“Wait, wait,” said James, holding up his hands but grinning just the same. “I think I know where this is going.”
“Well, you do want me to keep your secret, don’t you?”
“This smells like blackmail, Allison.”
Mac laughed and slapped Allison on the back. “Not blackmail, Jamie. Just a smart little lassie. And she’s right, once you have your license you can take her up with you, just the two of you.”
“No excuses, Dad.”
“I think I’ve created a monster,” he said dramatically.
“That’s right. A flying monster,” Allison teased. “And right now this monster is getting hungry.”
“Well, Mac, I guess I better go feed the lady. I’ll call to schedule those eight hours with you later. Thanks for everything.”
“Yeah, thanks, Mac,” said Allison. “It was a pleasure meeting you.”
“And you, too, Allison,” Mac said with a grin. “I expect I’ll be seeing a lot more of you.”
“You can count on it.” Allison winked at him.
“Well, I can see that I’ve really left myself wide open with this flying thing,” James said as he drove away from the airport.
Allison smiled smugly. “I guess so, but I kind of like this arrangement. Where are we heading now?”
“I needed to run some errands in Port View. Maybe we can eat lunch at Wally’s, unless you’re tired of it after last night.”
“No, of course not. I liked it a lot, and Wally is real nice. He even remembered you from school.”
“He did? I haven’t seen Wally in years. I don’t think he ever married, but then he was always real devoted to his family’s business. Apparently, he still is.”
“Yes, Andrew told us how he’s turned the place around with money he saved up while he was in the service during the war.”
“I’m sure he’s made his parents real proud.”
Something about James’ face troubled Allison, then she remembered the problems that he had had with Grandpa all those years. It must still be hard on him, especially with Grandpa gone.
“I think Grandpa would be proud of you right now,” Allison said quietly.
James glanced at her quickly. “You think so?”
“Yep. The way you flew that plane today, and the way you stuck with your art and are selling your paintings now. Not to mention working with Mr. Jenson in the shipping business.”
James shook his head. “I sure wish he were still around to tell me what to do about this shipping business. The Jensons have some different ideas about things, and I’m just not sure what your grandpa would think about all their plans.”
“It must be hard being partnered with the Jensons,” Allison said with true sympathy.
“Probably not any harder than having Shirley acting like she’s your best friend.”
Allison groaned. “And I just remembered we have to go to dinner at their house tonight.”
“Yes, the official welcome for you. Sorry to put you through this.”
“I can handle it, Dad. I can do it for you.”
“Thanks, Allison. I appreciate it.” James smiled warmly as he reached over to squeeze Allison’s hand.
“Do the Jensons know all about me?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, do they know about Marsha?” Allison asked hesitantly.
“Well, your grandfather was never very pleased about my marriage to Marsha. For so many years he acted like I was dead, so I doubt if he ever told anyone about it. But it’s possible that Mother might have mentioned it to Bea. I’m really not sure, Allison. But remember, my lips are sealed.”
Allison sighed. “Good.”
Wally greeted them warmly and seated them in a booth by the window. The place wasn’t nearly so crowded today, but it still seemed busy enough. From the jukebox Dean Martin crooned a love song that had been popular during the war.
“I really like Mac,” Allison said as she absently perused the menu.
“I’d say the feeling was mutual,” James said with a grin. “I think I’m going to have to keep my eye on you, Allison Mercury. You seem to have a way about you that charms the fellows.”
Allison rolled her eyes at him. “Just the old men, you mean.”
“If only it were so. Well, I don’t know about you, but I think I’ll have the blue plate special.”
A waitress who looked a lot like Wally, minus the tattoo, came and took their order. She smiled brightly at James as if she knew him from somewhere. He smiled politely back and thanked her.
“Looks like I’m not the only one who can turn a head,” Allison teased.
“That’s Wally’s sister, Vera,” he whispered. “She was a year or two behind me in school. And like Wally, I don’t think she ever married.”
“I see,” Allison said. “She has probably heard that you’re a somewhat-eligible bachelor since you and Grace haven’t made any sort of official engagement announcement.”
James looked down at his hands. “That’s right, we haven’t.”
“Are you going to?” Allison asked.
“I suppose so. I mean, of course, eventually. I’m just not sure when.”
“You mean like before or after you tell her about the pilot’s license?”
James looked up with a creased brow. He reminded Allison of a little boy who had just gotten caught with his hand in the cookie jar. “I know it was probably stupid and selfish of me—”
“No, Dad,” Allison interrupted. “Not at all. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to suggest anything like that. Actually, I think it’s really great what you’re doing.”
His eyes lit up. “Really?” He sighed and looked out the window. “You know, Allison, I used to watch planes flying overhead while I was staying out at the lighthouse. And they seemed so—so free. As you can imagine, I felt trapped there, imprisoned on my little island. I didn’t know what else to do, but I promised myself that if things ever got straightened out, I would learn to fly.”
Allison reached over and laid her hand on his. “The thing I don’t really understand is
why does it need to be a secret?”
“Here you go,” said Vera as she set their plates down, taking special care to arrange James’ just right. “Now, can I get you anything else?”
“This looks fine, Vera,” he replied. “Thanks.”
Her already ruddy cheeks blushed an even darker red. “No problem, James. You just holler if you need anything else.”
He waited until Vera was out of earshot before continuing quietly. “I don’t know how Grace would react to my desire to fly. Since her first husband was a pilot—”
“Oh,” Allison said as realization dawned on her. “Now I get it. She would probably worry about you. I guess that makes sense, but have you talked to her about it?”
“I told her last summer that I had always dreamed of being a pilot. She let me know in no uncertain terms how much that idea didn’t appeal to her.”
“That doesn’t sound like Grace.” Allison frowned.
“That’s what I thought, too, but this happens to be one area that Grace feels very strongly about. All I know is that when I do tell her, I will have to break it very gently, and even then I better be ready for some fallout.”
“Serious fallout?”
James shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know how serious.” He glanced over at Vera, who was vigorously scrubbing the counter and watching them from the corner of her eye. “But it wouldn’t surprise me if someone like Vera threw a celebration party.”
“Oh, Dad,” said Allison. “It couldn’t be that bad. Grace is a reasonable woman.”
“I hope so, Allison. In the meantime, please don’t breathe a word of this to her.”
“Loose lips sink ships,” Allison said, remembering how this little saying used to pop up in all sorts of places during the war as a reminder not to let any national security information leak out. Not that she had ever known anything worth repeating.
After James had completed the rest of his errands, they went home. Allison decided to make the most of this warm fall day by taking a walk on the beach. Perhaps it would be wise to clear her head a bit before they went to the Jensons’ for dinner.
She walked for a while, finally settling on a big piece of driftwood away from the surf. She sat and looked out across the ocean. It was bluer than blue today, and the breeze barely ruffled the air. The sky was still cloudless, and it was hard to determine where the line on the horizon met the sea. Allison breathed deeply of the fresh air. She shook her head as she recalled how her father had asked her this morning if she was still happy that she’d come here. Just because she was moping about Andrew, he’d actually thought it had something to do with living here. Well, she would just have to watch herself on that account. For truly, there was no place on earth that she would rather be!
She closed her eyes and thanked God once again for bringing her here. She also asked God to help her not to pine away over Andrew. Then she took off her shoes and socks, rolled up her pants, and went wading in the ice-cold ocean until her toes were numb and slightly blue.
“Hey there!” called a familiar voice.
Allison looked up to see Andrew walking toward her. Her first response was to rejoice, then she reminded herself of her earlier resolve to expect nothing more than casual friendship.
“Hi, Andrew,” she called as she scooped up her shoes and socks and walked over to meet him. “What are you up to?”
“Just out enjoying the weather. Isn’t it great?”
She nodded. “Not too many days left like this, I’d imagine.”
“You might be surprised. We get a nice balmy day every once in a while.”
“Really? I guess it’s a little milder here than on the East Coast.”
“I was about to take a walk,” said Andrew. “Want to come along?”
Part of Allison, the sensible part, wanted to say, “No, I’ve already taken a walk, thank you very much,” but before she could even form the words, she said, “Sure, why not?”
“I felt sort of bad last night,” Andrew began. “I didn’t realize that I wouldn’t be sitting with you and Heather at Wally’s. I felt like I abandoned you.”
Allison looked up at him in surprise. So he had cared. “Oh, that’s okay, Andrew. It was so crowded, and we knew you were hungry—”
“I know, but I felt like a bit of a heel.”
Allison suppressed a smile. “Well, I guess that’s because you’re such a gentleman.”
Andrew laughed. “I don’t know about that.” He picked up a rock and chucked it into the sea. “So you really liked the game last night?”
“I suppose it was okay,” she replied flatly, deciding to play coy.
“I thought you really liked it.” Andrew said, peering down at her with piercing green eyes and a furrowed brow.
She laughed. “Of course I liked it, you big ninny. I just figured you were fishing for more compliments, and it seemed like you were getting plenty last night.”
He cocked his head slightly. “So that did bother you?”
“I didn’t say it bothered me. Why should it bother me if a bunch of silly cheerleaders want to get all gaga over you. That’s their problem, not mine.”
Andrew threw back his head and laughed, and soon Allison was laughing, too. The next thing she knew, they were having a rock throwing contest, which, of course, he won.
“You do throw pretty well for a girl.”
“And you throw pretty well for a boy,” she teased. “Now let’s see how fast you can run to the big rock up there. Ready, set—” Then Allison took off without even saying go.
“Hey, no fair,” Andrew yelled, but he caught up and passed her just before they reached the rock.
“You run pretty well for a boy,” Allison said breathlessly.
Andrew smiled, barely out of breath. “Thanks.”
They walked slowly back, pausing now and then to throw rocks out into the ocean. Allison watched as a sea gull swept down low in front of them, then expertly swooped high into the air. It reminded her of an expert aviator.
“You’ll never believe what I did today,” she said without thinking.
“What?” asked Andrew with obvious curiosity.
Suddenly, she remembered the secret. “Oh, uh, nothing much really.”
“What was it?” Andrew had stopped walking now. “Tell me.”
“Oh, it was really nothing.” Allison looked away, trying to think of something else to say that might distract him.
“Come on, Allison,” he pleaded. “You can’t start something and not finish it.”
She pressed her lips together and thought. She had promised her dad that she wouldn’t tell Grace—not Andrew. “Well, if I tell you, I’ll have to swear you to secrecy.”
“This is sounding pretty interesting.”
“I mean it, Andrew. I won’t tell you unless you can promise to keep this a secret. You can’t even tell Heather, and most of all, not Grace.”
He held up his hand as if taking an oath. “I promise to keep the secret. Now, tell me what this is all about.”
“I went flying today.”
“Flying?”
“Yes, in an airplane. Four times, up and down. And it was fantastic, Andrew.”
Andrew’s face was clearly confused. “You went flying today? In an airplane? How?”
“Okay, but remember your promise.” She looked at him sternly then continued. “My dad is getting his pilot’s license. It’s something he’s always wanted to do, and he’s doing it. Isn’t that swell?”
“Yeah, it’s great. But why the secrecy?”
“Well, he’s worried about what Grace will think.”
Andrew nodded as if seeing the light. “Of course. Grace hates planes and flying. She would have an absolute fit.”
“Exactly. So poor Dad has to think of some way to gently break the news to her.”
“That’ll be tough. But tell me more. You went up four times?”
“Yes, and by next weekend, Dad will have enough hours to go up solo. After he gets licens
ed he can take me up, and I can copilot.”
“That’s great, Allison.” Andrew smiled dreamily. “I’ve always wanted to fly. I wish I could go up, too.”
“Well, maybe we can work something out, but only if you keep your promise. Understand?”
Andrew nodded. “You bet. Wild horses won’t be able to drag it from me.”
Allison noticed the sun was sinking lower in the sky. “Do you have on a watch, Andrew?”
“Yeah, it’s almost five—”
“Yikes, I better skedaddle. We have to go to the Jensons’ for dinner tonight.”
“That should be fun,” Andrew teased with a smirk. “Shirley seems to think you are her new best friend.”
“Ugh, don’t remind me. I promised Dad to be on my best behavior tonight. It’ll be a challenge.” She looked Andrew straight in the eye. “Now, remember your promise, Andrew. Please don’t tell. I’m trusting you.”
Andrew smiled reassuringly. “My promise is good, Allison. You can trust me.”
“Thanks. I’ll see you.” Allison began to run toward the steps that led up to the house.
“See you!” Andrew called.
Suddenly, Allison felt as if she were flying again, but this time without the aid of an airplane. What she and Andrew had was special. She just knew it! As she climbed the steps, she felt a little guilty about spilling the beans to him about her dad’s flying lessons, but then she knew she could trust Andrew. She was certain of it. Besides, it was so delicious to share a secret with him. Surely Dad would understand that.
“Come in, come in,” said Hal Jenson as he met James and Allison at the front door. “Let me take your coats. Marge is in the kitchen, and Shirley is still in her room.” He led them to a small living room, where they all sat down.
Allison tried not to stare at the strangely furnished room as James and Mr. Jenson made small talk. The decor reminded Allison of Marsha’s taste, but somehow this was even more garish. Everything in the room seemed to be either black or red or white. Allison felt slightly out of place in her mossy green tweed skirt and sweater; in fact, a jester’s costume would have been more appropriate. She was seated in a glossy black high-backed chair, but the rest of the furniture looked equally uncomfortable. It was all very modern and stiff and nothing like the comforting furnishings in Grandpa’s house. Allison wondered if Mrs. Jenson had picked it all out, or if they had actually hired an interior decorator.
Allison O'Brian on Her Own, Volume 2 Page 8