Cynthia Cartier - Wings

“Not bad, baby, not bad at all.” He twirled her around. “Not sure it wouldn’t have looked better on me, but you do it justice, I think.”

Liddy tried to smile but felt she might be sick.

“What’s wrong?” He held her chin. “Liddy, you’re so beautiful.”

“I’m doing this for you, you know that, right?”

“I know, and it means a lot to me, doll.” Alan led Liddy down the hall, down the elevator and to his car. She had liked the way he had guided her with his hand on the small of her back before, but now it was like he was pushing her off a cliff.

On the ride across town he tried to make jokes, but Liddy felt she needed to prepare herself for the opposite of Alan. And she was right. As they walked into the building, she stuck out like a sore thumb and she knew it. Her hair was down, theirs was up. These women floated and she walked like her feet actually hit the ground; they knew why they were there, and she knew why she shouldn’t be there.

When they hit the door to the main ballroom, Alan’s mother glided over immediately. Mrs. Alan Bradon the III scanned her from head to toe and back again, and then she held her hand up in front of Liddy like she wanted her to put something in it. “Alan dear, is this your Lidia?”

It didn’t feel natural to Liddy to set her hand on top of the woman’s cupped palm that way, but she did. And then Alan’s mother allowed Liddy’s hand to rest in her palm briefly before she drew her hand back to her side like a butterfly retreating from a flower.

“It’s Liddy, mother.”

“Oh, of course it is. It’s wonderful you could be here tonight, dear. There are so many people who are looking forward to meeting you. Alan darling, your Aunt Judith is sitting by your father, why don’t you go and say hello and I’ll introduce Lidia to the other guests.”

Liddy’s eyes practically popped out of her head as she shook, No, No, No , microscopically but firmly at Alan. Before she knew it, his mother had pushed her across the room and Alan was gone.

Liddy met Constances and Reginalds and Carolines and lots of IIIs and IVs. Formality was thick and she forced a smile and said as little as possible. As Mrs. A was running out of introductions, Liddy sensed the probing was about to begin, and she searched for Alan in the crowd.

“So, Lidia, what is it that your family does?”

“It’s just Liddy, and my parents are dead. I have an uncle, and he’s a pilot and works on planes.”

“You’re in aviation then?”

“I’m a pilot. I deliver planes and teach how to fly them.”

“Oh.”

And that was the first of many ‘Ohs’ that she received that night. Just when she thought things couldn’t get worse, one of Alan’s old college roommates swept her onto the dance floor. Liddy kicked and tripped his feet until he gave up and escorted her back to the sidelines. The man was actually trying to be nice, she believed that, but she also believed he was now feeling very sorry for Alan, ‘Poor boy, what must he be thinking?’ Liddy ended up in front of Aunt Judith, who looked her up and down grimly and said, “Who is this?”

It was about that time that Alan appeared behind her with his big, stupid, smiling face. She might have taken a swipe at him had they been alone. He took her arm and didn’t let go for the rest of the night. But by that time the damage had been done, and Liddy wanted to crawl into a deep dark hole.

Alan tried to get Liddy onto the dance floor, but the dancers weren’t trotting and swinging. No, they were waltzing a hundred different waltzes. Even with Alan as her guide, Liddy wasn’t going.

Alan seemed to have the time of his life. Unlike Joy Lynn and the Calbert Clan, it was not clear to Liddy how these could be Alan’s people. But everybody loved him, that was clear, and he loved them back.

When Alan finally tore himself away, he led Liddy to the car. She saw David standing at the open door of the Lincoln and a sense of relief ran through her. She wanted to give him a big kiss and tell him, ‘Drive like the wind and get me out of here, brother.’ She practically dove in and then looked at Alan as he slid into the back seat after her, and he was smiling, smiling, smiling.

“That went well.” He leaned over to kiss her.

Liddy leaned back and held her hands up against his chest, keeping him at bay. “What universe were you just on? Not mine, obviously.”

“What’s wrong?”

“You’re kidding me, right?”

“You were great in there! It’s over! You’re still alive!” Alan cheered and grabbed Liddy around the waist and slid her to him. “Let’s celebrate.”

She stiffened and turned to look out the window.

“You’re mad at me.”

“You left me.”

“Liddy, I did not leave you. It wasn’t more than twenty minutes and I was watching you the whole time.”

“Watching for what, for me to melt into a puddle on the floor?”

“Hold on now, you’re getting a little over the edge about this, don’t you think?”

“I don’t know why you wanted me to meet them. Are you trying to get back at them or something?”

“Are you suggesting that I’d use you?”

“I don’t know what I’m suggesting. I just don’t understand why you would want me to meet them. There was no way in…” Liddy set her face in front of Alan’s and said with emphasis, “…Hell, they were going to like me. Tell me, what was the point of that to you?”

“They’re my family, Liddy, and you’re…” Alan took her chin and turned her face to his. “Liddy, I love you.”

The words echoed in her head. Love, what was he saying? This was her buddy, her pal. She didn’t see that coming and was furious at herself for the fact. She kept hearing his words, “I love you.” He was kidding — No , she looked in his eyes, he wasn’t kidding .

She didn’t know why, but she turned and leaned back against him, then she wrapped Alan’s arms around her, gathered up all four of their hands and tucked them under her chin. They held each other like that as they drove back to her hotel in silence.

Liddy went home the next morning. Alan drove her to the airport and said goodbye to her with a kiss but no words. He hadn’t said the L word since he said goodnight the evening before at her hotel room door. There he kissed her gently and said for the second time, “I love you, Liddy.” She just held on to him tightly and was silent.

Liddy wanted to talk to Louise, but she didn’t know what she would say. ‘This gorgeous, sweet, adorable man told me he loves me, and I’m just a wreck about it, poor, poor me.’ It sounded ridiculous to her but it about summed up the way she was feeling.

It took a week and a lot of one-on-one conversations with herself, but she realized there was no way not to love Alan Bradon—it just wasn’t possible. So she settled in to be loved by him, and she was going to love him back.

The date for Joy Lynn’s wedding had been agreed upon, and invitations had been sent. Saturday June 9, 1945, Joy Lynn Calbert would be joined in holy matrimony to Lieutenant Phillip R. Mason. Alan would be Liddy’s guest and he was giddy over the prospect.

They had also made plans to meet Marina and her latest love in New York. It was all part of them meeting each other’s family and friends. Alan excitedly pumped Liddy for information about everyone in her life, as though he was getting ready to dive in and he wanted to know what the temperature would be.

As Alan and Liddy were escorted to a table at the Stork Club, he was bubbling with more enthusiasm than usual. Liddy smiled at him and thought to herself , Big money could be had if you could get just an ounce of his spirit into a bottle.