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Ninety Days Inside The Empire: A Novel by William Appleman Williams

Flying Home to Church

Page 28

Run-Run came on to Cat. "We's way north. I see Houston down there to starboard."

"You are right about the drift, but I read it Beaumont."

"You sure?"

"Sir."

Run-Run told Operations and said they were turning south.

"Leave Houston on the west side and then begin to let down. Heavy rain and maybe hail."

Run-Run to Cat: "This is not the way I remember picnics with your Grandmother."

"She always said flowers needed water. Keep us clear of the ass end of the storm and we'll do a ninety degree onto the deck."

There was no hail, but it was intermittently raining very hard with the wind gusting unpredictably when Cat said "Now" and they banked east at three thousand feet into their approach. There was enough sun slicing through to keep it from being a daytime night landing, but in the showers it was very murky and nobody could be sure about the wind.

Mitch, who had been in the tower for an hour, put his hand on Jack's head. "Jesus, I wish I could navigate like that." But he was still nervous. Cat had done a beautiful job getting them smack on the landing vector but the damn wind and water could cause him problems while landing.

Jack felt that in Mitch's hand. "Run-Run will fly him down."

"Maybe this time Cat will do it on his own."

"We are about to find out."

"Operations to Run-Run One. You are cleared to land. Standard carrier pattern."

A new voice entered the dialogue. "This is a most imaginative exercise, Commander Taylor; with some interesting changes in the authorized procedures and language." The Admiral had been in the tower for several minutes without anyone sensing his presence. Mitch turned and saluted.

-- How the fuck did he get the word so quick. He's supposed to be home entertaining the corporations and the priest.

"Thank you, Sir."

Run-Run and Cat came down up-wind at one thousand feet, did a tight turn while dropping to five hundred on the down-wind leg and then banked together back into the wind and made a beautiful cross-wind landing.

-- Jesus, Cat has finally learned how to get it down!

Jack and Mitch hugged each other without a thought of their distinguiched guest.

"Very impressive, Commander Taylor. We will discuss all this at zero nine hundred on Monday. Then I will speak with Lieutenant Wye."

"Sir," and another salute. The Admiral was already going out the door.

"That bastard probably wanted a crash!"

"Forget it, Mitch. It worked. Let's secure. I'm pooped and watch should have changed more than an hour ago. Authorized procedures and all such good things."

Mitch laughed. "You comin' along tomorrow?"

"I'll be there and even got a handful of secret Commies."

"Thank you, Jack."

"Just give me one of your early mornin' rides some day."

Down the ladders and out the ground level door Mitch encountered an unexpected group of people. Cat and Susan were embracing each other -still.

-- Is that leanin' back and that little bulge between them rampant sex or is she pregnant?

Caroline and Run-Run and Mr. Hank were off a ways laughing, and he caught just enough to guess that Run-Run was telling them some highly elaborated story about Cat's newly discovered magic powers to get both wheels on the ground at the same time.

"Where'd you stuff the Admiral?"

Caroline came toward him. "He didn't salute us so we shipped him off to his wife."

Mr. Hank liked that, but started to ease off toward the bus gate. Mitch caught that.