Chapter 28 #2
Easy as pie. In theory. Fortunately, it wasn’t a windy day.
She dropped her first bag, and it landed in the intended circle, if a little shy of center.
She would have to try harder on the next run.
The other ladies took their turns one at a time, and all the blue flags landed in the circle.
Hot dog! One down, two to go. And then things got more difficult.
On the second round, just as she was about to drop her bag, she hit an air pocket, and her plane jolted. The bag dropped before she intended, and she watched its descent with a sinking stomach. This was the easiest part of the trick. If they messed this up, what would Mr. Burleson think?
The bag landed just inside the circle. It had been a close call, but she made it.
Letting out a sigh of relief, she determined to do better on the next one.
Think of Ernie. Think of my fellow lady pilots. I can do this for them.
It was time for round three. Biting her lip, she dropped her bag, and…
another bull’s-eye! Millie smiled to herself as she watched the others drop their bags.
Katherine’s landed a bit to one side. Gertie’s landed right on top of it.
Rory dropped hers last, and Millie held her breath.
It landed in the center, right next to hers. Thank God!
Millie laughed out loud in relief. They’d made it through part one without a hitch. Now, things were going to get interesting. It was time for the grand finale, and it had to come off without a hitch.
Angling upward, Millie slowed down until she was right above Katherine’s plane.
Only about ten feet separated them. On a signal from the radio, Katherine held out a net.
Millie dropped a bag as close as she could manage to the center of the net.
Her heart thundered in her ears as she watched it fall.
For a moment, she thought she’d missed. Then Katherine reached out and caught it, bringing it into her cockpit, the blue scarf fluttering.
If that didn’t impress the audience, she didn’t know what would. She angled her plane upward and watched as Katherine repeated the maneuver with Gertie. The bag dropped…Gertie missed it.
“Oh, for crying out loud! We were so close,” she yelled even though no one could hear her.
But Katherine still had her back-up bag. She positioned herself over Gertie’s plane once again, and Gertie put out her net. This time it landed right in the center.
“Come on, Gertie! Come on, Rory!” Millie yelled at the sky as she watched Gertie position herself over Rory’s plane. The final drop.
A flash of blue fell from Gertie’s plane, and…
Breathe, Millie. Breathe.
Rory caught it! They did it! Now all Rory had to do was land it in a target.
Millie bit her lip and clutched the stick as Rory released the fluttering blue scarf in the distance. Time seemed to slow down as Millie watched its descent. And then it landed…in the circle!
They’d done it! One minor mishap, but they’d done it! One final loop-the-loop, and then it was time to come in for a landing.
As Millie swooped down to the field, elation flooded her veins.
Whether their performance was enough to win over Congress and Mr. Burleson, she’d given it everything she had and made some amazing new friends along the way.
If only Ernie had been here, everything would have been perfect, but hopefully she would see him soon enough.
She touched down and rolled to a halt, waiting until her propeller stopped spinning to descend from the plane.
“And that, ladies and gentlemen, was the show of a lifetime put on by these four amazing daredevils you see before you.” Beth’s voice reverberated on the loudspeaker as Millie made her way to the podium.
Her legs were made of jelly as Beth and Evelyn stepped back to make room for her.
“Thank you all for coming today. I hope our performance convinced you of the possibilities of flight. The airmail operation could do so much more with your support, especially if you let more lady pilots join their ranks. I think we’ve proven today that we can fly with the best of them. ”
The audience exploded in applause, rising to their feet and crowding around her as she walked out into the stands toward Burleson, whom she had spotted in the third row.
It took her several minutes to make her way through the well-wishers and reach him.
His gaze was just as stony and unforgiving as ever.
“Miss Aldrich, so good to see you again.” He didn’t look pleased in the least.
“Mr. Burleson, thank you so much for coming. I hope we’ve done enough to convince you to let women become airmail pilots…and to give Ernie Pritchard his job back.” This was the moment when she’d either triumph or despair. There was nothing more she could do. Her fate hung in the balance.
Mrs. Belmont and several senators looked on, observing their interaction with keen interest. A man in a gray pinstripe suit with a distinguished gray beard leaned in and said, “Albert, Mrs. Belmont here is a great supporter of mine, and she says you should listen to Miss Aldrich. I think today has proven that women can fly the mail. And with the women’s vote behind us, I think we can line up the necessary appropriations to continue and expand the airmail operation. ”
Triumph! Provided Mr. Burleson agreed.
Mr. Burleson looked at her long and hard as she held her breath. “Of course, Senator,” he said at last, and her heart soared. “Young lady, come by my office on Monday morning at eight o’clock sharp to discuss the details. Don’t be late.”
“I won’t, Mr. Burleson. You won’t regret this.” She’d done it. They’d done it. With the help of her amazing friends, old and new, they’d busted through the barrier that held them back.
“I regret it already,” he grumbled and turned to leave.
Of course he regretted it. Every step forward for women would be hard won, and this was no exception. But it was a battle worth fighting, and they’d won the day despite the odds.
And then there was Ernie. She’d done this for women, but she’d also done it for him. Would it be enough for him to forgive her after the way she’d treated him? One way or another, she would find out on Monday.