“Yes, and you do that so well,” Martha said.
Marjie and Jimmy broke apart, kissed, then he limped to the rear door of the SAA Lodestar, climbed aboard, and the door swung shut behind him.
—
When Jimmy got to the cockpit, von Dattenberg was strapping himself into the co-pilot’s seat.
“Cletus said I should sit here,” he announced. “To be of what help I can.”
“That’s known as the blind leading the blind,” Jimmy said as he got into the pilot’s seat. “Don’t touch anything!”
—
When Jimmy’s face appeared in the cockpit window, Clete ran to where Marjie stood in front of the left engine nacelle. He led her back to Martha.
They watched as the whine of the engine starter came and the left engine began to turn, emitting smoke and a burst of flame before finally smoothing down.
Hans-Peter had the red Lodestar already taxiing off the tarmac.
As Jimmy hurried to follow, he started the right engine of the SAA Lodestar.
—
The red Lodestar turned onto the runway from the taxiway and immediately made its takeoff roll. The SAA Lodestar then turned onto the runway—and stopped.
As Jimmy stood on the brakes and ran up the throttles, he looked at von Dattenberg.
“See that lever with the wheel?” he said, pointing as the aircraft began vibrating heavily. “When we’re in the air and I call out ‘gear,’ pull back on it, and then when that green light lights up, tell me. Got it?”
“Got it,” von Dattenberg said, nodding and giving him a thumbs-up gesture.
Jimmy looked out the windscreen and saw the red Lodestar getting smaller as the aircraft quickly gained altitude.
He quietly wondered aloud, “What the fuck am I doing?”
Then he shoved the throttles to TAKEOFF POWER and released the brakes.
—
Marjie shrugged out of her mother’s embrace and watched as the airplanes took off.
She turned to Clete.
“Jimmy’s airplane is full of bullet holes!” she accused. “There’s even plywood over one of the windows!”
Clete nodded. “And there’s no navigation equipment except a magnetic compass. But it’s airworthy. We flew it yesterday. Jimmy, too. He’ll be all right, Squirt.”
She threw herself into his arms and sobbed.
“Oh, Clete, I love him so much!”
“Really? I never would have guessed anything like that.”
She pushed herself away from him and looked up at his face.
Then she laughed.
“Would you, Martha?” Clete added.