Chapter 22
Hank woke up with a blistering headache, fully clothed, the ring in his hand. Yes, he had some whiskey last night, but this feeling had nothing to do with what he’d drunk. Rory turned him down. Even after everything that happened to her, she preferred life alone to a life with him.
He’d flubbed the proposal. That much was clear.
How could he propose next to a grocery store and expect her to say yes?
And after that ridiculous dinner? It was no wonder she refused.
He had to do better. He’d gotten impatient, and look where it had gotten him.
But if he’d done everything right, if he’d executed his plan perfectly, would her answer have been any different?
He needed to convince her that marriage to him wouldn’t mean the end of her freedom, but how could he do that?
There was a knock on the door. Running his hand through his hair and dusting off his wrinkled clothes, he got up and trudged to the door. Opening it and wincing at the sunlight, he saw O’Donnell. Hank forgot he promised him a ride to the airfield today.
“Look what the cat dragged in,” O’Donnell said, taking in Hank’s appearance.
“You look about as happy as she did last night when I walked her home. She explained that her father cut her off, but she wouldn’t say why.
And she refused to explain what upset her so much when she was talking with you. What happened?”
Hank waved his friend in, started the stove, and put the percolator on for coffee. “It’s my fault. We got caught together, and her father cut her off. Then last night, I proposed, and she turned me down. Said she just got her freedom and wasn’t ready to give it up yet.”
“You proposed? Where?”
Hank winced. “In the alley next to the greengrocer.”
“Well, there’s your problem right there.”
Taking a deep breath, Hank said, “Thank you so much for reminding me how badly I fucked it up.”
“Yes, you did, but you can fix it. Do it properly. Woo her. I’ve seen the way you two look at each other. She feels the same way you do. I’m sure of it,” O’Donnell said, sitting down in Hank’s breakfast nook. “It’s only a matter of time before she says yes, you musclebound oaf.”
The percolator finally boiled, and Hank poured himself a cup of scalding coffee. “You’re a good friend, you know that?” he said, burning his tongue.
“I’m sorry. What was that? I’m not sure I heard correctly.” He put his hand to his ear and waited.
Shaking his head, Hank laughed. “I said you’re a good friend. Don’t make me say it again.” He took another sip of coffee, blowing on it this time. “Let me take you to the airfield, or you’ll be late.”
“Thank you for the ride. My car is in the shop for another week, they say. How is it you and I can build a Jenny from parts in six hours, and it takes Baker’s Garage one whole week to fix a measly radiator?”
“I do not know.”
They climbed into his Model T and headed for the airfield.
When Hank got back from dropping off O’Donnell, he ate a proper breakfast, bathed, put on his best suit, and headed out to the offices of Glenn Curtiss.
The Curtiss offices were a hive of activity.
The army needed airplanes faster than the manufacturers could make them.
Automobile plants were being taken offline and repurposed to produce planes for the war effort.
No one was more in demand in the industry than Glenn Curtiss, the mastermind behind the Curtiss Jenny, the most widely used plane in the war effort.
It wasn’t the most powerful plane, but it was quick and easy to build and maintain, giving it an advantage over more sophisticated models.
When Hank told Mr. Curtiss’ secretary he was there to see him, he expected a long wait. But no sooner did he sit down than Mr. Curtiss came out of the office with Major Belmont in tow.
“Hank, boy am I happy to see you! This is Major Belmont.” Hank stood and saluted, petrified of what might come next.
“Major Belmont, this is Hank Hawley, a talented pilot, and a brilliant engineer of aeronautics. He’s advising on the new planes for the Post Office, and I think I may have convinced him to join my team. ”
“Pleased to meet you, Hank,” said Major Belmont without a hint of recognition, even though they had met before.
“Pleased to meet you too, sir,” Hank said, shaking his hand, his body flooding with relief. The major didn’t know.
“Join us, Hank,” said Mr. Curtiss.
“We need more Jennies,” said Major Belmont.
“How many?” asked Mr. Curtiss.
“Four hundred.”
“Four hundred?” asked Mr. Curtiss, scratching his head. “That’ll take six months minimum.”
“We can’t wait that long.”
“Then make the Jennies you have better,” Hank interjected, and both men turned to stare at him.
“It’s much cheaper to upgrade the Jennies you have so that they last longer than to buy more.
Put better engines and bigger fuel tanks in the ones you have, and I guarantee you’ll reduce the number of new ones you need so that production can catch up with demand. It’s simple math.”
Mr. Curtiss turned to the major. “See, August? That’s the kind of thinking we need around here to keep up with the war effort.” He clapped Hank on the back, and Hank grinned. He was going to like this job, even if he wasn’t flying.
“Hank, assuming Major Fleet signs off, I want you to lead this project overseeing the upgrades and managing the production of the new planes. You can own it from start to finish. That’s how much I trust you.” Mr. Curtiss gestured expansively, painting a picture.
That was a lot to take on, but as Hank started to mull it over, he immediately had thoughts on how it could be done. He needed to start with the supply chain for parts, and then…
“See, August? Hasn’t even started yet, and he’s on the job already.”
“Have you resigned your commission yet, young man?” the major asked.
“Not yet. I came today to get the details of the job offer. Once we have that ironed out, I’ll be giving notice.”
“See that you do posthaste, Hank. The war effort needs you here far more than flying mail.” Major Belmont wanted him to quit?
That was unexpected. He thought he would get resistance, arguments that the army needed every pilot it could get.
He also expected a drawn-out process, but perhaps he could get it expedited.
This was going to be easier than anticipated.
“I will, sir,” Hank said, hardly able to believe his luck.
“If you’ll excuse us a moment, Hank,” Mr. Curtiss said, “I need to speak with the major privately. I’ll be right back to speak with you.”
Hank sat on the sleek sofa outside Glenn Curtiss’ office. It looked as modern as the airplanes the company produced. They were ushering in a new era of widespread flying, and he, Hank Hawley, was going to be sitting in the cockpit.
Five minutes later, Major Belmont walked out the office door. Hank leapt to attention, and the major offered a perfunctory nod and left without a word.
Mr. Curtiss beckoned him into his office. “Now, Hank. I want you, and you heard the major. Your country needs you. What will it take for me to get you on board?”
He’d recently gotten a raise to three thousand a year. “Four thousand?”
Mr. Curtiss shook his head. “You have to do better than that, Hank. I don’t want the competition stealing you because I’m underpaying you. How does six thousand sound to you?”
Hank nearly fell out of his seat. For six thousand dollars, he could buy a house a year. With six thousand dollars, he could buy his own Jenny in a year or two and take Rory flying all around the country.
“Six thousand sounds grand. But you know I haven’t finished my engineering degree yet.”
“Doesn’t matter. You have deep, practical experience with these machines.
Couple that with your engineering mindset, and you are one in a million.
Plus, you’re a smart business thinker. What you said to the major back there was spot on.
I was about to suggest the same myself. If you want to finish your degree, I’ll pay for it. ”
“Thank you, sir. You’re too generous.” This was truly above and beyond what he ever could have expected.
“No, I’m practical. Plenty of my competitors would love to get their hands on someone like you. It’s in my interest to keep you happy. Now, when can you start?”
That depended. “I’ll put in the paperwork to resign my commission today. It usually takes ninety days to process, and it could take more. But perhaps you could reach out to your army connections to expedite this?”
“Say no more. Consider it done. This work is essential to the war effort. I’m certain I can convince the brass to move quickly on this.” Mr. Curtiss got up and called to his secretary.
“Mabel, I need you to type up an offer letter. Address it to Hank Hawley. H-A-W-L-E-Y, is that right?” Hank nodded. “Offer him six thousand and tuition reimbursement for his Bachelor of Engineering. Give him the job title ‘Senior Director.’ Have you got that?”
Mabel repeated it all back. “Did I miss anything?”
“No, you’ve got it. Now go type up two copies, one for Hank here and one for our files.”
“Yes, sir.” She began typing away.
Hank walked out of the office ten minutes later with that letter burning a hole in his pocket. This was his big break, his ticket to success. He might not be a Belmont, but he would be more than comfortable. Rory would lack for nothing as his wife. He would see to that.
At home, he wrote out his letter of resignation, and he drove out to the airfield to deliver it to Major Fleet. He found the major in his makeshift office just off the hangar.
“Major, might I have a moment?”
“What is it, Hawley? Come in. Sit down.”
He came in and seated himself in one of the rickety folding chairs in front of the folding table that served as the major’s desk.
“I’m here to tender my resignation.”
The major smiled. “You’ve decided to go work for Curtiss.
Major Belmont was here earlier and warned me this would be coming.
I can’t say I’m happy to lose you, but I wouldn’t want to hold back someone as talented as yourself.
And I know you can do more for the war there than here.
I expect you’ll be out of here in record time. ”
“Thank you, sir. It’s been a pleasure working for you.”
The major reached across his desk and shook his hand. “It’s been a pleasure having you on the team.”
Leaning back, he said, “While you’re here, I have some news of my own.
I’m being reassigned. A man named Charles Willoughby will be taking my place.
You and he may not overlap, but I wanted to let you know.
There’s also talk of transitioning this operation from Army to civilian Postal Service oversight.
It will be interesting to see where that goes.
Changes are afoot, Hawley, and you’ve chosen a good time to move on.
I’m sure Major Willoughby will do a fine job, but I expect the coming months to be bumpy ones, given the broader politics. ”
“I’m sorry to see you go, sir. No one but you could have launched airmail service so quickly and kept it going these last few months through all the accidents and emergency landings. It’s a big loss, and the men are going to miss you.”
Hank had heard about Willoughby and didn’t have high hopes. He was supposed to be arrogant and pretentious.
“I’ll let you go back to your business, sir. I only stopped by to drop off my letter.” Hank stood, and the major shook his hand one more time. Then he left.
On the drive home, he couldn’t help thinking about how Rory had turned his life upside down but in the best possible way.
Without her, he never would have considered the opportunity with Curtiss, an opportunity that was going to make his career.
He couldn’t wait to see her again and tell her the good news.