by Jeff Egerton
“They’re starting test flights in a month and they’ll be taking orders in July. I’m ordering two of the planes. A couple months after that I’ll start sending our mechanics back to St. Louis for training.”
“Our loads have been good. Having new equipment should increase them even more.”
Barney said, “Flying is getting to be very popular and with the faster planes it’ll be much quicker than the train. And, this plane will work out well with my long range plans.”
Catwalk said, “What are your future plans for the airline?”
“I’m going to apply for two new routes, one from Salt Lake to San Francisco and another from Albuquerque to Phoenix. We’ll open the routes when we get the new planes. I’ve got an architectural firm designing a maintenance hangar and administrative offices that will be built at Albuquerque. Julio will be moving the maintenance duties out there as soon as it’s done.”
Barney hesitated, then said, “I want to make you the chief pilot of Rocky Mountain Airways. This means you’ll be in charge of crew proficiency and training, and speak for all the pilots in matters that concern management.”
Catwalk was stunned. He was so happy flying for the airline, he’d never thought beyond that. If Barney expanded the routes like he’d planned that meant the airline would soon have several dozen pilots, and he’d be speaking for all of them, a responsibility not to be taken lightly. His concern was how the pilots would feel about being represented by a black man. He knew all the current pilots and got along well with them. As far as he could tell, race was not an issue. If they hired several more, he figured there would inevitably be someone who didn’t want him representing them. Obviously, Barney had taken this into consideration, so he wasn’t about to let this stop him. He said, “I’d be honored to be your chief pilot, Barney.”
“Curly has more flying time and more seniority than you do, but, he might be leaving us for a while and quite frankly, I’m concerned about his drinking. You have to realize that I’m putting you in a position where there might be some disagreement between us in the future.”
“Why is that?”
“I know you’ve read about the labor unions that are being formed to represent the work force in other jobs.”
“Yes, I’ve read about them representing miners and railroad workers.”
“Union representation is getting to be very popular. They’ll be representing airline pilots before long. When the pilots unionize, you’ll be aligned with them so we’ll be on opposite sides of the fence.”
Catwalk thought about this as he eased back the throttles to start their descent into Grand Junction. He said, “I’m not worried about that.”
“Good. Neither am I.”
Two days later, when Catwalk returned to Albuquerque, he and Curly were talking over lunch and the future plans for the airline came up in their conversation. When Catwalk told him about the plans, including his possible promotion to chief pilot, Curly didn’t take the news well. “Cat, after all the shit you been through, I don’t have a problem with you getting the promotion, but I don’t see how Barney could do this. I’m the senior pilot.”
Catwalk had expected him to be upset, and he’d decided he wasn’t going to placate him, or sympathize with him. He said, “Curly, you can’t blame him. He’s still concerned about your drinking, and the fact that you might be leaving the airline for a while.”
“Aw bullshit, Cat. That’s a crock. He could of at least said something to me.”
“We all said something to you. Julio and I told you to watch your drinking.”
Curly lit a cigarette, then said, “Well, that does it. I’m giving him my resignation and leaving. I’m going back home.”
Catwalk warned him against doing anything he might regret later, but his words fell on deaf ears. In his despondent state Curly didn’t give Barney the two weeks notice he wanted. Two days later he resigned from Rocky Mountain Airways and left for his family’s farm in New York.
Because Curly had left them in a bind with his short notice departure, Catwalk had to wait two months to get his week off. When the time came to go back home he packed his bags, and two new dresses that he bought for his Mom, into the Jenny and took off. It had been several months since he’d flown the Jenny and he’d forgotten how different flying in the open cockpit was from the plush, comfortable Boeing. However, he enjoyed the flight without having to worry about schedules or passengers.
He arrived at Meridian late the next day and surprised his family while they were eating dinner. He popped his head in the door and said, “Do you have enough for another mouth?”
“Oh my gosh, Luke.” His Mother cried as she wrapped her arms around him.
He sat down to eat with his family and they all had questions about his job with the airline. While talking about his job, it struck Catwalk just how much his life had changed, and how far removed he’d become from his life as a sharecropper. He hoped he could use his experience to help the rest of his family to get off the farm and find work for some of them that came with a future.
With this in mind, he told John, “The airline is growing. We’ll be hiring more mechanics soon. Would you be interested in going to school to become an airframe and power plant mechanic?”
John’s face lit up in a broad grin. “Of course I would, Luke, but I only went to school through the fourth grade. Do you think you could get me into a job like that?”
“I’m pretty sure I can because most of the people we’re hiring now don’t have very much education. Of course, you’d have to move to Albuquerque and you’d have to go to school, but you get paid while you’re training.”
John looked at Dee who had a smile on her face. He said, “Yes, I’d go in a minute.”
Luke knew his Mother was smiling in support of John’s wishes, but below the surface, she’d be distressed about another child leaving home. He also knew she’d never let on how she felt, or do anything to stand in John’s way. He said, “I’ll look into it and write you.”
He then unwrapped the new dresses and gave them to his Mother, who was speechless. Everyone urged her to put on the yellow dress, which she did. Georgie summed up everyone’s feelings when he said, “Momma, you look too pretty to work in the fields.”
Catwalk said, “Momma, you look so elegant. I want to do something for you. How would you like to spend a night in a hotel where I’m staying.”
His Mother looked hurt. “Luke, you’re not staying with us?”
“Momma, I thought you and I could stay at a hotel tonight and tomorrow morning you could eat in their restaurant. Wouldn’t you like that?”
“They won’t serve us in their restaurant. You should know that.”
“I’ve already talked to them. They have a black manager and they’ll serve us.”
“Luke, I appreciate your thoughtfulness, but I’m not going. This is my home and my family. Unless all of us can go, I don’t go. Are you too important to stay with your family?”
“No, Momma. I’ll stay here tonight.” His Momma pecked him on the cheek. He said, “There’s something else I’d like to talk to you about.”
“What’s that, son?”
“Well, I’ve been able to save some money. When I’ve got enough saved up, I’m going to make a down payment on a house for you and the family.”
“Oh, Luke, do you mean we might be able to get off this farm?”
“I hope so, Momma. I don’t have enough saved up yet, but when I do Barney said he’ll help me buy you a house, with curtains on the windows and a flower garden.”
Through tears of joy and relief, she said, “Luke, that would be a dream come true.”
Later that evening, Luke walked down to the creek with John and Georgie. John said, “Luke, that’s the happiest I’ve ever seen Momma. I hope I can help her out like that one day.”
“I hope so too, John. She deserves all the help we can give her.”
Before he fell asleep that night, Catwalk thought about his job and wo
ndered what the future held for him. Right now, his life was good, although he still missed Sam terribly. He wondered, as he often had, if he’d ever meet another woman who could light up his life like she did.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Catwalk returned to New Mexico and spent the next several months splitting his time between flying and helping Julio prepare for the move into the new hangar. The actual construction of the building wouldn’t start for another month, but Barney wanted everything ready so when the first sections of the new hangar were completed, they could start moving. They were going over the blueprints of the hangar when Billy Sue drove up in her Ford roadster.
She waved and said, “Hi, Cat, is Curly around?”
He noticed she was carrying a newborn baby. He then thought about the time element since Curly and Billy Sue had been together; it was almost eleven months “Hi, Billy Sue. He’s not here. He went back to New York several months ago. They think his Dad has cancer and they’re about to lose the farm.”
“Any idea when he’ll be back?”
“I don’t know. He resigned from Rocky Mountain, so I think he’s staying there to help his brothers until things get better.”
“Wonderful.” She pulled back the blanket so Catwalk could see the baby’s face. “This is David. He’s Curly’s son.”
Catwalk concealed his surprise and looked at the tiny sleeping baby. He said, “He’s a beautiful baby, Billy Sue. Does Curly know?”
“No, and I don’t think he’d care if he did know.”
“C‘mon up to the house.”
They walked to the porch where Catwalk said, “You want a cup of coffee?”
“That would be fabulous, Cat.”
As Catwalk poured, he thought about this situation. He didn’t want to get involved in Curly and Billy Sue’s problems, but he was worried that Billy Sue would tell Curly about the baby, and he wouldn’t want anything to do with it. He realized the misery she faced trying to raise a baby as a single mother in these hard times.
He asked Billy Sue, “Are you working now?”
“I’m waiting tables in Odessa, but I don’t know how long that’ll last. The restaurant is about ready to close. I had to quit wing walking when I got pregnant. Man, was I surprised.”
“When Curly left here he was pretty upset. Before he left he said the farm wasn’t doing well, so I don’t know if he’ll be able to help you out financially.”
“That figures. If I didn’t have bad luck, I wouldn’t have any at all.”
Catwalk hesitated as he thought of how he could help her. He said, “I’ll write him to find out if he’s planning on coming back out here. Do you want me to tell him that he’s a father?”
“I don’t know. What do you think he’ll say?”
“I have no idea, Billy Sue. Either way, I doubt that he’ll come back out here for a while.”
“Don’t tell him yet, Cat.”
“O.K., I don’ think he’ll answer anyway. He never was much for writing letters.”
“I appreciate that, Cat. Have you been flying anymore air shows lately?”
“No, I haven’t. We just opened up a route to Salt Lake City, so I’m flying more hours with the airline and we’re getting ready to move into a new hangar at the airport in Albuquerque.”
“Well, at least for you a dream came true.”
“I can’t believe how fortunate I’ve been, and it’s all been due to Barney.”
“He sounds like such a nice man. I’d love to meet him sometime. Is he flying now.”
“Yeah. He’s got the Salt Lake to Denver leg today, and tomorrow morning he returns home and I go back to work.”
Little David started making hungry noises. Billy Sue said, “He’s getting hungry, I’d better go in and heat a bottle.”
Catwalk thought about Curly being a father. He knew he hadn’t planned on it, or even thought about it, but he hated to see Billy Sue face the prospect of raising a baby alone. He suspected Curly was not having an easy time of it back on the farm and raising a son would be the last thing on his mind.
When Curly had arrived back on the farm, he found an atmosphere of hate and chaos. His Father, bedridden with colon cancer, had been given a month to live. Curly’s brothers refused to work for their step-Mother, or even live in the same house with her, so they’d moved into the barn. They were still doing the chores on the farm, but because there was no market for the crops everything they grew and harvested was consumed or given away. With no crop sales there was no income and they were several months behind on their mortgage payment. In its present state, the farm faced certain foreclosure within a few months. As Curly would learn, however, all the farms in the area were going through lean times. Everyone was working hard, just to keep the wolf from the door.
Curly’s Dad, although overcome with his illness and the problems facing them, appeared grateful to see that his eldest son had returned home to help the family. Curly said, “Papa, I came home because Phil wrote to me and told me about all the problems around here. The first thing I’m going to do is keep the farm from foreclosure, although I’m not sure how. Besides that, I’m making some changes and the first one is, Charley, Phil and Maury are moving back in the house. This is their home and they shouldn’t have to live in the barn. Theresa will treat them with the respect they deserve, or she’ll be leaving.”
His Father knew questioning his son would be futile. When Curly had first walked into his room, he’d seen a grown man who’d been hardened by life on the road. There was nothing he could do to ease the rift between his wife and son, so he merely asked, “Abraham, all I ask is that your treat my wife with the respect she deserves.”
Out of consideration for his dying Father, Curly said, “I will, Papa.” Then he thought, until you die, then I’m throwing her ass out of here.
His Father asked, “What can you do about the farm, Son? We haven’t made a mortgage payment in four months.”
“On my way out here I talked to Hiram Levine and Shorty Walker. Tomorrow night we’re having a meeting of all the land owners around here. Everyone is in the same situation, so we’re trying to come up with a plan to prevent foreclosures.”
“They already took Seth Henderson’s place.”
“I know. Maybe we can save the rest.”
His Father looked at him with tired, dying eyes and said, “Good luck, son.”
Curly left so his Father could get some rest. Theresa came in and sat down beside her husband. He said nothing and turned his head away so she couldn’t see him smiling at the peaceful prospect of death.
The following night Curly attended a meeting of the local land owners where the objective was to save their farms in the face of foreclosures. After he’d talked with other farmers, Curly thought of the plush life he’d given up as an airline pilot. Life in the farm, especially a failing farm was about as far from that existence as you can get. He wondered if he’d ever return to the more prosperous routine of working for Rocky Mountain Airways again.
His thoughts were interrupted as a man stood on a flour barrel and said, “Men, listen up. I’ve been talking to people from other parts of the country, and I’ve got news; some good, some not. The CCC camps and WPA projects have put people back to work, but the impact of the new jobs haven’t affected the crop demand yet. The farm bureau estimates several months yet before we see the demand for our crops increase. The estimated number of farms that have been lost to foreclosure in this country is seven hundred thousand. But, out in Iowa they’ve had some success at dealing with foreclosures.
“Here’s how they did it; every time they held an auction, the local land owners would make low bids, less than a dollar, until the farm was sold for a price that would allow the owner to buy his farm back. If anyone came in and tried to get the place with a higher bid, they found themselves looking down the barrel of a shotgun.”
Someone shouted, “What about the police? I heard they were bringing in police to stop this sort of thing.”
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sp; “If the police show up and try to stop our bidding, we’ve got to be prepared to disarm them and throw them off the property.”
Shouts of agreement filled the room. Although the men knew this plan could turn violent, they were desperate, willing to try anything to save their property. If violence was included in the solution, so be it.
The man continued, “Day after tomorrow they’re having an auction at George Pearson’s farm. I say we show up and put this plan into action to see what we can do for George.” The place erupted in shouts of unity and acceptance of their plan. This was the first glimmer of hope the men had seen for keeping their farms. The meeting was adjourned and the men congregated around a keg of beer that Curly had provided.
The next night, Curly showed up at the Pearson auction, as many other men from the area did, armed with a pistol concealed in his overalls. The men took their stations and waited for the auctioneer to begin the auction proceedings. The first item to be auctioned was the mortgage on the farm which was for eight hundred dollars. One man opened the bidding, “I bid five cents.”
The auctioneer acknowledged the bid and another man cried out, “Ten cents.”
As was bound to happen, an outsider who didn’t know what was going on, made a higher bid, trying to steal the farm at a bargain price. “Two hundred dollars!”
The bidder immediately found himself surrounded by several scowling farmers. Two men held him as Curly stuck his pistol in the guy’s gut and said, “You bid is a little high. Why don’t you withdraw it, so I don’t have to pull the trigger?”
The guy was immediately convinced that he’d made a mistake and he’d better do exactly what the mob suggested. Just loud enough for the auctioneer to hear, the man said, “I withdraw my bid of two hundred dollars.”
As this took place, a deputy made the mistake of approaching the men who’d forced the bid withdrawal. The men surrounded and overpowered the officer, then took his gun and badge and threw them in a watering trough. The deputy was told, “You just stay out of this and everything will be peaceful like.”