Andrea Millhouse Pt. 06

"...Let's watch something, in bed tonight, Tim." Andrea said, reaching for a towel as she stifled a yawn. She was currently tired and ready to board a plane and head back home to Nevada soon, I knew, and so was I.

"What's your shirt say?" I innocently asked Andrea as I looked at her breasts while we stood naked together within the draining bath water now.

Andrea was tired and instinctively looked down at her breasts whereupon I smacked her on the lips with a kiss when she looked back up. I then laughed at her surprised expression for having been suckered with such an adolescent ploy.

"God, you're such a shit, Tim." she replied tiredly. I kissed her again and she smiled slightly with her eyes closed.

"Your hair stylist is in-love with you, Andrea Millhouse" I said looking down at her seriously.

"I know" she said, reaching up and caressing my cheek.

"Baby, what's wrong?" I asked looking deep into Andrea's eyes now.

Andrea's hand dropped from my cheek and she looked away from me then. After a few seconds she quietly replied with "Daddy would have been ninety nine today, Tim."

I took the large towel from Andrea's hand and draped it over her shoulders and then held her close for a few minutes, saying nothing. A few minutes later I wiped her tears away and finished drying Andrea with the towel, we were standing in an empty bathtub now.

I held her close without saying anything as we lay in bed together and watched a Columbo episode which Andrea had on her lap-top. We would be getting on a plane and heading back to Laughlin within a few days as the daylight in Alaska was already getting noticeably shorter now during the days and the mornings cooler. Termination dust had already appeared on the mountains surrounding Anchorage ...the writing was on the wall and winter in Alaska was fast approaching. Andrea and I did manage to tough it out and bicycle the Coastal Trail a few times on two of the recumbent bicycles which I kept at the condo but the rides were cold and laborious. It was time to go play in the warm Nevada sunshine again.

After the Columbo episode was over, I made love to Andrea and tried to perform the act with as much selflessness as I had within the sleeper of Long Grey Cloud during our road trip. Afterward she rolled on top of me and just looked down at me without speaking for several minutes as she caressed my face. Andrea then reached up and popped a nicotine lozenge into her mouth.

"He would have been extremely proud of my selection of you, Tim." Andrea suddenly said of her father.

"Thank you Andrea, Mom would have adored you, honey." I replied quietly and pulling her closer.

Andrea laid her head on my chest; we were then silent for several more minutes.

"...During their missions in the B-17 the air crews had been afraid, Tim. They'd been so terrified that they would vomit ...the history documentaries on the B-17 that you and Ricky love so much don't show you that part. The documentaries also don't tell you that the air temperature at twenty five thousand feet is fifty below zero. Nor do the documentaries mention the frost bite that was suffered by the crews or that the pilots would break out in sweat while they tried to keep the lumbering bombers from colliding into each other while they held formation -the bombers were referred to as 'Heavies' and for good reason.

Flying formation, the B-17 pilots had to constantly fight the turbulent air currents of the Fortresses in front of them and it was extremely exhausting for them. The flak and bullets being fired at them were real, so were the bombs they dropped ...many people from both nations died horrible deaths, in the air and on the ground. ...My father never spoke of any of this but when I was eleven years old I began reading books and newspaper accounts on our school's microfiche to try and understand what he had been through in the war against Hitler.

...Although my father had been afraid during every single one of his missions, he'd always instinctively known within his heart that he would come home and raise a family - that's who my father really was, Tim, a quiet family man." Andrea now whispered.

Andrea rolled onto her back and stared up at the darkness as she continued

"Dad suffered from horrible nightmares and stomach disorders for years after the war, I remember. My mother, as you know, was full blood Cherokee and although very small, she had the courage and inner strength of a lioness. She was also a quiet and gentle woman with incredible wisdom and an astute ability to instantly assess the heart within others. Being in-love with my father to her last breath, she had wanted desperately to help him cope with his post war anxiety and had tried everything she could possibly think of - yet to no avail. Finally a Tribal councilman that she greatly respected had made a suggestion which she immediately acted upon.

She got help from an acquaintance in the Phoenix German community and began a written correspondence with someone in Munich named Ingrid whom eventually gave her the postal address of a man in Remagen Germany, a man named Adolf Galland. Mister Galland had flown with the Luftwaffe during the war. My mother, through written correspondence, had then asked if Mister Galland would be willing to correspond with a former adversary for the purpose of closure to a horrible conflict? After several weeks we got a reply letter from Germany in the mailbox from Mister Galland, himself."

Andrea rubbed her forehead and paused briefly.

"I remember the stationary which the letter was written on and the neat penmanship. The letter was also in remarkably well written English, not German, which Dad instantly viewed as a sign of respect and courtesy upon the part of Mister Galland. With some hesitation and my mother's prompting, Dad immediately wrote back to Mister Galland and with the help of our neighbor Olga Schultz, Dad wrote the corresponding letter himself, in German. The letters eventually numbered in the dozens and then in nineteen seventy, Dad and mother flew to Germany and met Mister Galland. They were gone for several days, I remember...

When my parents came home from Germany, Dad looked twenty years younger and his stomach issues and nightmares stopped after that ...I remember the way he held Gail and I when he and Mom walked through the door with their luggage that night" Andrea said, reaching for me now.

Andrea rolled toward me and I held her.

"...I miss them both so much some times, Tim." Andrea said, covering her face.

"That's an awesome story of an awesome man and lady. I wish we could have all met, I love you honey." I said quietly and firmly caressing Andréa's back...

Andrea fell asleep in my arms as I stroked her hair and pondered her father, Lake. The logic behind facing one's own fears to find inner peace was as old as time itself, I knew. In today's world soldiers returning with P.T.S.D did have a few more tools for adapting to their post war life than in Lake's time. They now had counselors and support groups which still didn't make things much easier for the returning soldiers but according to some Veterans which I personally knew, they helped. I had also heard of groups of Veterans returning to Vietnam with tidings of peace offered while in search of their own inner harmony and closure.

Apparently these peaceful sojourns had been extremely therapeutic for American and Vietnamese Veterans alike. Andrea's story of her father and Adolf Galland reinforced this approach and I surmised that Lake's visit to Germany had most likely been as healing for Adolf Galland as it had been for Lake, himself. I also knew that Allied bomber crews hadn't been the only ones dealing with terror during the air war over Europe; Luftwaffe pilots had actually coined a phrase for the B-17 formations which they constantly faced... "vier motor schreck" - four engine fear.

Jesus, what a mess, I thought disgustedly as I calculated all of the lives and material waste of conflict throughout history. After a few minutes of this morbid reflection my thoughts inevitably turned, yet again, to the man who had been known as Rick Sheffield, my biological father. I instinctively knew that the remote possibility of meeting his living family members would be my own pilgrimage to inner peace and closure within myself, similar to Lake's visit to Germany. A steadfast woman stood beside me as well, just as one had stood beside Lake when he had boarded a plane for Germany and destined to meet Adolf Galland.

I pulled Andrea closer to me and then reflected on her earlier description of her mother "My mother, as you know, was full blood Cherokee and although very small, she had the courage and inner strength of a lioness. She was also a quiet and gentle woman with incredible wisdom and an astute ability to instantly assess the heart within others." Upon reflection now I was suddenly aware that, without her realizing it, Andrea had subconsciously described her own true self.

Andrea and I slept.

____________ 14 __________

I looked out the starboard window at the bleak and darkened landscape surrounding Ted Stevens International Airport in Anchorage. The time was now nine fifteen PM as we slowly lumbered along the taxiway enroute to our designated runway for take-off. I loved the Alaska summers but hated the God-awful cold, dark winters vehemently. I always had. The jetliner suddenly made a slow and sharp turn to starboard and abruptly stopped, engines eagerly straining in their mounts. It was time to fly, figuratively as well as literally.

Andrea, sitting silently beside me within the din of soft voices and occasional laughter of other passengers, was obviously lost in her own thoughts as I stared out the window. Looking out at the blue runway lights now, my mind began to drift and I began thinking of all of the loads of gravel which my co-workers and I had delivered to the airport during various phases of runway improvement over the years. Many of those very loads of gravel were now directly beneath Andrea and I as we presently sat on the taxiway, awaiting take-off clearance.

Working on the runways was always intense, as there were taxiing aircraft, flaggers and heavy construction equipment all present within close proximity of each other. The traffic on our two-way radios was intense at times also because there was always a constant change in directions or with the material being hauled, you had to "look sharp" when you worked out here. I did a quick calculation in my head and realized that I personally had hauled at least, ten thousand loads of gravel to the airport over the years - the improvements and construction work out here would never end...

In thinking of those good, airport jobs, I recollected some of the more humorous moments during the projects. I thought of the different people who had been present, including Hans, and some of the light hearted jokes that had been told during some of the lull moments. I then silently wondered where Hans currently was with the third Coy Hearth truck. I surmised that he would most likely be somewhere in the middle of Canada about now, close to Jake's Corner. He was probably having a blast and enjoying every minute of the journey, I thought, smiling. Andrea and I had promised to pick him up at the airport when he returned to Nevada. It would be good to see Hans again and spend some more time with him; Andrea had grown quite fond of him over the last year. As I continued looking out the window, I smiled once more as my mind suddenly began to replay the long distance telephone conversation I had made the day before.

"...You're serious? - you GAVE her the fuckin' thing?

"Yeah, I gave her the fuckin' thing, OK?" I had replied patiently.

"What the fuck did you do that for?"

"Because I LOVE her, OK? Get over it." I then said, as if talking to a child.

"You LOVED Susan too, remember?" Ricky had chided.

" - RICKY did I say anything when Brenda backed the car through the fuckin' garage door at Mom's house that time? Did I say ANYTHING negative toward her? Did I say ANYTHING negative when she did it the SECOND time? When they demolished that fuckin' house it had a BRAND NEW garage door, REMEMBER?" I had asked with my voice rising slightly.

There had been a sullen silence over the other end of the phone line then.

"Ricky, I love Brenda and have always accepted her but you need to grow-up now and start accepting Andrea. She's a fine lady and has made every effort to befriend you and Brenda both, but YOU'VE always come-on like a STIFF PRICK every time she's been present and that needs to stop - here and now. As far as the Deuce is concerned, she can have the fuckin' thing. The car belongs to Andrea now and Andrea belongs to me, so what the fuck's the difference?" I had then asked a little heatedly, the Deuce being the Ford coup, of course.

"...OK, Tim, I'll work harder at accepting her, - for you, brother." Ricky then said quietly.

"...Ricky, what's up? What's really going on with you, man? We've never kept secrets from each other and something has been bothering you for a while now, brother, what is it? Is Tex leaning on you for money or sanctuary when he gets out of the joint? You know how I feel about that worthless sonofabitch" I had said, pointedly.

"No... Tex is going to stay with his sister when he gets out, I can handle Tex coming or going, Tim. I told him that we could build a few bikes together but he'd have to free-load off someone else." Ricky replied evenly.

Yeah right, I had thought, closing my eyes and putting my forehead in my left hand while saying nothing in reply.

"Looks like his P.O. has a job lined up for him at a supermarket someplace anyway ...working as a bag-boy. Can you imagine how humiliating that would be ...at his age? Really makes you believe in the old adage that crime pays, and honor among thieves doesn't it, Tim?" Ricky had said trying to convince himself that he wouldn't be used or swindled by his old friend again.

"Ricky, cut the bullshit, what's eating you man?" I had asked patiently.

"...(sigh)...Brenda..." Ricky began and then stopped.

"Brenda, what?" I had asked.

"...Brenda told me, at the birthday party ...Brenda told me ...that we... - we need to get married, Tim. She didn't give me an ultimatum but she's adamant about it" Ricky had sighed wearily.

I had begun laughing hardily then.

"You bastard" Ricky had then replied angrily.

"Good for her! It's about time you manned-up and made an honest woman of her, Ricky! She's been WAITING for YOU to ask her for YEARS, dumbass! I'll tell you something else and you need to listen, if you let her get away from you, you'll NEVER find one as good as her. She's the BEST thing that's ever happened to you and she's smart. She's the only one left, other than me, that has-your back in this world, Ricky." I had said seriously.

Ricky said nothing in reply.

"Ricky, cards on the table now and straight-up, are you still in-love with that woman?" I had asked.

"...Yeah" Ricky had replied quietly.

"No bullshit, straight-up, you're absolutely sure?" I asked.

"YES damn it, I'm sure OK, Tim?!" Ricky had countered angrily.

"Good, then you better marry her. Brenda's not only smart but she's gorgeous too, and you know how Mom felt about her. Mom always said you'd be a better man with her as a wife and she was right about it, Ricky. Marry her, brother; I'll be your best man! Ricky, I'm not playin', you need to marry her and the sooner the better, hell, how long have you been together now, twenty years?" I had then asked, trying to remember.

"...Yeah, something like that, Tim. ...God, why does it even matter if we get married?" Ricky had asked in frustration. The thought of marriage definitely had him spooked and totally out of his comfort zone.

"Because women are wired differently than you and me and because it's time for you to grow-up, a little bit, Ricky." I had replied.

"I'm going to remember you said that, Tim. We'll see how fuckin' grown-up you are when Andrea starts pushing YOU into the same corner." Ricky had countered heatedly.

"Cross that bridge, then. You need to marry Brenda, Ricky, stop being afraid" I had replied evenly.

"Nothing scares me, Tim" Ricky had replied flatly.

"Well losing Brenda SURE AS HELL SHOULD scare you Ricky! You remember what a sobbing mess I was when that fuckin' Susan left me. That's NOTHING like what you're going to go through if you let Brenda slip away from you, BELIEVE me! You think you're a tough guy? -You let Brenda get away from you and you're going to be on your fuckin' lips pal, for a LONG fuckin' time. Ricky, I'm not playin.' She'll be fucking some other sonofabitch by then and you'll realize what a fuckin' mistake you made, and it tears your fuckin' guts out, Ricky!

"That won't happen, Tim." Ricky had said assuredly.

"Ricky, Mom pampered you too much - she made all your decisions and did everything that you didn't want to do for yourself. This is one thing that you're going to have to do for yourself, Mom isn't here and I can't do it for you, stop letting fear control you." I had said.

"Fuck you, Tim, I'm not afraid of anything" Ricky had replied.

"OK, tough guy, whatever you say. Just don't come crying to me whenever she does finally wise-up and dump you on your ass for someone else" I had conceded.

There was a long silence between us then.

"Ricky, you are, a man with a lot of courage but let me tell you something, it's going to take everything you've got within you to put a ring on that little girl's hand. Marry Brenda, DON'T let the fear stop you, please." I had said earnestly.

There had been another long silence between us then.

"...Already have the ring bought, Tim ...I ...just haven't quite worked up the courage to tell her yet." Ricky had said, a little shell shocked at his own admission.

"Good! I'm so glad to hear that, Ricky." I had said with genuine relief.

"You'll be best-man, Tim?" Ricky had asked then.

"I would be honored, Ricky. ...I love you and I'm proud of you brother!" I had said quietly.

The turbines began to spool-up with their familiar whine as Andrea now took my hand and the jet liner began to press us into our seats and barrel down the runway at an exhilarating speed, leaving Anchorage behind us within a streak of multi colored lights and darkness. Soon we were "wheels-up" and banking sharply left toward the sun and sand of Nevada, so be it.

__________ 15 ___________

"...I'm planning to have Sid Hall in-frame the engine when I go through Canada this next time, the old Kenworth is starting to use some oil now and I want to have everything freshened up before it gets really cold, so it could be three weeks before I get down your way." Les now said.

"No hurry on this end, Les. Just let me know and we'll meet you in Seattle and we'll unload the car and pay you - I'll text you Ricky's phone number and the address tonight. There's a loading ramp right there in the yard, so we should have you in and out pronto, Andrea will be with us, to supervise." I replied humorously.

"What's she doing now that you're back in Nevada?" Les asked of Andrea.

"Andrea's in Phoenix at her daughter's house for a week or so, she's working on a real-estate project right now that's been, on again - off again, but I think everyone's in agreement and on the same page now, at least that's what she's indicated. It's a new supermarket going in someplace, I guess it's a big deal involving a national chain but she won't say exactly what yet. It took those yo-yo's a few months to realize that they couldn't push her around when she finally walked off the project. I guess they threw a great big pile of money at her to get her to come back and help them negotiate the purchase of the land, once they wised up. Andrea understands the zoning laws and tax codes better than anyone else that I know of and she'll probably save those idiots a ton of money. She's a smart little shit, Les. She can really handle herself very well within that arena and she's playing in the big leagues." I said proudly.