by Jeff Egerton
A mechanic stuck his face in the door and said, “Mr. Levitz, have you…?” The scene registered and the mechanic said, “What’s wrong with that guy?”
“I’m teaching him the finer points of inspecting our aircraft. Get out of here, Stan.”
The mechanic disappeared and Curly returned to the bloody inspector. “Now, you have one more chance.”
“The orders came from the section chief in the Dallas office. He said to look at Aztec’s aircraft real close. Then he said if we value our jobs, we better ground them for something.”
Curly lifted the guy off the floor and said, “If you tell anyone about this, I’ll break both your arms. You understand?”
In the interest of preventing any further attack the inspector quickly nodded his head and left the office as fast as he could move.
Catwalk landed later that day. He was writing up his trip report when the mechanic who’d witnessed Curly’s actions approached him. “Mr. Jackson, do you have a minute? There’s something you should know about.”
The mechanic told him what he’d seen. Catwalk asked, “Where’s Curly now?”
“He signed out an airplane and took off.”
“Where was he going?”
“I don’t know, I didn’t see the flight plan.”
Catwalk ran into the flight briefing office where the pilots filed their flight plans. The board used to track aircraft, merely listed the plane Curly had taken as, “Out of service.”
Catwalk looked in the trash under the table and found the copy of Curly’s flight plan. He yelled, “Damn it!”
The mechanic asked, “Where’s he going?”
“Dallas. He’s going to pay a visit to the CAA.”
Catwalk looked at the aircraft status board. There was only one aircraft on the ground and it was being loaded with drilling mud and generators to be flown to Houston. He said to the pilot, “Dave, I need you to take a detour on your trip to Houston. Can you drop me off in Dallas?”
“Sure thing, Cat. We’ll be loaded in half an hour.”
Catwalk landed in Dallas an hour later and took a cab to the CAA building. At the receptionist’s desk he described Curly and asked if she’d seen him. She said no and he felt relieved for a second, but his instinct told him Curly was there. He asked, “Is there another entrance to the building?”
“There’s the employee entrance in back.”
“What floor is the Flight Standards office on?”
“Fourth floor.”
Catwalk hurried to the nearest elevator and took it up to four. He searched the hallway and found the office three doors down. He approached the door, afraid of what he’d find. When he reached for the doorknob, the door opened and Curly walked out with a smile on his face.
With his usual nonchalance Curly said, “Hey, pard. I kind of figured you might come after me.”
Catwalk didn’t like the smug look on Curly’s face. It was the satisfied look of someone who’d accomplished exactly what they set out to do. He pushed his partner up against the wall and said, “Curly, what the hell did you do?”
“It was Senator Bob Connelly who leaned on them to hassle us.”
“How did you find that out? Did you beat on this guy until he confessed.”
“I never touched him. Ease up and I’ll tell you about it.”
They walked to elevator and got in an empty car. On the way down Curly said, “Cat, do you know how you can tell someone who’s got the hate against black people in them?” Before he answered, Curly said, “Well, I can look people in the eye and tell the ones who ain’t got any fight in them. This guy was afraid of his own shadow. When I took him over to the window and showed him how far he’d fall after I threw him out, he started singing like a robin in springtime.”
Catwalk asked, “So what happens when we apply for a passenger route? Are they going to remember us as an airline made up of thugs who resort to violence?”
Curly smiled, “I told this guy, he’d have to deal with Connelly himself and if we have any problems in the future, it’s still a long drop from that fourth floor window.”
On the cab ride to the airport, Catwalk didn’t say much. He didn’t like to resort to violence to get things done, but he couldn’t argue that Curly had gotten results, where he never could have. Whether his actions would come back to haunt them remained to be seen. Maybe he worried too much. Maybe Curly didn’t worry enough. Maybe their differences made them a good team. He decided not to dwell on this. He still wished he had someone with whom he could talk about business problems, someone who was more level headed than Curly.
This prompted more thoughts of Rosemary. He’d been thinking about her a lot lately. Now, he had a strong urge to see her, even if she was married to another man. He wondered if he could possibly find her. There was only one way to find out and this might be a good time to take a break because he wasn’t sure if he wanted to be around to see the repercussions from the CAA.
CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
On the flight back to Midland, Catwalk said, “I think I’m going to take some time off to see my family. In a week Steve Drake will be ready to step into my slot on the schedule board.”
“That’s fine, Cat. I’ll take care of any repercussions from the CAA and I promise I’ll be tactful.”
Cat gave his partner a sideways glance to see if he was grinning at that statement.
Curly saw this and affirmed, “Honest, you don’t have to worry. I won’t resort to anymore strong-arm tactics.”
“OK. Knowing that will make my trip a little more relaxing.”
“You know, one day I should go back with you so I can meet your family.”
“They know all about you.”
Curly chuckled, “I can imagine what you told them.”
Catwalk dead-panned, “I told them the truth — that you’re a lousy pilot who can’t hold a heading to save your life, but a good guy to be in business with because you always come out on top.”
Curly laughed, a long hearty belly laugh.
Catwalk spent a few days with his family, then told his Mom he was going to Tuskegee to see some of his old squadron mates. He didn’t really lie to her because there was always a chance that he’d run into someone he’d served with. Actually, what bothered him more, as he made the drive, was that he was doing something very impulsive. Also, Catwalk realized that with Rosemary’s discontent and his intense desire to see her, there was fertile ground for the two of them doing something that would prove to be a mistake in days to come. Still, he continued toward Tuskegee.
The first day he sat through four movies and spent hours walking the main street—but didn’t see Rosemary. He checked the drug store pay phone, but there was no phone directory. Didn’t matter, he wasn’t sure if he had the guts to call her. The next day he again walked up and down main street for a few hours, then spent some time in the park. After a light lunch Catwalk asked at a hardware store if anyone knew her. They didn’t. He went to the soda fountain to get a cold drink. He’d just paid for it when he saw her walking toward the movie theater. He didn’t see anyone with her.
He ran out the door and dashed into the street. Horns blared as he narrowly missed being hit by a green sedan and then a taxi cab. She looked. He waved, then shouted, “Rosemary!”
She stopped and looked at him like he was crazy. Then she smiled, a warm, sincere smile that said she was truly pleased to see him. She called out, “Hi. What are you doing here?”
Catwalk looked into those blue eyes that looked so familiar and inviting after all these years. “I came looking for you. I had to see you.”
“Oh?” Clearly, she was taken aback and rendered speechless by his straightforward reply. After an awkward moment, she opened up, “It’s been so long since I’ve seen you…but I’ve thought about you every single day, Catwalk. To be truthful I was always hoping you’d come back.”
He pulled her close and kissed her. She kissed him back with all the passion that had been dormant for so long. He h
eld her and buried his face in her long dark hair. “Oh, Rosemary, I wanted to see you so much.”
She looked around, then said, “We can’t stay here. Go to the theater. I’ll be right there.”
As he walked, Catwalk made up his mind — if she wasn’t happy here, he was going to do whatever was necessary to persuade Rosemary to come to New Mexico. Granted this might prove to be the mistake that he thought about on the drive over, but at this point it felt like the right thing to do.
When she sat down beside him, he took her hand and said, “How have you been?”
She squeezed his hand and said, “Not good. Living there is so miserable; his drinking is getting to be terrible. I want to leave so bad, but I have nowhere to go, Cat. There’s no one I can turn to.”
He said, “Turn to me, Rosemary. You can leave and get away from him forever. I want you to come to New Mexico to live with me. You tell me when and I’ll come by to get your things. We’ll drive west and start a new life, a life that will be full of happiness.”
“You make it sound easy, Cat, but I’m scared.”
“If you don’t get out now, you never will.”
Rosemary said nothing while she thought about leaving, as she had many times. Now she had the opportunity and without hesitation decided to seize the moment. “He works tonight. Can you come by and get me about ten?”
“Just give me your address.”
At ten o’clock that night, Catwalk pulled up in front of Rosemary’s house. He walked up the gravel driveway feeling nervous, but eager to get her out of this place. She met him at the door and handed him two suitcases. He took them to the car and returned to the house. Rosemary asked him to get some boxes out of the bedroom.
From the bedroom he saw lights of a car wash through the room. Someone had pulled in the driveway behind his car.
Catwalk took the boxes to the front room and met Rosemary who was frantic. “It’s Joe! He must have forgotten something. Quick, hide in the bathroom.”
Catwalk set the boxes near the front door, then ducked into the bathroom and closed the door. He heard the husband’s voice, “Rose, I forgot my lunch box. Whose car is that?”
“A man had car trouble. He asked if it was O.K. to park there and I let him.”
Catwalk heard the fright in Rosemary’s voice; he was sure the husband did too. Then he heard, “What are those boxes doing out here? What the hell is going on here?”
Rosemary screamed, “No!”
The sound of breaking glass followed and Catwalk dashed into the front room. He saw a shattered front window and Rosemary hiding behind a chair. With a fist raised, her husband was poised to attack her.
Catwalk yelled, “Don’t you dare hit her!”
The man turned and said, “Who the hell are you?”
Catwalk didn’t answer. He’d forgotten how big the guy was, and he was on the verge of hysteria.
Rosemary said, “I’m leaving you, Joe. He’s taking me away from this hellish place. You’ve hit me for the last time.”
Radiating hatred Joe walked toward Catwalk and said, “You’re not taking her anywhere, you son of a bitch. In fact, you ain’t leaving this house alive.”
Catwalk backed off, saying nothing. There were no words that would stop the man. He needed a weapon. While watching the irate husband, he backed into the kitchen.
He grabbed an umbrella and tried to keep him at bay until he found a way to subdue him.
His attacker kept coming and yelled, “Com’ere you bastard.”
Catwalk grabbed a sack of flour off the counter and threw it. The bag hit Joe in the face and burst open in a cloud of white. The big man stopped and while he was wiping his eyes, Catwalk clubbed him with a rolling pin, knocking him unconscious.
To Rosemary he said, “I need something to tie him up with.”
She found a length of clothes line and the two of them bound him, after which they quickly loaded the car and drove off.
On the drive to Meridian, Catwalk and Rosemary talked about their future together. They couldn’t get married until she got a divorce, but at least they were together. Regardless of all things wrong with this scenario, Catwalk felt like he’d done the right thing by getting her out of an situation that had tormented her. And, he felt strongly that she belonged by his side. He said, “It feels good to have you with me. It’s like you should have been here all along.”
Rosemary said, “First, Mr. Jackson. You’ve got to accept something right now. I know you loved my sister, and I know that your love for her is what brought you to me, but I’m not her. If you fall in love, just make sure you’re falling for the right person.”
“I don’t think that will be a problem.”
It was four A.M. when Catwalk turned the lights off and pulled in the drive to his Momma’s house. They slept in the car for two hours until his brother woke them.
“Hi Cecil. Is Momma up yet?”
“She’s out back, canning tomatoes.”
Catwalk took Rosemary’s hand and walked to the back of the house. When his Momma saw her she covered her mouth with both hands, “Oh, my God in heaven. She’s alive.”
“Momma, this is Sam’s twin sister, Rosemary.”
“I declare, if I didn’t know better….”
Rosemary smiled. “We were identical twins. How do you do, Mrs. Jackson.”
She raised an eyebrow. “Luke, you said you were going to see your friends in your old squadron.”
“We met while I was stationed there.” Catwalk didn’t know what else to say. He couldn’t admit that she was going back to New Mexico because his Momma wouldn’t tolerate him living in sin, and if she found out Rosemary was still married, she might disown him.
He tried, “I wanted to bring her over here to meet you.”
Dee said, “Well, I’m glad you did. How long are you staying?”
“Just today. We’ve got to leave tomorrow morning.”
“Oh, well, have you had breakfast?”
“No, we’re both starved.”
While they ate, Catwalk thought about his dilemma of keeping their plans from his Momma. They were talking over coffee when his nosy little brother brought his quandary out in the open. “Hey, Luke, what’s all that stuff in your car?”
Without looking at his Momma, Catwalk said, “Just some boxes and stuff from work.”
“You sure got a lot of suitcases.”
“I’ve got a lot of clothes.”
He should have known better than to try and fool his Momma. She crossed her arms and gave him a knowing look, then said, “Luke, why don’t you tell me what’s going on?”
He said, “Rosemary is moving out to New Mexico to live with me.”
“When are you planning on getting married?”
“Just as soon as her divorce is final.”
His Momma didn’t say anything, so Catwalk said, “I know you don’t approve of me running off with a married woman to live in sin, but she’s the only woman who will make me happy. We’re going through with this and if you don’t approve, I’m sorry.”
With tears in her eyes, Dee said, “Luke, you’ve made me very proud. I love you both and hope you’re both very happy. And, I want some grandchildren.”
He looked at Rosemary who also had tears in her eyes. At that moment all the injustice, prejudice and unfairness had been forgotten. He was a happy man.
CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN
Catwalk and Rosemary arrived in Albuquerque mid-afternoon three days later. He called Curly as soon as he’d unpacked the car and his partner, hearing that Rosemary had come west to live, insisted that they have dinner at his house. Billy Sue and David were visiting and this would give the women a chance to get to know each other.
Looking forward to a home cooked meal Catwalk accepted. When they arrived Curly congratulated them with all the gusto of a man who was truly happy for his long time friend. Although Curly had heard a lot about Rosemary, his first impression was shock. “My gosh, I can’t believe the resemblance.
This is like that déjà vu stuff.”
Rosemary blushed and followed Billy Sue into the more familiar confines of the kitchen where they became instant friends.
Curly took Cat outside to show him his new cooking contraption. “It’s called a barbecue grill, but you can cook just about anything on it just as long as you have some wood or charcoal. All I’ve cooked on it so far are hamburgers, but I’m getting to be pretty good so I shouldn’t spoil your meal.”
As Curly grilled he brought his partner up to date on the airline. “There haven’t been any more inspections, so I think that’s behind us. I made plans for some new freight forwarding facilities at Denver and Phoenix, and I told the people at Douglas that we’d be ordering two more DC-3s very soon.”
Catwalk said, “Good. We can use the threes, but I think it’s time for us to start looking for a DC-4.”
Curly realized there was only one reason why Catwalk would want to purchase the big four engine Douglas plane. He said, “Do you think it’s time to apply to the CAA for a passenger route?”
“I think the time is right, if we can get a route approved.”
“Where’d you have in mind?”
“Albuquerque to Denver.”
“Damn, wouldn’t that bring back memories.” Curly lit a cigarette, then read his partner’s mind, “Cat, you aim to put Rocky Mountain out of business, don’t you?”
“Passengers know when an airline is having reliability problems. We can open that route at six cents a seat mile for the first few months. By then the passengers will know we provide more reliable service than Rocky Mountain. Picking up their passengers will be the easiest thing we’ve ever done.”
“Well, it’ll take at least four months for the route to be approved. That’ll give us enough time to find someone to run the cargo operation.”
While the men talked, Billy Sue took the opportunity to explain a fact of life to her new friend, “Rosemary, there’s something that might be difficult for you to understand. I’m sure Cat loves you as much as one man can love a woman, but at times it’ll seem like he loves his airline more. He and Curly have worked very hard at building the airline from the ground up and they live and breathe their business. Try to keep in mind that it’s more like an obsession with the airline, but with you it’s true love.”