task at hand.
“I’m not so sure about that,” Em said. “I think there’s only room for the pilots up there.” He looked to the front of the plane. Indeed, it looked like the cargo area began just a few feet from the small door that led to the pilot area.
“Oh, well, guess we’ll find out soon enough.” Jack pointed to the center of the plane. “Look. Once they secure those pallets, we’ll probably be on our way. Maybe we’ll all sit in one of those jeeps.”
Em didn’t think that Jack was very funny. He noticed Morton and the other man as they continued to study the papers and run straps through the pallets and up and over them. It looked as if there were no order to what they were doing. Behind the nearest mountain of machinery, Em noticed that there was a small space between pallets. The two men moved a piece of metal to the center of the plane. Next, they secured it to the beam, which ran down the center of the plane’s belly. When they secured the last piece of metal to the floor of the plane, Em noticed, to his horror, that it was some sort of bench. A row of “seats” was sitting extremely close to the floor. Individual straps for each seat wrapped around the beam on the floor. Em shuddered as he thought of sitting in one of those for seven hours. He was sure that Morton and his partner had made some kind of mistake. He noticed that the seats were facing the rear of the plane. He decided not to mention it. They seemed pretty busy securing even more pallets. Next, he started to worry about them getting too close to the rear of the plane. He thought that they were dangerously close to the ramp.
Jack suddenly began to make his way toward the row of seats.
Em said, “Where are you going? Morton said to stay here.”
“I’m going to tell them they put the seats in backwards,” Jack said as he climbed carefully over a couple of ropes. He looked back at Em and said, “There’s been enough delays. I’m ready to get out of here. I’m going to see if they’ll let us help.”
Em watched as Jack approached the older man in the coveralls. Just as Jack opened his mouth, a deafening noise erupted all around him. It sounded as if the walls of the plane were collapsing. He covered his ears instinctively. Em saw Jack do the same. At the same time, he saw the older of the two airmen reach into his pocket and retrieve two of the cone-shaped items. He immediately inserted them into his ears and looked at Jack. He reached into another pocket and handed Jack two of the earplugs. Jack inserted them immediately, and then he pointed at the seats. The older man began to speak, but Em saw that Jack had difficulty hearing him. He handed Jack something and pointed right at Em.
Jack made his way back to where Em stood and gave him a set of earplugs. Em opened the package and inserted the cones into his ears. At first, he thought that the noise had stopped altogether. He soon realized that it had only diminished. There was still a roar inside his head. He tried to say something to Jack but could not imagine having to endure this for long.
Jack got right next to his face and said, “How about this, huh?”
Em heard him, but he sounded as though he was in another room. He looked up and noticed the two coverall GIs as they secured the final pallet. The last three pallets were placed in the center of the plane, creating space on either side. Here the two of them secured more seats. Em was not aware of other passengers. They had not seen any other military personnel besides the military police inside the airfield’s hangar.
Morton approached them and got really close before he said, “Pick your seats, fellas! The ones in the middle are your best bet!”
Em could not believe what he was being told. He had to strap himself to the belly of this plane and fly over 150 miles per hour. Once again, Jack moved first. He grabbed the aisle seat on the far side, ensuring that he would be the center of attention.
Em began to scan around again at the rest of the cargo. He was looking for the pallet that contained his belongings. If he was going to ride in this tub all night, he needed access to his writing pad. He had not written Irene since somewhere in southern California. He had yet to post any of them that he had written on the train. He was disappointed that he had forgotten to do that. Now, he would have to wait until he got to Hawaii. How long would it take to get to her from the middle of the ocean? Since his mission involved a “top secret” clearance, he only hoped he could mail them once he got there. The address they had given him for correspondence was as fictitious as the story he was instructed to tell. He had lied to Irene in at least three letters. He assumed that the lies would get easier to tell, but he was wrong. Each time he tried to answer one of her questions, the lie seemed to grow. By the end of his last letter to her, he was sure he had convinced her that he would never even see the inside of a plane. How his story had evolved into such a preposterous tale, he never knew. All he was sure of was that Irene was scared. Whenever he tried to reassure her, the lie seemed to grow bigger and infinitely falser. The reason he had not sent his last letters was obvious. He did not want to lie to her anymore.
He climbed through a maze of straps and pallets and located a small pallet with several green duffel bags on it. He saw “Turner” and “Story” among them. They were only secured with two ropes, so he was sure they would be given access eventually. It suddenly became apparent that soon he would be up in the sky. This thought and the realization that he could no longer lie to Irene began to overwhelm him. He was probably as close to panicking as he had ever been in his life. He looked at Jack and saw him having a conversation with Morton. Their faces were only inches apart. Em picked the seat next to Jack.
Jack turned around and said, “Pick any one you want! It’s just the four of us ’til we get to Alaska!”
Em didn’t know if he could stand to communicate this way for much longer. He hoped the noise would diminish when the ramp closed.
He heard creaks from the plane just before he saw the ramp begin to rise. Em felt like he was being nailed inside a coffin. He only hoped the feeling was temporary. The last part of the ramp latched, and the noise lessened at once. The noise level was still deafening if the earplugs were removed. It was tolerable when left inside the ears. When Em spoke, he could hear his own voice. “No turning back now, huh?”
“What would the rest of those knuckleheads think now? I bet no one thought we’d be on our way to Hawaii! They were all jealous because we were going to California! If they only knew!” Jack was already strapped in. He leaned as far back as the seat would allow. All in all, he looked rather comfortable. He never opened his eyes when he said, “Hey, Em! Where do you think Corb is now?”
Em closed his eyes and thought of his friend. Even though he could no longer think of getting through this war without his new best friend, Corby held a spot in his life that no one else ever would. He remembered the day they had left basic training.
*****
“You know I promised her I would look after you.” Corby looked at his friend and felt a lump in his throat. He could not cry. He just couldn’t. Em was really leaving. He had thought that they would stay together, at least for a little while longer. Now Em was going West, and he was going East. He was leaving tomorrow with Larry and several others from the flight. Six weeks in Biloxi, and then most assuredly, he would be going “over there.” Em and Jack were leaving today. In just a few minutes, Em and Jack were to be driven to the train station. As far as Corby knew, Em and Jack were the only ones who were leaving by civilian train. They were also the only ones leaving today. “Em, where exactly are you going?” Corby had a questioning look on his face.
“Somewhere in northern California. It’s some kind of school that works with new jet engines.” Em had told the lie so many times by now that it was almost habit. “You got my address, so you have to write. Seriously, Corb, you have to write. I know you haven’t written home much. You have to write to me.”
The two of them stood outside of the barracks near the laundry room. The activity around them was frantic. Ever since the invasion of France by the Allies, the action around the base was nonstop.
“Things really are crazy around here. Corb, listen to me. Don’t try to be a hero. I want us both to get home safe. I think the girls back home are going to look at you a little differently now.”