Chapter 18

Our furniture and other household goods arrived on the following Wednesday. My parents had both been going over to the new house everyday, getting all of the utilities turned on, and cleaning and painting some of the rooms in preparation for the arrival of the furniture so that we could get moved in. They had opened up a checking account, and I had made a deposit of three thousand dollars into it. My mother and father started to buy some new furnishings on Monday, because what we had just wasn't nearly enough to furnish that big house. My father told my mother on Wednesday that she would need to hold off on buying anything for a while, but I told her that she should use the money that she'd been saving for all these years to buy the things that she wanted. The voice did something to her, and the next thing I heard from her was her telling my father about the secret money that she'd been saving just for the day when she would have her own house. The voice must have done something to my father, because he believed her story.

Wednesday morning my father announced that he had decided to save some of his leave. He said that it was because we were getting settled in quicker than he had originally planned on. He was just tired of the domestic life. He went to work on his ship, and my mother and I went off to do more shopping. He would get home around six at night, never failing to tell us about how long and difficult the drive back and forth was for him.

I had never seen my mother happier than she looked when she was buying things for her new house. She would have run out of money on Wednesday, if I hadn't added another two thousand to their checking account. By Thursday afternoon, I was all shopped out. I told my mother that she had bought enough new furniture and other things for the house. She seemed disappointed that her buying spree had ended so soon.

I hadn't seen Donna since the Sunday before, although we had spoken on the telephone several times in the evenings. I went over Thursday night to see her, and to make sure that she was ready for our San Francisco trip. While I was there, Clara treated me differently, asking me if I wanted something to drink, and bringing me a Coke when I asked her for it. She thanked me for her fancy under garments, saying that she hoped she had some special occasion someday so she could wear them.

"Why don't you put them on tomorrow, and surprise your husband?"

"Because he wouldn't appreciate it." I didn't say anything to that. I wasn't sure what she had meant by that comment, but I really didn't want to get into it with her either.

Donna and I went out for a drive, heading North to Seventeenth Street, and then heading East until we got to Santa Ana. There were a lot of kids that drove back and forth on Seventeenth Street in 1957, it was a long, straight, drag where people went to find out about parties, or just to be out cruising around.

I had told the voice that I'd go down to sign up for flight lessons as soon as Donna and I got back from our San Francisco trip. I knew that the voice was getting anxious for Donna to meet Mr. Wonderful. I also knew that I wasn't looking forward to losing her. I spent as much time with Donna that night as I could, even though we weren't even doing anything more than being together and talking. She was excited about the trip, but I was starting to have big doubts about it. For a short time, I considered postponing the trip for a week, using my parent's move as an excuse for it. I didn't know if the voice would permit it, and, I wasn't sure that the delay wouldn't upset Donna needlessly. I didn't want her upset or worried about anything.

After I took her home, I drove over to Tiny's house to spend my final night as their guest. My mom and dad were already sleeping in the new house, but I hadn't set my own room up yet. I was going to do that when I returned on Sunday night. I could have slept over there easily, but I wanted my parents to have a few more days of privacy before I moved in. On Friday morning, I gave Terri a hundred dollars, and thanked her for making me feel so welcome in her home. She tried to refuse the money, but I insisted, telling her that she'd hurt my feelings if she didn't take it.

Donna and I caught the train in Fullerton, and then had to change trains in Los Angeles. We had a wait of less than a hour at Union Station. It was crowded, and we sat there waiting for our train to be announced for boarding. It was a great day, weather wise, for traveling, a little warm, but the sky was clear, and the air quality was perfect for once. In 1957, the Los Angeles basin was usually pretty smog filled. When the train started North, Donna and I sat together on the left side of the train and enjoyed the steady sway of the train's movement, and the rhythmic clacking of the wheels beneath us.

Donna was excited to be heading North on the train. I think she had some slight doubts that we were going, right up until the train left the station. We watched the scenery, especially later, when the ocean came into view. It was a long trip, about nine hours in total time, but, we finally pulled into the station in San Francisco, and got a cab to the St. Francis Hotel. I had reserved a suite through a travel agency, and it was really gorgeous. The hotel itself was first rate. The employees fawned on the guests, pampering them, and trying to anticipate their every need. The hotel washed all of their coins, everyday. I bought some silver dollars and some half dollars from them, just so that I could tip everybody that helped us in any way.

We got up early on Saturday morning and went out to see the city. We went over to the Coit Tower, Golden Gate Park, we saw the Golden Gate Bridge, which wasn't golden at all, and had dim sum in Chinatown. We rode the cable cars up and down from Powell to Hyde and back. We went and looked out at Alcatraz Island. We had dinner in our suite, late on Saturday afternoon, and then went dancing with me in my tux, and her wearing her black evening gown.

I gave her a nice pearl necklace that I had purchased secretly at a jeweler's in Chinatown, I bought it while she was looking at souvenirs for sale in another store right next door. True to his claim, the voice had taught me how to dance, and we danced until the band quit at midnight. It was a romantic evening, not just the dancing, but having the room service dinner, with our own, personal, waiter in attendance. We went to bed at almost one o'clock, and it was truly a poignant time for me as I traced my hands all over Donna, trying to imprint the feel of her in my brain. I wanted to remember her just the way she was at that very moment, lying there, enjoying watching me as I caressed her lovingly.

"Are you enjoying the trip so far?"

"It's the best, Jimmy. I'm having such a great time. I hate to leave, because there is so much more to see up here."

"I wish we had enough time to stop off down in Monterey, I'd like to go to Carmel and look at the ocean views they always show in the movies. It's really supposed to be pretty there."

"Can't you skip a day of school? You can miss one day can't you?"

I'd like to, Donna, really. Don't you think your parents would worry if you weren't back by the time that we said?"

"I could call Vicky, and have her tell my mom. Please, Jimmy, just one more day."

"I'd have to call my parents too, and I don't remember their new number. I'd have to see if they have it listed or not. Let me see in the morning if I can get in touch with them. If I can, we'll stop off in Monterey tomorrow." I did manage to get in touch with my parents in the morning, but I had to call Terri to get my parent's new number. I told my mother about our change of plans, and she told me to have a good time. Donna reached her friend, and we had a nice room service breakfast before checking out of the hotel.

I still had plenty of money left for this extended trip, but I was starting to worry about all of the money that I had been running through. I knew that I had to save five thousand for Mr. Frenchak, and I still planned on finding ways to help Tiny and Terri get past their financial difficulties, and to make my parent's lives a little brighter too.

"Jimmy, you needn't worry about that, Have a little confidence that I can handle that aspect of it for you.

<I just don't want to let anyone down.>

It won't happen. Enjoy all the things that you're doing today, Jimmy. Stop worrying about your parting with Donna. I promise you that it won't be that difficult or painful for either of you.

<It's already difficult, just knowing that it's going to happen.>

Do you want me to prevent you from thinking about it, or from dwelling on it?

<No, part of the whole experience is for me to feel enough for Donna that my losing her hurts a lot. I don't want to miss any of it, even the pain.>

That's possible, Jimmy, are you sure that you really want to go through that?

<I'm sure.>

At the train station we had to change our tickets and pay some extra money. It was silly, because we were going the same total distance, but, they had their rules, and those rules were set up for them to make money. I paid the extra money and we were all set. When we got off the train in Monterey, I called the La Playa Hotel, and they sent a hotel car to pick us up at the station and drive us out to the hotel. It was expensive, but we got the best suite of rooms that they had available. We spent the whole day, just walking on the beach and looking back at the scenery. It was truly magnificent scenery too. There were cottages that the hotel had for guests that were more private, but we preferred to stay right in the hotel.

I told Donna that I was going to take some flying lessons after we got back, and that, someday, I'd like to fly back up here and look at the area from the air. She told me that she'd never flown, and would like to go up in an airplane sometime, just to see what it looked like being above everything. I told her that we'd make sure to do that soon.

We were driven back to Monterey before noon so that we would be sure to make our train connection. On the way back down to Los Angeles, Donna and I had the whole train car to ourselves for the entire trip. Railroad porters and the train conductor came through the car, but no other passengers were there. We had a nice meal on the train too, and drank a Coke in the club car. It was almost ten that night when I brought Donna back home. Except for my thoughts about my time with Donna coming to an end, the whole trip had been perfect.

I didn't go in her house, but I did walk her to the door. She thanked me for the trip, especially for taking an extra day so that we could see Carmel. I thought for a moment of asking her to marry me, all the time knowing that the voice wouldn't allow it, but still I felt like asking her, because, at that moment, it was what I really wanted. I kissed her good bye, and got back in my car.

You could have asked her, Jimmy. I wouldn't stop you. She would have said yes to you. It wouldn't have changed anything though, so it would have made it more painful for you in the end. Are you sure you want to endure this sense of loss? It really isn't anything necessary for you to endure.

<It will be a new experience for me. Losing someone like Donna, something like that should hurt.>

As you wish.

In Tennis class the next morning, I played a set of actual tennis with Henderson, and then another with a boy named Proctor. I was in a mood not to be merciful, winning the first one 6-2, and then beating Proctor by a 6-3 score. The coach watched both of my matches closely, even making notes on his clipboard during the two matches. He spoke to both Henderson and Proctor after the matches, but didn't say anything to me. I showered and then drove over to Santa Ana, to get enrolled in taking some flying lessons.

I met Mr. Wonderful. It turned out that his real name was Tom Foley. I wanted to dislike him, maybe even to hate him, but he turned out to be a real nice guy, and he really knew his stuff, at least when it came to teaching people how to fly. Every time I asked him a question, he'd give me an answer and then ask me a couple of questions to make sure that I had understood what he was telling me. I signed up for the full teaching program, from classroom instruction to flight training, right up to getting my pilot's license. It wasn't exactly one of those 'pass or don't pay' plans that later became so popular, but Tom assured me that I'd be able to fly well enough to get my license long before he was done teaching me. That first day, it was to be all classroom theory, but Tom made it enjoyable for and the all three of us who were just starting their lessons that day too.

One of the first things that he told us was that different people learned at different paces. He said that that didn't mean that the fast learners would be better pilots in the long run, just that they had picked things up quicker, in the beginning. He stressed safety, and told us about there being old pilots and bold pilots, but no old, bold pilots. You had to spend a lot of time in the classroom before you got in a plane and actually learned how to fly.

That said, after class, he took all three of us up in the plane that the school used for student lessons, and flew us around for half an hour. Because I paid in advance, I got a fifteen per cent discount on the tuition. When we got down on the ground again, I was as anxious as the other two to learn how to fly.

I asked Tom about how much it would be to have him take my girlfriend up in the plane for half an hour sometime. He said that he'd do it for thirty dollars, but that was for twenty minutes of actual flight time. He then told me that he sometimes made it longer if the passenger was really enjoying the ride. I set up an appointment for him to take Donna up that coming Thursday at noon. I figured that I'd bring her to the airport first, and then take her out to lunch afterwards. It would make a nice surprise for her. Since I already knew that they were going to be together, there was no point in dragging the whole thing out. The voice had assured me that Donna was now ready to meet her Mr. Wonderful. I went over to Donna's after that lesson on Tuesday, and we went over to Anaheim and got ourselves a motel room. It wasn't expensive, even if it was the peak season for tourists.