Dawn of a Thousand Nights Page 5

  As Libby neared, she tilted the plane in a forty-five-degree angle and wagged her wings at the hotel. Then she set the plane down on the grass landing strip. A minute later a young boy could be seen hurrying down the runway with a two-wheeled banana wagon, his jet-black hair flapping against his forehead as he ran.

  Libby jumped down from the plane and turned to Dan. “Hungry?”

  The boy waved. “Aloha!”

  “Aloha,” Libby and Dan responded in unison.

  The wagon was filled with all types of breakfast items, and Libby’s stomach rumbled. The boy spread out a picnic blanket for them, offering a variety of fresh fruits and homemade breads.

  “You sure know how to treat a guy.” Dan attacked the fruit placed before him, smiling as he bit into a slice of fresh mango. “The flight, the food—”

  Libby slid off her white flight turban and tossed her hair. “They say the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.”

  After refueling at the airstrip, she flew the plane in the direction of Maui, a short hop from Oahu. “Have you see Haleakala yet? From the sky?”

  “No, but I hope the volcano is extinct.”

  “It’s only been two hundred years since the last eruption.”

  Libby resumed the tour. “The Hawaiian name for the volcano is Hale-a-ka-la, which means ‘House of the Sun.’ According to legend, Maui kidnapped the sun god La from the top of Haleakala. Maui only released La once he agreed to move more slowly through the sky, giving these islands sunshine and warmth. There it is.” She pointed.

  The summit stretched as far as her eyes could see with black and red rock. There was no vegetation in sight.

  “Amazing. It seems like another planet, an alien desert or something.”

  “And look some more.” Libby took the plane in a wide turn and pointed to the slope leading to the blue Pacific. “More pineapple fields where the lava fields stop. Don’t they look as though they’re tumbling down the slope into the ocean?”

  On the way back to Oahu, she turned the controls over to Dan and sat back to enjoy the ride.

  “So why did you sign up? For the military, I mean.” She was mindlessly counting the dozens of battleships and aircraft carriers that moved between the islands of Oahu and Maui, leaving foaming white trails in their wake.

  Dan laughed. “It’s stupid, really. My friend showed up at football practice one day furious, waving a copy of Reader’s Digest. The article said that our generation—I think they called us war babies—were incapable of taking on responsibility. Said we were aimless, soft, and immature. So my buddy and I signed up the next day, to the horror of our parents—and our coach.”

  “You played football?”

  “UCLA first-string.”

  Libby tapped her finger on her chin. “Hmm. So if you’re a college player, why did you have so much trouble controlling the football that day on the beach? You couldn’t have been doing it on purpose, could you?”

  Dan wrinkled his brow. “What? You think so?”

  Libby crossed her arms over her chest and made no attempt to hide her grin. “So you joined up to try to prove something to a writer who had never heard of you, had no idea of your resolve, and most likely wrote those words to sell more copies? That’s about the silliest thing I’ve ever heard.”

  “Oh, look who’s talking, Miss ‘No-Man-Can-Out-fly-Me.’ Like you’ve never felt you had something to prove?”

  Dan dropped his altitude as the island of Oahu neared, then circled John Rodgers Airport in preparation for landing. Libby watched as his hands skillfully maneuvered the plane’s controls. His eyes were quick as they took in everything around him. And although he was undoubtedly handsome and kind, nothing attracted her more than to see the passion in his gaze as he flew.

  He set the plane down without a bump, taxied, parked, then turned to her. “Okay, enough with the flying and spinning a yarn. Are you ready for some sand and sun?”

  “Please, Dan, you’re wearing me out. It’s not like we have to do it all in one day.”

  Dan released the controls and grasped Libby’s fingers, lifting them to his lips. “Yes, but I don’t want to waste any time that we can have together. You never know what the future holds.”

  A few minutes later, after they’d refueled and prepared the plane for its next pilot, Dan took Libby’s hand, and they started back to the office.

  “I have one more thing to show you before we head to the beach,” Libby announced, pulling him toward the largest hangar—a big Quonset held up with metal struts. “This, my friend, is one of the biggest radio antennas in the world. If you put your ear in the right spot, you can hear one of the Honolulu stations.”

  They approached the big hut, and each placed an ear against the warm metal—their faces only inches apart. Libby felt Dan’s warm breath on her cheek as he sang along to Glenn Miller.

  “You and I know … why love will grow from the first hello until the last good-bye. So to sweet romance, there is just one answer, you and I.” Dan straightened and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. “Libby, I believe that’s our song.”

  Libby and Rose sat in the convertible outside the Schofield Barracks, waiting for Dan. The whitewashed stone barracks supposedly were the largest in the country, set behind massive gates with a beautiful lawn stretching out in front. Soldiers hustled to and fro in jeeps, on foot, or on bicycles. The summer sun cast a warm glow over the busy scene.

  Yet it was quiet compared to the rest of Honolulu. The traffic in the expanding city was frightful, and automobile accidents were more the norm than the exception. The roads bustled with soldiers, delivery drivers, and official cars that ferried around the officers and their families. Sometimes Libby watched them wistfully, wondering what it would be like to live their lives. Women in dresses, white gloves, and hats. Children in pressed suits or frocks, heading to the Royal Hawaiian Club for four o’clock tea.

  While she watched, an attractive young woman emerged from the barracks. Two small blond boys trailed behind her, their arms stretched out from their sides, swaying from side to side as if mimicking the planes that filled the sky. Maybe someday she’d have little boys like those….

  “Hello, are you listening?” Rose tapped her shoulder. “I’ve asked you a question twice, but your mind is someplace else.”

  Libby turned to her friend, taking in the wide-brimmed hat that Rose had recently received by mail order from Sears and Roebuck. “Hmm?”

  “I was just asking about Mr. Atkins downstairs. Has he done anything outrageous lately?”

  Libby gave a low sigh. “Unfortunately, yes. A few days ago he called the police concerning my maid. It appears that she was drying the sheets on the balcony, and Mr. Atkins thought they were signals to Japanese spies on the island.”

  “Isn’t your maid Chinese?”

  “Yeah, but the old man won’t believe me.”

  Rose laughed, and Libby sat up straighter, recognizing Dan’s familiar stride as he hurried across the lawn toward them. It was a half-jog, half-march, and reminded Libby of a junior high boy just let loose after a long day at school.

  “Not fair.” Rose threw her hands up with a pout. “Here I am the chauffer again for you two lovebirds, while Jack has to spend all week cooped up in that little ship.”

  “I know, poor Jack.” Libby blew a kiss to Dan as he climbed in next to her. “You should have dated a flier.”

  “Tell me about it. Jack’s sick and tired of having to stay below deck in the engine rooms, working on maintenance all day. He’s almost aching for some action to get them out to sea. Except for the fact that he’d miss me like crazy.” She glanced over to Libby as she started the engine. “Where to?”

  “How about Ewa Beach?” Libby pulled out her trusty scarf and tied it over her hair. “We haven’t been there in a while.”

  “Oh, shucks,” Dan moaned. “And I didn’t bring my football. Want to turn around so I can get it?”

  “No, thanks.” Libby wagged a finge
r at him. “I might kill you next time.”

  They pulled onto the main highway leaving Honolulu. Rose drove with one hand on the steering wheel and the other on her hat to keep it from blowing away.

  “Dan.” The wind whipped her words. “What happened to your friend, the one who was at the beach with you? I haven’t seen him in a while.”

  “Zeke Olson? Ah, he’s homesick like crazy. Spends most of the time in the barracks writing letters to his wife back home.”

  “He’s married?” Rose sighed. “It must be so hard to be apart. I’d love to be married. In fact, Jack and I are talking about it.”

  “Are you serious? You just met the guy.” Libby didn’t mean for her voice to sound so harsh.

  “When you find the one, it doesn’t have to take a long time to know it,” Rose declared. “Jack is sweet and fun to be around, and he adores me.”

  Libby didn’t know what to say. She waited for Dan to respond, but he must have been waiting for her, because neither said a word.

  Libby liked being with Dan. In fact, she was quite sure she loved him. But marriage? She wasn’t ready to talk about that.

  Apparently, neither was he.

  Six

  ARMY STUDIES

  COCHRAN CORPS OF EAGLETTES

  Fresh from firsthand knowledge of bomber ferrying and the role English women are playing in the Royal Air Force, Jacqueline Cochran has presented a workable plan to the War Department on the use of women in wartime. The American sorority of lady fliers would be trained to fly bombers and other planes from aircraft plants to operation bases, pilot transports, and supply planes. After ferrying an American-made bomber to Britain, Miss Cochran spent several days with the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force and made detailed notes of the outfit in action before flying back to America.

  Of the 2,469 girls who have received instruction and passed their solo tests, only a handful have reached the high rating status demanded of bomber and transport pilots.

  Lee Carson, International News Service

  Excerpt from the Washington Post, July 15, 1941

  The scents of ginger and curry punctuated the air, and a Benny Goodman wannabe played in the background as the two couples circled the table at Lau Yee Chai’s, Waikiki’s hottest nightspot and their new regular hangout. Dan bumped his head on a fuchsia-colored paper lantern as he pushed Libby’s chair in for her. Settling in, Rose and Jack chatted while Dan and Libby listened to the band made up of musicians in brightly colored aloha shirts. Dan wondered what Benny would think of this South Seas interpretation of his songs.

  Dan took Libby’s hand in his, resting them both on the wicker-edged tabletop, fingers entwined. Libby looked beautiful in her Hawaiian print dress. Her skin glowed from a summer tan. A white orchid was tucked in her carefree waves of brown hair.

  They had been dating barely two months, and to Dan it seemed she’d always been a part of his life. Yet he worried. The war in Europe mounted as Germany gobbled up nations and opened up an eastern front on the Russian steppes. The U.S. continued to receive pleas from its allies to join the fight. And with the British cutting off all supplies of rubber to Japan, and the U.S. government freezing all Japanese assets due to Japan’s continued attacks on China, he knew it wouldn’t be long until his country was sucked into war on one side of the world or the other.

  Dan felt trained and ready to do his part, but he hated the thought of leaving. His captain had mentioned a possible transfer to the Philippines. If he were shipped out, the last place he wanted to leave Libby was in the middle of the Pacific. He’d rather see her home with her father in northern California. Because if he guessed right, the Japs would strike hard and fast. Japan wanted control of every island in the Pacific, mainly for resources and supplies, and there was only one nation that stood in their way of doing so—the United States.

  The young waitress arrived and placed a large porterhouse before each of them. Dan looked at it and lifted an eyebrow. “As much as I enjoy steak, do you know what I’d really like right now?”

  “Hmm, what’s that?” Libby was cutting into her steak with gusto. She often put away as much food as any of Dan’s buddies, and it was one of the things Dan loved about her. She didn’t worry about being “proper” or trying to impress him.

  “Creamed beef on toast,” he said wistfully.

  Libby paused and tugged on her ear, leaning closer. “The music’s too loud; I’m not sure I heard you right. You didn’t say creamed beef on toast?”

  “Yeah, just the way my mom makes it. I’d trade in this steak in a heartbeat.” He laughed and leaned back in his bamboo chair, making it creak.

  “Men.” Rose glanced at Jack with a grin. “They’re always comparing everything to how their mother makes it. Jack was drooling a few days ago just talking about his mother’s chocolate cake.”

  Dan put down his fork and took a long swallow of his sparkling mango-guava drink. “Uh, actually, Libby and my mom have nothin’ in common. You shoulda seen her reply when I wrote that I was in love with a female flight instructor. Mom figured Libby was from some rich family back East.”

  Libby smirked. “Nothing could be further from the truth.”

  “And how did you respond?” Rose delicately cut her steak into small pieces.

  “Told her not to worry. Libby’s smart, but she’d happily don an apron and join Mom in the kitchen … to help with dishes, that is.” Dan grinned. “She’s let me know she doesn’t cook.”

  “My poor father,” Libby agreed with a laugh. “With my mother gone, and me in the kitchen, he was skin and bones.”

  Jack gazed at Rose. “You girls prove you’re tough in the air. And Rose here can whip up a mighty fine meal. The question is … how can you manage to do all that and be so darn beautiful too?”

  Rose squeezed Jack’s arm. “Now do you see why I love this man so much?” She placed her hands on his cheeks, then leaned forward and planted a firm smack on his lips.

  Dan leaned his forearms on the table. “Actually, I was hoping this topic would come up.”

  “Flying, cooking, or kissing?” Libby wagged her eyebrows.

  “Just wait a sec.” Dan pulled a few newspaper clippings from his pocket and spread them on the table. “You gals might be interested in this.” He also handed Libby a white slip of paper with an address. “There’s a congresswoman from Massachusetts who’s met with the army’s chief of staff to discuss a new bill. Guess what it’s about.”

  “Outlawing men from comparing their mothers’ cooking to their girlfriends’?”

  “Don’t you wish, darlin’. Actually, it seems she’s trying to start an army women’s corps that would be separate and distinct from the existing Army Nurse Corps. I guess in the Great War, female civilians who worked overseas with the army or as volunteers didn’t have official status. They had to get their own food and living quarters.”

  “Yeah, I’ve read about that.” Libby scanned the article from the New York Times. “And after the war they weren’t even entitled to disability benefits or pensions. Can you imagine, working so hard for your country and then being left high and dry?”

  Dan nodded. “While the army claims they don’t want women in their ranks, I heard they might be moving toward a compromise. They’re starting up the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps to work with the army. They might get some status and benefits, but women wouldn’t have men serving under them.”

  Rose snapped her fingers. “Oh, shucks.” She winked at Jack.

  “The bill was introduced in May, but it failed to get full support.” He gave a wry smile. “But if we get sucked more into the European war, and the Japs keep rattling their swords … ya never know.”

  Libby tucked her hair behind her ears—a quirk that Dan had learned meant she was deep in thought. “That’s interesting, but what does it have to do with us? I don’t type, and I’d never be satisfied being a switchboard operator.”

  “Well, ladies.” Dan leaned back, crossed his arms, and cocked an eyebrow. �
�I’ve heard rumors they might need pilots.”

  A pounding sound stirred Libby from her dreams. She shook off sleep and rose from her bed, noticing through the window that the sickle moon was still out. Surely it wasn’t Mr. Atkins again, waking her to report some new warning against the Japanese.

  She slid into her robe and wrapped it tight around her. The knocking at her door continued.

  “Libby, wake up! It’s me.” It was Rose’s voice.

  Libby swung the door open and grabbed her friend’s arms, yanking her into the living room. “Are you crazy? What’s going on?”

  Rose’s eyes were bright, and a smile filled her face. “I just need you to cover for me for the next few days. I have a few sunrise flights and a lesson or two. Can you do it?”

  “Hold on.” Libby attempted to wipe the sleepiness from her eyes. “Is something wrong? Your mom’s okay, isn’t she?”

  “Perfect, silly. I just need to spend a few days away … with my husband. We’re heading to the other side of the island for our honeymoon.”

  “Your husband? Rose, please. Slow down.”

  Rose lifted her hand, and a gold ring glimmered in the moonlight. “I did it. We did it. Jack and I were at dinner last night at my parents’ house, and we decided to take the plunge before he has to leave for maneuvers again. Our neighbor is a minister, and we had an impromptu wedding right there. Dad made a personal call to Jack’s CO to get approval for the marriage license.”

  Libby didn’t know what to say.

  “Oh, Libby, I’m sorry you couldn’t have been there. It’s just this talk of war. It makes lovers want to do crazy things. So can you do it? Can you take over my flights?”

  Libby grasped her friend’s arms and found her voice. “Sure. Of course. And yes, I would’ve liked to be there … but never mind.” She nodded toward the door. “You just go and be with Jack. You’re perfect for each other. You did the right thing, of course.”

  Rose offered a quick hug before disappearing as quickly as she’d arrived.

  Libby stepped onto the landing and watched her friend rush down the outside stairs, across the green lawn, and into the borrowed convertible. Jack sat at the wheel; he offered an excited wave, and Libby waved back.