Love at Five Thousand Feet

by Jane Lewis

Overview

After her mother’s death, Dottie Lester moves to her parent’s hometown of Saplingville, Georgia with her alcoholic father. She wants to escape and go to live with her aunt in Macon, but first, she must get her father settled in his new job. When Dottie meets a handsome pilot and falls in love, her goal changes, but it is still no match for his desire to leave their small town behind and fly for a commercial airline.

Victor Douglas, United States Army Air Corps pilot, returns to Saplingville to help his ailing father. He has been flying his own JN-4 Jenny bi-plane for years. That and his army experience qualify him to apply for a job as a commercial airline pilot and win a coveted job offer, but how can he leave his father now, or a budding romance with the pretty new girl in town?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781509217144
Publisher:	The Wild Rose Press
Publication date:	01/11/2018
Pages:	240
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 8.00(h) x 0.51(d)

Read an Excerpt

CHAPTER 1

Saplingville, Georgia, 1934

The JN-4 Jenny bi-plane dove straight for Uncle Walter's pig pen. Victor Douglas turned in his seat and yelled, "Pull back Frankie, what're ya trying to do, kill us?" He tightened his seat belt and grabbed the sides of his seat. The bi-plane rose and leveled off at five thousand feet. He relaxed in his seat until the barnstormer turned the plane over in a barrel roll. "Damn it, Frankie." His screams and yells were drowned out by the roar of the engine and the humming of the wires.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath as the crazy man stopped the barrel rolls and kept the bi-plane at a nice cruising altitude. The plane went straight into a figure eight. He didn't like his bi-plane in the hands of a daredevil. His breathing returned to normal as the plane headed for the landing strip next to the corn field.

He stared at the ground. Uncle Walter waved his straw hat. The old man was their airport tower. When they took off, he removed the chocks and propped the plane and when they landed, he helped with the tie down.

He watched the landing strip loom closer as the plane touched down in the perfect three point landing the aviator was famous for. He breathed a sigh of relief as they rolled to their tie down spot.

Victor climbed out of the front seat and jumped to the ground. "Frankie, you're not a barnstormer anymore. Those days are over. I swear if you crash my plane or kill us, I'll kill you!"

The former stunt pilot jumped off the wing and removed his hat and goggles. "The Jenny was mine first."

"Yeah and I paid you." He softened his voice, "I can't help it if you went through the money as fast as crap through a goose. You're lucky I let you fly my plane."

"So I'll get to fly the Jenny again, huh?" Frankie rubbed his hand along the tail of the plane.

A stab of guilt pierced through his gut, the Jenny was the only thing his best friend cared about. "Maybe, if you'll stop showing off. If not, find your own flying circus."

Walter joined in the conversation. "That's right Frankie, my hens won't lay for a week now, besides you scared Delores so bad she went to bed. I know you boys like to have fun, but there is a limit here."

Frankie shook Walter's hand. "Sorry Mr. Andrews, I got carried away, she flies so smooth I couldn't help myself. I miss my barnstorming days."

A sarcastic smirk crossed his friend's face. "You miss showing off. We're not kids anymore, and chances are not what I want to take with my life, or my plane." Victor crossed his arms daring him to start a fight.

"You think because you learned to fly in the United States Army Air Corp, you're a better pilot than me. Hell, you even think you are a better man than I am." Frankie pushed Victor's chest with his hands.

He didn't back off. He moved closer. "I don't want to die, and I can't afford to buy another plane."

Walter walked between them. "Boys, let's calm down, no sense in saying things you don't mean."

He gazed down, he couldn't look his uncle in the eye. "Sorry, Uncle Walter, thanks for your help."

Frankie shuffled his feet. "Yeah, Mr. Andrews, sorry and thanks."

The older man glared at the two men. "There's no sense in your arguing. You've been best friends since you were little boys. You're both good pilots, in your own way. I'd fly with either one of you. Now go on with yourselves, I'm going to check on my wife."

Victor double checked the tie downs. They walked through the field in the direction of the house and driveway.

He slowed his walk; they shouldn't go home mad. "Hey, I remember the day you joined the barnstormer team."

Frankie smiled. "Yeah, they didn't want anything to do with a fifteen year old country bumpkin like me. I almost got down on my knees and begged them before they said they'd let me go with 'em. They worked my ass off. Guess they figured I'd either step up or leave."

He studied his friend. "Guess you showed them, huh? When they disbanded you were the star of the show."

Frankie held his chin high. "Well, I learned from the ground up. I can't tell you how many times I pulled chocks for taxi or how many propellers I propped. When they found out I knew more about the engine than the mechanic, they taught me to fly. The greatest day of my life. The saddest day was when they disbanded and I flew my Jenny back here."

"It certainly gets in your blood. I hated to leave the service, I enjoyed flying the military planes." Victor reached for the cat asleep on his car and placed it on the ground.

They climbed in the car. Victor rolled his window down and pulled the door up with his right hand while holding the handle with his left. He heard the click of the door catching in the latch and started the car. He backed his 1925 Buick out of the gravel driveway. "Today was a nice day to fly. Did you see the people at the park watch as we flew over?" Frankie smiled and peered into the sky. "I know what they're thinking. How in the world did the airplane get off the ground?" "That's what they always ask me."

Frankie turned toward Victor. "Hey, we could sell rides in the plane. We could make lots of money flying people around town."

He didn't want to disappoint his friend, but he had to tell him where he stood on the matter. "We could, but I'm not interested and it's my airplane. My idea of flying people around is in a commercial airliner, not my bi-plane."

Frankie lowered his voice. "So, when are you leavin'?"

He stopped at a stop sign and turned left onto the paved country road. "I've been making some inquiries. I'm working on it."

"What are you waitin' for? I keep hearing about your plans, but I see no action."

"You want me to go?"

"Well if you do, can I buy my plane back?"

He eased off on the clutch after putting the car in the last gear. "Did they raise your salary at Spangler Cotton Mill, or you gonna rob a bank, because last I heard you were broke."

"I'll get there one day. I won't always be a mill hand." Frankie stared out the car window into the distance.

Victor conceded, "You're right though. I need to start making plans."

"With your experience, you won't have trouble getting a job flying. I should have gone in the Army Air Corp with you. Back then, I was too busy flying Jenny's around the country. I had fun, but look at me now. All I know how to do is fly a bi-plane. Barnstormers aren't in demand anymore."

His best friend needed confidence. "For what it's worth, I've flown with the best pilots in the Army Air Corp and no one comes close to your skills. It's not too late for you to learn how to fly the new ships."

Frankie closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "I hope you're right."

He remembered their life together. It hadn't been long since they were in grammar school taking up for each other if a fight broke out. Why did Frankie take chances with his life?He didn't have to prove anything to him, they were more brothers than friends.

The car dipped as he turned off the paved road onto the dirt road in the direction of the shanty town. Victor slowed the car and avoided holes as rocks and dirt flew from the wheels. He put on brakes and eased the clutch in as they cranked the windows so the dirt wouldn't sail into the car. The houses came into view. He navigated the road so he wouldn't side swipe the cars parked in the small front yards. Even with the windows closed they could smell the outhouses. He slammed on his brakes as a little boy chased a chicken across the road. Most people sat on their front porches to stay cool. They waved as they drove by. He thanked God he had a good family and a nice house to live in. He regretted their argument, he wanted Frankie to be successful and escape his life of poverty.

"Thanks, Victor. I did enjoy the day, and I know you enjoyed my barnstorming tricks."

He waved his friend out of the car. "Get out of here, you crazy man. See you next week."

The sun headed for the horizon when he arrived in town. The few street lights in Saplingville glowed waiting for the dark. His favorite time of day, he drove slowly watching the sky change colors.

Even though the last few minutes of their flight had been harrowing, they had a perfect day for flying. The two hours spent in the sky seemed like two minutes. He never tired of being in the air. In the open cockpit of the Jenny soaring above the earth, he enjoyed a freedom and peace. The sensation stayed with him long after he landed.

He drove slowly through town savoring the memories of his day in the air when a flash of yellow took him from his thoughts. A young woman in a yellow dress walked toward him. He slowed and turned his head. The car drifted too close to the sidewalk and he swerved to the left. He got the old jalopy under control and stopped at the side of the road. His headlights framed the girl as she walked toward him. Her long wavy hair and curvy figure drew his attention. She climbed the steps to the Boarding House and sat on the swing with Ella Simons. He reached for the door handle, then stopped. He didn't need any complications, and a pretty girl like her could derail his plan of leaving town.

He would be an airline pilot come hell or high water.

His responsibility to his family had kept him in town too long already.

CHAPTER 2

Dottie made her way to the two story white clapboard house known as Ella's Boarding House. The land lady lived in the attic room and rented out the other six bedrooms in the house. Dottie and her father rented two of the rooms. The woman scooted over in the swing making room for her.

Ella Simons pursed her lips. "Avery's not here. Never came home today."

She grabbed Ella's hand. "He hasn't been here all day?" "He left early this morning and I haven't seen him since. Take a deep breath and calm down. I'm sure he'll be along."

She closed her eyes and prayed her daddy would come home. The swing swayed as they pushed with their feet. The soft glow of lightning bugs blinked in the night. The night breeze drifted through the porch and up Dottie's skirt as the swing moved back and forth. The coolness of the air almost made her forget about the sweltering heat of the day.

She stared into the night. "I wish Daddy would stop drinking and get a job. I thought after Mama died moving to his home town would be better. Now I'm not so sure."

Ella turned. "Maybe he hoped he could keep Carolyn's memory alive here. I'm sure he misses her."

"Daddy can't miss Mama more than I do. She loved him way more than he loved her, and he knew she did. He hasn't been able to hold a job and his drinking's worse since we moved here."

Ella patted her hand. "Give him time, he'll come around. Your daddy has a lot of guilt to work through."

Dottie stopped the swing. "He should feel guilty about the way he treated her. She knew he had other women."

The swing moved sideways until Ella put her foot on the porch to steady it. She pushed with her feet until the swing straightened, rocking with a gentle flow. She reflected on her life with Avery and his wife. "Carolyn was my friend, we all went to school together. She was a sweet girl, and smart too. All of us girls were in love with Avery, but when he set his sights on her, there was no use for us to even try."

"Did he love her?"

Ella nodded. "Oh, yes, he loved Carolyn."

"What was Daddy like before he started his drinking?"

"Handsome, even as a little boy. None of us had money. We were all poor farmer or mill worker kids, but somehow, he found clothes a little different, or fancier than anyone else. A charmer, could talk the horns off a billy goat, and make you believe anything."

Dottie put her feet on the porch and stopped the swing. "My aunt wants me to move to Macon with her, but she told me Daddy isn't welcome." A tear streamed down her face. The lump in her throat made her words come out in a whisper. "He keeps telling me he'll stop drinking and get a job. How can I leave him after I promised Mama I'd take care of him?"

Ella took her hand. "I believe you have to do what makes you happy, and if it's leaving him to fend for himself, that's what you have to do."

A shadow caught her eye. She stared as the form of a man materialized on the sidewalk. Her heart sank with recognition when he stumbled over his own feet. "I see him." She jumped. The swing went sideways leaving Ella to steady it. She ran down the sidewalk and took her daddy's arm.

Avery swayed and mumbled something hard to understand. "I couldn't find Carolyn, I don't know where she is." A hot poker went through her heart. Drunk again. He doesn't even remember Mama died.

She led her father up the front walk to the boarding house.

Avery straightened and turned his head. He squinted, a glimmer of recognition filled his eyes. "Hey baby girl, how ya doin'? Oh, I feel sick."

Ella ran down the steps. "Avery, not on my zinnias. Oh, Good Lord, Dottie you bring him in. I'll get a wet rag."

She pulled her daddy close and wrapped her arms around his ribcage to steady him. "Lean on me, I'll help you in."

"You're the best baby girl, what'd I do without you? Sweet as your mama was, that's what you are."

She guided him in the front door, to his room on the right. He kicked over the umbrella bucket. Ella set it right and put the umbrellas into it.

His lanky body proved too heavy for her to handle. "Ella can you help me get him in the bed?"

Ella ran in the bedroom and pulled the string on the overhead light. She grabbed Avery's arm, put it over her shoulder and helped guide him into the bedroom. "Sit him on the bed and I'll take his shoes off." The older lady untied his shoes and yanked.

He fell on the bed. They raised his feet and straightened him out the best they could.

Dottie brushed the hair from his face. Tears dripped from her eyes. What if I lose him, too? She pulled her skirt and wiped the salty water from her face with the stiff material. "Oh, Daddy, why do you do this?"

Ella went in the bathroom, grabbed a rag, and wet it. She stood in the door watching. "Here you go. Call me if you need anything."

She took the rag and washed her daddy's face. "I will, thanks for your help."

She pulled the string on the overhead light and sat in the straight chair beside the bed. Enough light from the moon came through the window for her to see Avery's chest rising with each breath. When her daddy went to sleep after drinking, she always checked to see if he was breathing because he stayed passed out too long.

Dottie said softly. "Daddy, I'm twenty years old. My girlfriends are married with babies. I have a job and support you, but what do you do? You get drunk. You won't work. I love you but you aren't going to treat me like you did Mama."

Avery started snoring. She stared into the darkness and remembered her mother. She was sixteen when her mama got sick. The three years she took care of her seemed ages ago. Carolyn loved Avery. She made Dottie promise to take care of him when she died. Her eyes moved to the ceiling of the room. "That wasn't fair, Mama. He's worse now you aren't here."

She fell asleep in the chair next to her daddy's bed. She woke when her head fell against the chair. She forced her eyes open and stretched her arms before standing. She backed out of the room staring at her father and closed the door without a sound. She made her way upstairs to get her things ready for work the next day.

Dottie woke to the sound of the Spangler Cotton Mill bell. It reminded her of what her life could be like. She thanked God she got a job at Murphy's Five and Dime and not the Cotton Mill. She fastened her brassiere and grabbed her knickers noticing the frayed seam that needed mending. No time for sewing this morning, she stepped into her most comfortable dress. She pulled the thick cotton stockings up to her thigh and fastened the garter wishing she could afford the cooler nylons. Leaving her room in disarray, she ran downstairs to check on her father.

"Daddy, are you awake?" She pushed the door open.

"Yeah, you can come in."

He sat on the side of the bed holding his head in his hands. "Oh, baby girl, I don't feel good today."

He stood and lost his balance. Dottie grabbed him and pushed him toward the bed. "Get in bed, I'll get you some coffee."

He grabbed her hand, "No, sit and talk to me, don't leave."

"I have to go to work, and I'm gonna be late."

Avery struggled, "My baby girl doesn't have to work, I'll take care of you."

She took a pillow off the chair. "Here lean on this pillow. I'll get you some coffee."

Dottie walked into the kitchen. She and Ella watched two squirrels chase each other around a pine tree. Ella's face appeared paler than usual. She smelled the faint smell of bourbon. "Will you give Daddy some coffee and don't let him leave the house today. I have to go, or I'm going to be late for work."

(Continues…)

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Excerpted from "Love at Five Thousand Feet"
by .
Copyright © 2017 Pamela Hudson.
Excerpted by permission of The Wild Rose Press, Inc..
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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