"Wiley..." Kit turned to the old man and smiled, "what do you want
for the flyin', pard?" handing him the goggles, adding, "heck of a ride, pal
...heck of a ride...and beautiful sight..." looking back at Elaine, "...thanks,
captain," reaching in his pocket for his roll.
        "Well, Cody...you're sure welcome. I'd like to give it to ya, knocker,
but let's just leave it at what it was worth to ya."
        "That's the nicest I've ever heard him talk to anyone," Elaine smiled
with her brows up in mild surprise.
        "Shush, precious...don't let him know that," Orv joked.
        Kit peeled off two hundreds and a fifty and handed them to Wi. "I'm
feeling it's worth even more," he said.
        "Well, feel all you want, there, Cody," Wile grinned, then added, "this
is mighty generous of ya, though...really, champ. Thanks."
        Orv leaned over to Elaine's ear and quietly said, "did we just hear him
say thanks?" then, trying to take the money out of Wi's hand, added, "come
on, Armstrong, I get some for those girls too," and Elaine playfully punched
his shoulder.
        "I wish you guys would tell me what's goin' on," Tom said, a little
dejected from being left out. So Orv, then Wiley, filled Tom and Elaine in
on their version of the girls story. Kit tried to straighten it out, but the old
guys were too good.
        Then Elaine came in at a pause, "well...sure is a good thing we don't
have any money, I guess," taking the money from Wiley, "the way you ol'
boys carry on. Buffalo...you know I believe you, right?"
        "Aw sure, take his side, peaches. Jeezall, O Dub, my own flesh and
blood," Wile razzed, giving a sad puppy look toward the money.
        "Uh," Kit answered, "it's not Buffalo, Elaine...it's Kit."
        "Oh...Is it still Cody?" she asked.
        "Yeah. Kit Cody."
        "You see what I go through with them now, don't you?"
        "Have they ever been locked up?" Kit came back, evoking some
laughs, followed by Wi and Orv laying into him with affectionate insults from
their own bags of insolence until Kit added, "well...luckily for me, I've gotta
be gittin'. Sure's been one heck of a ball, though...and sure has been total
pleasure meeting you, Elaine. You guys take care of her now."
        The other guys answered, "O, we will" or the like, almost in unison, as
they all started toward his Mooney with him.
        But Wi added, "ain't it always the way, O Dub? They never want
anyone to watch out for us. We're just the heroes...but the wrong sex and
age." Elaine gave him a love tap as they all walked.
        Kit shook his head with a smile, "man's luck of birth, Wi. It's an enigma,
isn't it?"
        "What's he calling me?" Wiley sassed Orv's direction.
        Orv snickered, then answered, "he sounds like one of those feminal
sympathizers, don't he, Dub'ya?" then added as they reached the plane, "well,
Buff...it's been good havin' ya, 'spite 'cher lyin' 'bout that hooch and those
girls," stretching out his hand with a big smile.
        "You ole fox," Kit responded as he took Orv's hand, "I hope we can do
some flying in the future..."
        "Isn't that special," Wi commented.
        "You too, Wi..." Kit laughed as he finished shaking with Orv and
reached out for Wiley.
        "After the way you turned on me?" Wiley smiled, "get in line, rockhead,"
giving Kit a little brows-up head bob in Elaine's direction as they shook.
        Kit gave him a 'wise to that' look back and they smiled while he added,
"well, at least it'd be fun to see you guys again, I guess. You all always here?"
        "All'a us 'cept O Dub, if ya know what I mean," then, sounding actually
pretty warm, added, "nice flyin', though, Cody...anytime you wanta come back
I guess we could put up with ya and, I don't know, maybe give you another
lesson or rent 'm to ya or, hell, you give us the right bucks, we might even sell
'm to ya. You're all right, Buff'lo...'spite how ugly peaches thinks y'are."
        "GRAMPAW!" Elaine gave him a punch.
        "He's actually sayin' you come back now, hear, Buff," Orv chuckled,
"he's just a little shy's all."
        "Yeah..." Kit laughed. "I get the feelin' it's a little hard sometimes for 'm to
get his point across."
        "Hell, Cody," Wile came back, "at our age, anything's considered hard,"
and Elaine punched Wiley's arm again as they all laughed.
        "Well, before Viagree, anyway," Orv added.
        "Where're you from, Cody?" Wi asked as he and Orv kept Elaine from
hitting them more.
        "New Mexico..." answering as he got a quart of Aeroshell out of the
baggage compartment, then walked to the front of Jule and poured a little of
the quart into the oil fill tube while he added, "but originally from Cincinnati,
then Colorado...Florida...Nevada..."
        "Cincinnati?! You a Razorback, Buff?!"
        "Ohio, Orv," Kit answered, finishing up with the oil.
        "You git this way often?" Wiley wondered.
        "Not too often, Wi...not before today, actually," checking Tom's look on
the oil, then they smiled at each other as Kit passed him the bottle (don't want
to put it back in the plane after opened), cleaned up the drop on the lip of the
oil tube with the rag Tom handed him, screwed the dipstick back in after
rechecking the oil level and reclosed the little oil door while saying, "you
rockheads ever get out my way?" then reached under the cowl to drain the
fuelcock.
        "Gittin' that cock, huh, knocker?" Wi couldn't resist, and collected another
punch from Elaine. "Ow!" he reacted.
        "Yeah, Buff," Orv answered, "we git out there when Dub'ya gits lost. Fact,
we git out there a lot."
        Kit got out his Cross pen and little notebook as they laughed, wrote down
his name and number on a page, tore it out and started to hand it to Wiley.
"Well, in case...give me a call, hey?" then turned to hand it to Elaine, "I better
give this to you, Elaine...for safe keeping." She took it with a smile.
        "O, that's plenty smooth, there, Romeo," Wi quipped, adding, "Tommy,
go get Cody a card," and Tom took off for the office; then Wiley added, "well,
you come back to fly the 18. Maybe Orv'll have the cowling back on by then.
You'd love it. You'd love 'er...know what I mean, bean?" He had meant Elaine,
naturally, given away by a more obvious head bob, and she punched him once
more.
        "Holy...I don't know what's goinna be bruiseder, peaches...your hand or my
arm!"
        "I'll be back," Kit laughed, smiled and winked at Elaine, then drained the
other cocks under the wings and got all set to go as they swapped more
thoughts, barbs, feelings or wise saws. "Well, pards, it's been grande," he added
as Tom got back and handed him a card. "Don't let these ole rockheads get
away with too much, Tom," as they reached to shake and Tom answered in kind
as Wile remarked about being called "ole" and "rockhead" again. Then Kit
reached for Elaine's hand, and kissed it once more, then kidded, "and I just don't
know what to say about you, granddaughter." The words weren't needed, though.
His face was saying, "if only...."
        She felt those feelings, there in front of Tom and the old guys. It was natural,
as they shook easily. "We'll see you again, Kit Cody," she said tenderly. "I'm sure
of it," holding hands with him again.
        "Well, now," Wi cut through the thick air, "that's all settled. 'Less we're all
pilin' in his plane with 'm." They laughed again at "Grampaw", and Kit and Elaine
let go of each other and Kit started toward the wing.
        "So, where you goin' to pick up those girls, Buff?" Orv torted.
        "Well, I thought I'd try Kentucky, then maybe Washington," as he stepped
up on the wing and opened the door.
        "Well, hey now...if you get to Washington, you've got to give Uncle Willy
our finest howdy do," Wi said.
        Kit laughed, "I'd bet he knows you guys real good," as he sat down in the
door seat.
        "Yep," Orv related.
        "Yep what?" Kit wondered.
        "Yep he does know us real good," Wiley informed him.
        "Wo! I'm impressed," Kit's brow rose. "Well...what do you want me to tell
'm....You know, when I talk with him, you understand."
        "Aw," Wi smiled, "jus' tell 'm we said he's not doin' too bad a job...for a
rockhead."
        "Yeah..." Kit couldn't help laughing again, shaking his head. "Yeah, Wi...
I'll, uh, tell him that." He looked at Tom, then Elaine, both smiling like 'yeah, that is
what to tell the President of our United States.'
        "Yeah, good, Cody. He'll...hill 'preciate that," Wile grinnned.
        "Well...all righty then, Wi...I'll let you know what he says..." and laughed.
"So...happy trails, everyone," he smiled as he scooted over to the left seat and
started buckling in. They all had more goodby remarks of some sort as he went
through start-up procedure and 'by'd' them all back, then was all set and said,
"clear" (just out of habit).
        Well, that's all Wiley needed. "CLEAR?!...We're CLEAR, rockhead. The
dam prop's in FRONT of the air-o-plane, last I recollected. You lost in lust or
somethin', Cody?" Elaine punched him one more time. But he kept up, "don't 'chu
FRET, now, we'll all get CLEAR. Come on, everybody, let's get clear now."
They all stood right where they were, though, laughing, as Wi rubbed his
shoulder where Elaine had punched, and finished, "is THIS good?!"
        "Yeah," Kit laughed, nodding his head, "that's pretty good, Wi. Uh...I'm
going to start the engine now...O-K?"
        "Hay, you're the dam guy in the pilot seat," Wi smiled back. "Happy
motoring now." The others had a few more words of chuckling farewell and Kit
hit the starter and the engine drowned out all but the yellin' talk. They all saluted
or waved to each other as he rolled off toward the runway, just shaking and
nodding his head, chuckling, smiling and thinking about it all. Especially Elaine. God.
        He brought Pute up to the right seat and let him know he was back and that
the cell would be off soon. He got all set to fly, then called radio to advise other
traffic - if any - of his imminent departure.
        Wiley's voice came back over the speakers: "you're clear to go, airknocker
one. Wind's breakin' from my left - Orv, use the cork, huh? - and, uh, blowin'
West about 3o to 11 (giving the time). That a problem for 'm, you think, peaches?"
Uh, over, rockhead..."
        Kit radioed back, "the wind out here's no problem...nine Juliet rolling
Boone, departing Northeast. Adios, y'all..."
        "No traffic, uh, nine, uh, what was that other number, 'Laine? Oh yeah...
'jew-el-yet'...'cept, watch OUT..." and Kit jerked his head around inside his
cockpit, expecting to see a plane trying to land on top of him or who knew
what, "...there IS that Stearman and all on the ramp....You sure you can clear
everything, over?..."
        "The guy should be on stage," Kit said aloud to himself, after a breath of
relief, as he picked up speed down the runway and turned off the cell phone.
He called again, "uh, Wile...you should charge admission..."
        "I ain't admittin' to nothin', Buff'lo..." Wi's voice crackled back.
        Kit lifted off, cranked up the gear, leveled off at ten feet and made a steep
turn around toward the office. They saw him coming, went outside and waved
as he buzzed right over, then zoomed up and headed Northeast, rocking his
wings, then did a barrel roll, revising his radio advisory as he did in case there
were any other pilots in the twilight zone with him. "I've got to go into business
with these guys," he told himself outloud.
        Wiley came back on the radio, blurting out old World War II flying corps
jibes and such for one bunch of miles, then ended with sounding like he didn't
know the mike was on and telling someone in the office, "...yeah, 'member, he
had that cowboy show a while back..."

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