Chapter 14 #2
“Not exactly,” I said, cutting straight to the point. I didn’t have time for pleasantries, not when every minute mattered. “I need your help. There’s a piece I need for a project I’m working on, a magneto housing for a Ford Trimotor. Original part. I thought you might have one in storage.”
Arthur raised an eyebrow, his fingers tracing the rim of a crystal decanter on the side table before pouring himself a glass of amber liquid. “That’s specific,” he commented, sipping slowly. “And not exactly cheap.”
I didn’t flinch at the price. Cost wasn’t an issue when it came to fixing what I’d broken, to earning even a fraction of Sadie’s trust. “Name it.”
Arthur stared at me for a long moment, considering.
“I may have something. But you owe me a visit after all this time. Come in and have a drink with me. I don’t get too many visitors these days.
Most of my friends my age are dead, or they’re getting ready to die.
Not exactly what you want to hear, but it gets lonely out here. ”
“I’m sorry.” I wasn’t just apologizing for my long absence; I was sorry for more, for the way I’d been so wrapped up in my own mess that I’d neglected the people who had supported me throughout my career.
He waved away my apology, gesturing toward an antique leather chair. “Sit. Drink. Catch me up on things.”
Reluctantly, I sat. There was something about the older generation that demanded respect, even when I was in a hurry.
So I stayed, listening to Arthur reminisce about his days working on prop planes back when aviation was more art than science, his stories weaving into the air around us as the sky outside darkened.
The longer we spoke, the more I felt my urgency bleed out, replaced with something slower, more thoughtful.
This man, who’d built the foundation of the industry I now thrived in, understood things that were hard to articulate, things like legacy and patience.
“It’s about her, isn’t it?” he finally asked after I’d told him most of the details about the project without ever naming Sadie. There was no judgment in his voice, just the kind of insight that only came with decades of experience.
I sighed. “It’s always about her,” I admitted quietly.
He nodded, as though that was all he needed to know. “Women like that are rare, Patrick. Don’t let your pride get in the way of something worth saving.”
There it was again, another person telling me something I already knew but had been too stubborn or blind to see.
I looked out at the Beechcraft on the field, bathed in moonlight now, and thought about what I’d been doing for weeks, how I’d been trying so hard to fix things quietly without ever really facing what needed to be done.
“I think I have what you’re looking for in one of the hangars out back,” Arthur said, standing slowly. His joints popped as he moved, a reminder of the years he’d put into his craft. “Come with me.”
I followed him out onto the tarmac, the cool night air crisp against my skin as we walked to one of the smaller, more weathered hangars.
Inside, shelves lined every wall, each one filled with parts, schematics, and pieces of history that would never be replicated.
It felt like I was standing in a treasure trove, but Arthur seemed to know exactly where he was going, his hand brushing over certain items as if to say goodbye before reaching for what he had in mind.
After some careful digging, he pulled out a small metal housing, identical to what Sadie had been looking for.
The metal gleamed under the hangar’s harsh lights, untouched by the decades that had passed since it was last needed.
I felt my heart leap at the sight of it, a small but significant piece in a much larger puzzle.
“It’s yours,” Arthur said, holding it out to me.
“No charge except an undefined favor in the future, that is if I ever need it. But I think you’re going to owe more to the woman you’re trying to win back than you do to me.
Get her in that plane. Let her see that you care about more than just making things right.
You want to really fix this? Make her believe she doesn’t have to carry this project alone anymore. ”
I took the part, feeling its weight in my hands as if it symbolized everything I needed to do.
He was right. Fixing the plane wasn’t enough.
Fixing the mess between Sadie and me required more than silent gestures in the dark.
It required showing up in a way that mattered to her, not just me.
I didn’t just want to help her finish this plane; I needed to prove that I could be the person she could rely on, that I saw her dreams as our dreams.
“I don’t know how to do that,” I admitted, the words feeling foreign as they left my mouth. Admitting weakness was never easy, but the time for pride had passed.
Arthur clapped a hand on my shoulder, his grip still strong despite his age. “You figure it out the same way you restore a plane. Step by step. Start with the biggest problem first and work your way down. Show up, be honest, and for once, stop trying to do it all from a distance.”
He didn’t need to tell me twice. The next step wasn’t going to be easy, and I was still afraid that I might mess things up more than they already were.
But one thing was clear: I couldn’t hide anymore.
It was time to stop working behind the scenes and actually talk to Sadie, to explain everything face-to-face.
“I’ll do it,” I promised him, though it was really a promise to myself. “I won’t let her carry this alone again.”
Arthur nodded in approval. “That’s all anyone can ask.” He paused for a second, then added, “Now go on. Get that part to her and do what needs to be done. Just remember, engines break, but trust, once it’s broken... That’s harder to fix.”
I left his estate with more than just the magneto housing; I left with a renewed sense of direction.
The road ahead wasn’t clear, but I had a starting point.
It was time to confront the distance between us head-on, no more excuses.
I didn’t know if it would be enough, but for the first time in weeks, I felt ready to find out.