Chapter 2

[Janice writes]

He exited the plane and then handed Momma Shirley out. She didn't need the help but they never missed a change to touch each other. My spouses and I were hugged and kissed followed by the grandchildren along with Andy and Jacob. Momma hugged and kissed everyone. She looked Charlie in the eye for a while and then did the same to Andy. They both squirmed. She gave Bobbi and then Jacob the same searching look though neither got the stare for as long as the two oldest. All four were subdued for a while. They weren't unhappy but Bobbi and Jacob later admitted they felt they had had their emotions searched thoroughly and carefully. Bobbi said, "I wouldn't want to lie to her either. She's as all-seeing as you and my other mothers."

Charlie heard her and added, "When I lived with them while Andy was in the hospital, she questioned me about Andy. I looked in her eyes and told her the unvarnished truth. She smiled and gave me a kiss on my nose. She said, 'Get well for her then.' She talked to Andy and said the same thing. That's when we knew we would marry."

Andy came up to us and put her arm around Charlie's waist and said, "You're talking about when your grandmother talked to us." She put her head on Charlie's shoulder. "She cares and knows." I smiled. Momma Shirley had raised me from a sniveling fool of a teen into who I am now. She cares and brings out the best in people.

We started working on preparing planes and getting to know the details about them. There was a lot to learn.

The first thing we had to learn was the job of a loadmaster. The plane would fly with a crew of two. The loadmaster's job was essential on a plane this big and able to carry so much. Once in the air, there wasn't much for the loadmaster to do since we weren't doing airdrops or other of the strange and wonderful things that these planes could do. In understanding the plane, we had to plan the loading of them. Because of the weights we could carry, it mattered more than with the Otters.

Tom and Vic found a flight simulator and powered it. One of the first and harsh lessons was how a badly loaded plane could ruin a flight. Two of Poppa's flights crashed on takeoff as did one of Andy's. Everyone was embarrassed about the simulated crashes. Robby said, "Better simulated crashes than real ones. These planes aren't delicate but there is a limit and even a load that will let you takeoff might not let you land."

Andy never made another mistake and soon Tom and Vic let her check the work of others. She was tough but too harsh in her criticisms. She had been hardest on Charlie and in public. It was finally too much. He was mad and wouldn't talk to her. Bobbi was angry at her, too. The next morning, he left for Preservation officially to get some supplies but he admitted to me that he didn't plan to return.

Andy came to me crying because she claimed not to know what she had done to hurt Charlie. I said to her that she had been too harsh and did it publicly. I told her that she was supposed to help people not beat them down. She argued a bit with me on it.

Finally I said, "Suit yourself. At least, my Charlie hasn't made the mistake of marrying a cruel, unfeeling bitch." She looked at me like I had struck her and, figuratively, I guess I had. I walked away from her.

She ran to Herb. I could hear her and, unknown to her, I watched and listened. "Dad, what's wrong with everyone? I'm just trying to help." I could hear her sobbing.

Herb said, "I know, Andy. It's tough. After my first load chart that you critiqued, I quit the training. I don't need to be able to pilot a plane. I am not willing to lose my love for my daughter to do so."

Now, she really was sobbing. He just held her and let her cry it out. He walked her to a bench and they sat down. After five or ten long, agonizing minutes, she calmed down. She said, "I've been that bad?"

"Yes, daughter. I know you didn't mean it but, to give you an example, I still don't know what I did wrong in my figuring. I just quit because you made it clear that I didn't have the talent or brains to figure it out. Another example is Charlie. You publicly humiliated him and left him no out but to look like an idiot. You know that he left this morning in King with Bobbi and Jacob, don't you?" She shook her head. "He's not coming back."

"No! How can I fix this?"

"Andy, you may not be able to fix all of this. Your mother tried to slow you down, as did I, but you weren't listening to anyone. Apologizing to those you've hurt would be a good first step. It will be a while before people are comfortable around you. You treated many badly, but Charlie in particular.

"It had to be painful for him to hear from someone who he thought loved him what a stupid, careless, immature non-person he is. You were contemptuous of him in every way by what you said and how you said it. You may eventually become friends again but you may have squandered his love for you on your prideful altar.

"You probably don't want my opinion but I don't think you will be marrying him any time soon, if ever. He will avoid you and that will make it difficult for you to even apologize." She was sobbing even more.

Mindy came up to me and gently pulled me a little further off. "Jan, can they be fixed?"

"Mindy, I don't know. Before he left early this morning, Charlie told me that he felt betrayed by Andy and even wondered if she ever really loved him. He said that he wanted to get far away from her 'poison.' I know he will not come back. Bobbi and Jacob will fly King back with the supplies."