actions. “So were you sneaking off to smoke?”
Laughing, Helen shook her head. “No not sneaking, although I don't make a habit of smoking. I only do it when I'm stressed,” she confessed as she walked around the nose of the plane and climbed up onto the wing.
“You're stressed?” Lily asked surprised, following Helen she accepted her outstretched hand and scrambled onto the wing beside her.
“Aren't you?” Helen smiled sadly. “I'm terrified of not being good enough to graduate. I'm even more terrified of washing out before I even get to go up in one of the training planes, never mind one of these babies.” She smiled patting the wing. She lay down, shivering slightly at the cold metal through her thin shirt. Lily lay down beside her and they both stared up into the dark rafters of the hangar.
“Can I ask you something?” Helen said quietly.
Lily hesitated before warily uttering, “Sure.”
“Why did you say you weren't married?” Helen turned to face Lily a look of confusion on her face, she realized that Lily had stiffened at her question. “I'm sorry, it's none of my business, forget I said anything.”
“No.” Lily exhaled. “How did you know?”
“At your interview you were wearing a wedding ring and I saw your name on some papers and your family name was McAllister not Rivera, Liliana,” she grinned as Lily rolled her eyes at hearing her full name. “Plus you almost said McAllister when you introduced yourself.”
Lily turned, “You seem to be paying close attention to me Miss Richmond.”
“You intrigue me,” Helen answered honestly.
Lily felt her breath hitch slightly at Helen's admission, “I'm widowed, my husband Henry was killed earlier this year, his plane was shot up, he tried to land with a dead engine at full speed with no flaps, and still being shot at, he hit a grove of palm trees and firebombed,” Lily recited with no emotion in her voice.
“Wait…McAllister? Henry McAllister?” Helen sat up, her eyes wide in surprise. “ The Henry McAllister, Medal of Honor, cover of Life Magazine. That Henry McAllister was your husband?” she frowned wondering why Lily would choose to ignore being married to someone who had been heralded as an all-American hero and whose death had been mourned by a nation.
“That's him, my loving husband Henry,” she gave a mirthless laugh. “We met through music. He played the clarinet, he was a sweet man then,” she smiled sadly. “Do you know I taught him to fly, the first time I took him up he threw up, and then he becomes this hot shot pilot, claiming more victories than any other pilot and getting himself killed in the process,” Lily said with a hint of anger in her voice.
“I, I don't understand,” Helen shook her head looking down at Lily. “Why don't you use his name?”
Lily sat up, her finger playing nervously in her lap, “Three weeks after I got the telegram telling me my husband was dead, I get a blonde woman on my doorstep, Henry's mistress. Turns out my dear husband as well as being a condescending bully had been cheating on me the whole time we were married.” Lily switched her focus from her fingers to the blue eyes looking at her full of concern and empathy. “People don't like to hear ill of the dead,” she spat. “And while Henry may have died honorably, when he lived, he was the most dishonorable man I know.” Lily took a breath releasing her fury, “So forgive me but I'd rather not have people put two and two together and have to stand there while they tell me I was lucky to have been married to such a hero and that they're sorry for my loss.” She tore her eyes from Helen and laid back down returning her attention to the rafters; she felt her heartbeat slow down again as her anger dissipated leaving her with the usual emptiness that settled in her heart when she thought about her late husband.
Helen reached out and placed her hand on Lily's thigh. “I'm sorry for your loss, I mean in terms of losing
Laughing, Helen shook her head. “No not sneaking, although I don't make a habit of smoking. I only do it when I'm stressed,” she confessed as she walked around the nose of the plane and climbed up onto the wing.
“You're stressed?” Lily asked surprised, following Helen she accepted her outstretched hand and scrambled onto the wing beside her.
“Aren't you?” Helen smiled sadly. “I'm terrified of not being good enough to graduate. I'm even more terrified of washing out before I even get to go up in one of the training planes, never mind one of these babies.” She smiled patting the wing. She lay down, shivering slightly at the cold metal through her thin shirt. Lily lay down beside her and they both stared up into the dark rafters of the hangar.
“Can I ask you something?” Helen said quietly.
Lily hesitated before warily uttering, “Sure.”
“Why did you say you weren't married?” Helen turned to face Lily a look of confusion on her face, she realized that Lily had stiffened at her question. “I'm sorry, it's none of my business, forget I said anything.”
“No.” Lily exhaled. “How did you know?”
“At your interview you were wearing a wedding ring and I saw your name on some papers and your family name was McAllister not Rivera, Liliana,” she grinned as Lily rolled her eyes at hearing her full name. “Plus you almost said McAllister when you introduced yourself.”
Lily turned, “You seem to be paying close attention to me Miss Richmond.”
“You intrigue me,” Helen answered honestly.
Lily felt her breath hitch slightly at Helen's admission, “I'm widowed, my husband Henry was killed earlier this year, his plane was shot up, he tried to land with a dead engine at full speed with no flaps, and still being shot at, he hit a grove of palm trees and firebombed,” Lily recited with no emotion in her voice.
“Wait…McAllister? Henry McAllister?” Helen sat up, her eyes wide in surprise. “ The Henry McAllister, Medal of Honor, cover of Life Magazine. That Henry McAllister was your husband?” she frowned wondering why Lily would choose to ignore being married to someone who had been heralded as an all-American hero and whose death had been mourned by a nation.
“That's him, my loving husband Henry,” she gave a mirthless laugh. “We met through music. He played the clarinet, he was a sweet man then,” she smiled sadly. “Do you know I taught him to fly, the first time I took him up he threw up, and then he becomes this hot shot pilot, claiming more victories than any other pilot and getting himself killed in the process,” Lily said with a hint of anger in her voice.
“I, I don't understand,” Helen shook her head looking down at Lily. “Why don't you use his name?”
Lily sat up, her finger playing nervously in her lap, “Three weeks after I got the telegram telling me my husband was dead, I get a blonde woman on my doorstep, Henry's mistress. Turns out my dear husband as well as being a condescending bully had been cheating on me the whole time we were married.” Lily switched her focus from her fingers to the blue eyes looking at her full of concern and empathy. “People don't like to hear ill of the dead,” she spat. “And while Henry may have died honorably, when he lived, he was the most dishonorable man I know.” Lily took a breath releasing her fury, “So forgive me but I'd rather not have people put two and two together and have to stand there while they tell me I was lucky to have been married to such a hero and that they're sorry for my loss.” She tore her eyes from Helen and laid back down returning her attention to the rafters; she felt her heartbeat slow down again as her anger dissipated leaving her with the usual emptiness that settled in her heart when she thought about her late husband.
Helen reached out and placed her hand on Lily's thigh. “I'm sorry for your loss, I mean in terms of losing
Similar Books
