Page 26 of The Flyboy's Girl
Chapter Twelve
Paul and I continued to see each other over the next couple of months. Having a job in town helped keep me occupied and my mind on something other than Paul, although he was never far from my thoughts.
It had become our routine, on their days off, Don and Paul would meet Millie and me at either the theater or one of our favorite restaurants.
As Mr. Palmer and I are leaving for the evening, f
rom behind me, I hear, “Hello my beautiful girl.” When I turn around, I see Paul standing, looking handsome as ever, with a bouquet of flowers.
“Paul!” I exclaim as I fly into his arms. “What are you doing here?”
Laughing at my reaction Paul lifts me off the ground and spins me around. “I wanted to surprise you.”
“Well you certainly did that,” I say as he sets me back on the ground. Remembering my manners, I turn to introduce Mr. Palmer. “Paul, this is Mr. Palmer, my boss and assistant manager of the bank.”
Offering his hand, Paul says, “It’s a pleasure to meet you. Thank you for giving Ruby the chance. I know she is enjoying working with you.”
“It’s nice to meet you Paul,” Mr. Palmer returns, “and believe me when I say Ruby is doing a wonderful job. Well, I should be going so I’m not late for dinner. You two enjoy your evening.”
“You too Mr. Palmer,” I say as I move closer into Paul’s side.
We turn to walk down the street. “He seems nice.”
“He is,” I agree, “and so is his wife,” I add so there is no misunderstanding. Hugging him closer I say, “I can’t believe you surprised me! I thought we were meeting at the restaurant.”
“Well, I wanted a little alone time with my girl. Don and I thought we’d shake things up a bit. He’s surprising Millie too.”
“I’m really glad you did.” I look up at him, which Paul takes as his cue to kiss me.
We make our way down the street to a different restaurant than we normally frequent. Once we are seated and have been given our menus, I can’t help but comment. “Wow when you said you wanted to shake things up, you really went all out.”
Paul laughs and kisses my hand, “I have to keep you on your toes.”
When the waitress returns, we place our order and Paul reaches across the table and takes my hand in his. As his thumb skates back and forth across mine, he says, “I got some exciting news today and I wanted to share it with you first.”
“Really? Is everything okay?”
“Yes, everything is fine. My commanding officer told me today that I’ll be included in the next group being sent for flight training.”
“Paul that’s wonderful! You’ll finally get to fulfill your dream of becoming a pilot. Where are they sending you for training?”
“The training takes place in Hawaii, at the Kaneohe Naval Air Station. I’m really excited about that part, but it’s the leaving you behind part that I’m not looking forward to.”
“Oh Paul,” I say as I squeeze his hand. “I’m not looking forward to that part either, but this is the reason you joined the Navy. And you are going to be the best Flyboy the U.S. Navy has ever seen,” I say proudly.
“You know,” Paul says with a mischievous gleam in his eye. “If I’m a Flyboy that means that you will be a Flyboy’s girl.”
“I like the sound of that,” I say beaming up at him.
Paul smiles and his eyes sparkle as he asks, “Does that mean that I get to pin up a picture of you in the cockpit?”
My cheeks turn pink, because I know exactly the kind of pictures pilots pin up in the cockpit to keep them company. “You never know, I may surprise you,” I whisper just as the waitress returns with our meal.
* * *
Over dinner,I tell Paul about how much I’m enjoying working at the bank, and he talks about the flight training he’ll be taking part in. His excitement is evident the more he talks about it, and I couldn’t be more proud of him. Becoming a pilot so quickly is truly an accomplishment.
“You know,” Paul says, “I saw a place that does day trips down the coast. We could spend the day on a boat, cruising down the coast, and take in the sites.”
