Community — Still Here
Copyright© 2022 by oyster50
Chapter 16
Cindy’s turn:
First, a serious talk with Dan. “Baby, Kelly called me out on not being around for her as she wished.”
“Smart little girl. We got a good one. She approached me, said she was going to talk to you.”
“So you knew?”
“Yes, I knew. She asked me to let her talk to you herself. She apparently did that. So what’s Super-Cindy going to do about it?”
“Well, the little thing’s attached herself to my heart, so sending her back into the system is not an option. We’ll do what’s necessary.”
“I think a family meeting is in order.”
“I wanna hug my neglected daughter.”
“She’s not neglected. It’s just that YOU signed as a mother of a half-grown girl and you put that in the hopper with all the other irons you had in the fire.”
“Now that she pointed it out, I’m sure I’ve neglected my soul-mate.”
“I didn’t think you neglected me. I think we both are wrapped up pretty tightly with the business.”
I sighed. “Dan, the immortal words of the philosopher apply, once again.”
“Huh?”
“He said, ‘The future ain’t what it used to be.’”
“Yes ma’am, things are changing. Having a kid changes your life.”
“Maybe that’s it,” I said. “I’m gonna roll back things a bit. I need to give Katie a call.”
“Katie?”
“Yeah, last time we flew together I posed the idea that maybe with her business management degree, she oughta be our business manager. Geno’s getting old and Don’s flying pretty regularly.”
“Well, talk to her and Geno and Don. Explain the situation. I’m sure we can work something out.”
I started to pull my name off the flying schedules for solo runs and overnighters. I was waiting for my daughter to come home.
She came through the door with her backpack slung over one shoulder, saw me, squealed. Big hug.
“Two days in a row!” she whispered in my ear.
“Baby, I prayed and your dad prayed, and YOU showed up. Now we all need to have a family discussion.”
“Y’all still want me, don’t you?” Apprehensive face. No way I’m going to cause that face to worry if it’s in my power to do otherwise.
Dan stepped in. “Kelly baby, didn’t we say we prayed? You showed up. Do you think we’re going to reject His gift?”
“No, baby,” I told her. “You’re forever. But you made me think, and I talked with Dan, and I’m making changes in what’s going on in my life. You were right. I need to make you top priority in our lives.”
She looked at me, questioning. “I’m grateful. I was grateful and so surprised when I ended up here. I got friends and family. That’s better than I hoped for. But everybody says MY mom is the Super Cindy, and I sort of expected...”
I gathered her onto my lap. “Even Super Cindy can go off track, Kelly. I had you on the task list with everything else and needed to be told that you’re not on the same level as everything else. You’re my only daughter and you deserve more. So here’s what we’re gonna try...”
I laid out what I and Dan came up with, no more overnighters, no twelve-hour days. Sensible. After all, the other mommies were doing this.
“I don’t mind YOU doing overnighters and long days if I can be with you. Ask everybody. I’m way above grade level in my school work, so me going with you won’t hurt that.”
I looked at Dan. He nodded. She continued, “Daddy Dan, most of the time when you go out of town you’re being an engineer. I can’t go along with you on those trips. But Mom is usually the pilot, and that’s all, so that’s why I said I could be with her.”
He looked at me with a wry smile, saying, “Kelly, you’re really something.”
“I don’t mean to be pushy at all,” Kelly said. “Just y’all bringing me here is the best thing in my life. Everybody is nice to me, the adults, the teens, the young ones. But I really, really want a mom and dad, like I read about.” She observed our faces.
“I guess a lot of that is my fault,” I said. “I only had scraps of that when I was growing up.”
“But your mom’s just so sweet now.”
“I know. That’s redemption.”
“Changes,” Kelly said. “For the good.”
“So, baby,” I sighed, “am I in need of redemption?”
“No,” Kelly shook her head. “Maybe just a teeny bit.” Smile. “Maybe we all are.”
Wisdom from a nine (ALMOST TEN!) year old.
“Darlin’,” I said to my new daughter, “I might not be here. Dan might not be here. But you’ll never be alone. You have friends who care for you like they already do with each other. But I’ll tell you that I’m cutting the overnighters back hard.”
“Me, too,” Dan reinforced. “But we do have real jobs. We will make sure YOU don’t fall through any cracks. Kelly is OUR life now.”
The little thing came up to me and crawled into my lap. “You act like I belong here. You LOOK like you belong here...”
The little thing wrapped her arms around me and kissed my cheek. “I DO belong here.” She dropped off my lap and administered a hug and kiss to Dan. “Mom. Dad. Kid. Storybook stuff, ‘cept in a lot of stories Dad goes off to slay dragons or something.”
“Speaking of dragons,” I said, “Haley’s bunch is inviting us to a fly-in and crawfish boil in two weeks.”
“I got the email,” Dan replied. “We were going to talk...”
Kelly spoke. “Haley’s bunch? They’re in Louisiana, right?”
“Correct,” Dan answered.
I watched her eyes. The changes were somewhat subtle. Little upturn in the corners of her mouth. She might only be my daughter of a few weeks, but I pay attention to her when she’s talking and interacting with others, so I’m pretty certain of the warning sign. She drew a breath. Here it comes.
“That’s five hundred miles, straight line. We could drive it in a really long day.”
Dan’s eyes caught mine. Lets see if he takes the bait. “We’d probably fly, baby. That office is on an airfield. Our airfield, at that.”
I watched her. I think I could hear the gears turning. “If it’s just us, we could take the 180 or a 185, huh?”
“That’s right,” Dan told her. “But we need to get a headcount. Me, you, Cindy, then we need to see whoever’s up for the excursion.”
“I’ll do an email,” I returned. “I’m thinking it’s good case for a platypus.” ‘Platypus!’ That’s Kelly’s first insertion into the hive mind.
Teresa’s turn:
OK, text from Wally, with a picture of two Stearmans, sitting next to each other. Clones of Cindy’s bird, looks like. Text from Cindy: “Find an advertising geek from one of the local campuses — either Auburn or Alabama will work. Also, round up 3 or 4 of your sorority sisters. Cuties. Time for a bird bath/photo session, maybe. We need to sell two Stearmans.”
“Price on the birds?” I responded. “Budget for the advertising? When do you want to do this?”
“Well,” Cindy said, “The guy wants $180K for his, but we may change that. Budget — whatever you need. Maybe 2K or 3K — dunno. Something like that. Next week, probably, when I bring my bird over for annual.”
Mmk. Don got a hoot out of it — the “bird bath” part. Not quite the same as the one with Cindy’s 185s. 10 ft. ladders this time, but a few water-fights. And he did NOT like being posed next to the Stearman, wearing a leather jacket with a silk scarf, and two wet cuties looking up (adoringly) at him. You ever seen “The Great Waldo Pepper”? Yeah, like that.
Frank Jester’s turn:
Phone buzz. Pictures of Cindy’s bird, cuties washing it. Positioned in front of a couple of biz jets. Older guy in a leather jacket. Funny! Then, the call from Cindy.
“Morning Mr. Jester. We have orders for three of your Stearmans, with a couple of changes.”
“Cindy, I only have two birds. What’s this all about? And what changes?”
“Well sir, the two you have — we sold ‘em for $195K, each. Cash or wire transfer — your choice. But the other guy — he wants a 450 in his. We tried to talk him into a 275, but somehow he thinks “bigger is better”, I guess. Dan says it’s a pecker-size-contest, whatever that is.” I told him he’d have to contact you, and it would cost more. I’d suggest you bump the price, a LOT!”
“Cindy, I’m grateful, and you get $10K sales commissions on each of ‘em. But I have to ask, why did you raise the price?”
“Sir, it’s about one of our newer pilots. She’s a Business Admin graduate. She suggested the price bump, and told us a story about Cool Whip. She said it originally had another name, and was priced to sell below the price of whipping cream. It wasn’t selling.”
“She says that they changed the name and priced it ABOVE the price of whipping cream, and it started selling immediately. Something about “perceived value,” she said. Anyway, we decided to try it, and it works! What do you think?”
“I think your pilot was right, and SHE deserves a bonus, too.”
“Yup, we agree, and she already got one.”
“Cindy, two more questions. Who’s the guy in the leather jacket? And whose idea was it to wash your bird?”
“Mr. Jester, the guy is our chief pilot, Don Matzke. The idea about the bird-bath was from his wife, Teresa. She kinda runs the place. I wouldn’t know how to do it, but she does. We’ve decided we’re sisters.”
“Cindy, would you like to come work for us? We could make a spot for you...”