Chapter 19

My flight was at noon on Sunday so we left for Dayton at eight o’clock to be on time. Mum had finished packing me the night before. She did this because she said I would forget my head if it wasn’t screwed on. After she said this, Mary climbed onto my lap at the breakfast table.

She started feeling around my neck, all of a sudden she said, “Mum, I think he has a screw loose!”

That broke us all up. Mary beamed, I think that was the best joke she had ever tried.

We arrived at the airport with no problems on the way. After I checked my bags the whole family escorted me to the gate. The boarding was on time so after the proper hugs, kisses, handshakes, and admonitions to call and write I boarded with the first-class passengers.

As I showed my boarding pass a photographer who I hadn’t noticed took my picture. He asked me to pose again. I did but asked him what was going on.

He gave me his business card. As an independent, he had been contacted by the airline on their behalf and the studios to take shots of me boarding. He was pleasant about it so I cooperated. I didn’t realize it at the moment, but this attracted attention from my fellow passengers.

As I got settled in my window seat in the second row I started to understand why TWA was known as the Airline of the Stars. They made certain to get pictures of anyone in the business. That way if I became famous they would have pictures of me flying TWA. If I bombed out they would never see the light of day. The studio wanted them for the TV story they were producing. This business certainly is complicated.

I looked everyone over as they boarded. There weren’t many people flying on a Sunday. Still, the men all wore suits and ties like I did. There was only one woman passenger today. She and her husband were all dressed up. She had a lovely corsage on.

From listening to her short talk with the stewardess I learned she and her husband were on their way to Hawaii to celebrate their fiftieth wedding anniversary. That was impressive, not many couples lived that long.

We buckled in and they gave the safety talk. They also informed the economy passengers they could buy two drinks during the flight. In first-class I found out they were free and no limit. I’m not sure I understood the logic behind that. I would’ve given two free drinks in first and sold all you wanted in coach with no limits at all.

I found out during the flight why they should have limits in first class. The man, I won’t call him gentleman next to me kept pounding the drinks back. He had drunk four of the small glass miniatures of whiskey before we landed in St. Louis to fuel up and change some passengers.

After we left Saint Louis he had another. He decided that he was in love with our stewardess and grabbed her arm and pulled her onto his lap. I had been dozing as there was nothing to see out the window at the moment. The commotion brought me up. I took him by his ear and twisted while lifting. Since he was buckled in he couldn’t go anywhere. That must have smarted.

This gave the flight attendant a chance to get up. She went to the front cabin and returned with the Captain of the plane. He invited the man to move to a seat in the back of the aircraft, or he could keep his seat and explain his actions to the police when we landed. He went to the back of the plane and it was the last we saw of him.

The Captain thanked me for my actions and the stewardess was more profuse in her thanks. She wanted to know who I was as she knew my picture was taken as I boarded the aircraft. I explained that I had a minor role in an upcoming John Wayne movie. I was treated like a King for the rest of the flight.

It was eight hours in transit to California but with the time change, I arrived at 5:30. There had been a little headwind to slow us down. Mr. Wyman met me at the gate. He held a little sign that had Jackson on it. After retrieving my bags he took me to my new apartment. He suggested that I change into casual clothes and pointed out where he lived with an invitation to dinner.

After changing I went over and met Mr. Wyman’s wife Janice. They seemed like very nice people. They were a little mismatched. He was taller and broader than me and looked as rugged as a mountain. She was a petite five foot two and looked like a little china doll. As dinner progressed I realized that the china doll talked like a china sailor. Still, I liked both of them immediately.

Mr. Wyman explained he wasn’t my babysitter, but he was available to help me learn the ropes. I had the impression from my parents he was to be my babysitter. This could be interesting.

I started yawning in the middle of dinner so they invited me over for breakfast at six in the morning. I told them I may not be awake by then.

“Trust me, you will be awake,” said Mrs. Wyman.

I went back to my new apartment, unpacked enough to find my toothbrush and went to bed.

I was confused when I woke up. It was dark out but when I looked at my watch it read five o’clock. Then it hit me, the three hour time change. Because of the time difference, I was awake very early.