Epilogue
“Ma, Kate, it’s so good to see you,” Rory yelled after they parked the Jenny behind the barn.
It had been eight months since the wedding, and they were in Michigan at last. A brisk April breeze blew as they took off their caps, goggles, and flying suits.
Rory was delighted to get her first view of the Michigan farm at long last.
“I still can’t believe your father-in-law gave you an airplane as a wedding gift,” Ma said to Hank.
“Neither can I,” he answered.
Two boys came running out of the house yelling “Uncle Hank, Uncle Hank!”
“Can you show us the airplane, Uncle Hank?” asked the older boy.
“Pete, I swear you’ve grown at least a foot since I last saw you,” Hank said.
“I growed too,” said the younger boy. “Papa says I’m four feet.”
“Amazing, Tom! Keep growing like that, and you’re going to catch up with your brother,” said Hank.
“No, he won’t,” said Pete. “I’ll always be taller.”
“Not necessarily,” said Kate. “When you’re both grown, he might be even taller than you.”
Pete gave her an alarmed look. “Well, I’ll always be older than Tom. He can’t catch up with me there.”
“Very true,” Kate assured him.
“Who’re you?” Tom said, pointing at Rory.
“It’s rude to point,” said Pete, shoving Tom in the shoulder.
“Boys,” warned Kate. “That’s your Aunt Rory. She lives in New York with Uncle Hank.”
“Aunt Rory, do you fly in airplanes all the time?” Pete asked.
“I fly a lot,” said Rory, smiling at the question. “I’m working on getting my pilot’s license, but Hank and I don’t fly all the time. Sometimes we walk. Sometimes we drive. Sometimes we even stay in one place and don’t go anywhere at all.”
Much as she liked flying, staying in one place with Hank had undeniable appeal.
“Where’s Jeremiah?” Hank asked.
“Had to go to town. He’ll be back soon, don’t worry,” Kate said.
The boys squealed in delight as they clambered up into the two cockpits.
“I think you just made their year,” said Ma. “This is better than Christmas.”
Kate came up next to Rory. “Hank has always been good with the boys. It’s a pleasure to see them together.”
“Yes, it is,” said Rory. “It’s only a matter of time before we have little ones of our own.
It’s good to see he’s ready.” They’d done nothing to prevent the arrival of children.
There was a chance she was expecting right now.
Her monthlies were a few days late. She didn’t want to say anything until she was sure, though.
“How are things going on the suffrage front? Please tell your friend Evelyn I said hello. She and I have been corresponding since the wedding.”
“I don’t want to jinx it, but I think something is shifting. Women have played such an important role on the home front all through the war.”
“I hope and pray you’re right, Rory,” Kate said, crossing her arms as she watched her boys scramble all over the airplane with their uncle.
“Ma and I work just as hard as Jeremiah to keep this place running. If we can work like men, why shouldn’t we have the same say as men in how our country is run? ”
Rory smiled. “I agree.”
“And women should have a right to their money too. I envy the agreement you have with Hank. I love Jeremiah, and he respects me. He doesn’t have the best head for figures, though.
I take care of most of the business end of running this farm, and yet I’m the one who lives on an allowance because that’s how things have always been done.
And then there’s the fact that Hank owns the farm because Pops thought a woman couldn’t handle it.
Ma put her blood, sweat, and tears into this place same as Pops.
I think it’s shameful he only left her the money and not the farm. ”
Rory began to wish she could bring Kate back to New York to join the cause. “Have you thought about organizing the other women in the area to advocate for suffrage?”
“I have,” said Kate. “There’s six of us so far, and I think our numbers will grow if we can just convince these farmers’ wives to think beyond the next harvest.”
Jeremiah drove up just then and saw everyone gathered around the plane. “Hank, Rory, it’s so good to have you here!” He walked with a slight limp as he made his way to shake hands with Hank.
Kate followed Rory’s gaze. “He had a tractor accident five years ago. It kept him back from the war, so I’m almost grateful. It hasn’t slowed him down one bit, though it pains him from time to time.”
Rory nodded and watched as the two men wrangled the boys down from the airplane with the promise of treats from Jeremiah if they cooperated. They all went inside, and Jeremiah handed them each a lollipop from the general store.
“You spoil them,” Kate said.
“And you should be glad I do, or they’d be sleeping in that airplane tonight.”
They all sat down, and Ma served everyone coffee. Hank took a deep sip and smiled. He looked completely at home.
“While we’re all here gathered together,” he said, “there’s something I’d like to tell you.”
All eyes turned to him. Rory knew what was coming, but her heart beat faster with anticipation.
“I’ve decided to give you three the farm,” he said to Ma, Kate, and Jeremiah.
“I checked with a lawyer, and he says you can share ownership if you set it up as a business. Each of you can own a one-third share. It’s not fair for me to own it when you’re doing all the work.
My life is in Mineola, and it’s going to stay that way, especially with my new job with the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company.
I should have done this long ago, and I’m sorry it took me so long to realize it. ”
Ma’s eyes went wide. Kate clutched Jeremiah’s hand while staring at Hank. Jeremiah furrowed his brow. “It’s yours by right, Hank,” he said. “Kate and I have been saving up the money to buy you out. Are you sure you want to give it to us without getting anything in return?”
“I’m sure,” he said, smiling. “I had my lawyer write up the paperwork before we left. We just have to file it with the county to make it legal.”
Ma took a deep breath and fanned herself with her hand.
“That’s mighty generous of you, Hank. Mighty generous.
Thank you, son. It means a lot to me. It hasn’t been easy since losing your father.
And Benny. I understand why your father set things up as he did, but I think he underestimated the women in this family. ”
Hank smiled. “Rory taught me some important lessons about what it means to be supportive of the women in my life.”
“And I hope you know, son, that you will always be welcome here. I know you’ve been reluctant to visit. Maybe not being responsible for the farm anymore will make it a bit easier?”
She gave him a sly grin.
“I want to see my grandchildren regularly,” she said, her eyes flicking to Rory then back again.
“I think you may be right, Ma. It’s a weight off my shoulders to let this place go. It never should have been mine in the first place. I should have realized that a lot sooner.”
Later that evening, Hank and Rory sat together on a porch swing with a knitted blanket over their laps, looking out at the stars. Rory rested her head on his shoulder, unable to imagine more perfect contentment. “I’m so proud of what you did today. It was the right thing to do.”
“Yes, it was, and I never would have seen it if not for you. I would have kept beating myself up about how I was failing to live up to my responsibilities and ignoring the obvious solution.”
“It means a lot to me that you not only gave me my independence when I asked but that you volunteered to give your family theirs too. It means you truly understand and weren’t just doing it to humor me. I’m a very lucky woman.”
He pulled her closer and kissed her head. “And I’m a very lucky man. I love you, princess.”
“I love you too, Hank.”
She saw a shooting star in the clear night sky, and then another, and she didn’t make a wish because she knew she had everything she ever wanted right here.