Over the next few weeks Danny and Aisla didn't talk at all and Aisla
distanced herself from everyone even more. She stopped talking to Tony and
even going to Earl's she just kept herself locked up in her room, not
answering the door or the phone. One day she decided that she would go to
Earl's and take one of his planes up, when she got there she was relieved
to see that neither Danny nor Tony or any other flyboys were there. She
walked in wearing black overalls and a white tank top under them and her
hair was pulled back in a ponytail to keep it out of her face. Quickly she
scanned the room looking for Earl and saw him talking on the phone so she
jogged to his desk and plopped herself down in the chair across from him
causing him to look up.
He looked startled to see her but let it pass and finished his phone call, "Alright I'll talk to you later."
When he hung up he looked at her expectantly, "Can I take one of the planes up?"
"Where have you been?"
"Home, now can I take one of the planes up?"
"Yeah go ahead," He sighed, upset that she didn't give him a straight answer. She stood and walked to the nearest plane that was out on the field. She climbed in just as she saw Anthony drive up, she quickly started the plane up wanting to avoid having to talk to him. Once in the air she felt free for the first time in awhile, and she practiced all of her tricks with the exception of the nosedive because she didn't think Earl would appreciate it if he saw her doing it. When she landed and got out she saw that Tony was there waiting to talk to her.
She held a hand up to him and frowned, "I don't feel like talking Tony. Just let me go home and I'll talk all you want tomorrow." She walked off without waiting for an answer and drove home; as she pulled up in front of her house and headed in she saw a telegram taped to her door. Quickly she pulled it off and read it over, 'Come home soon.stop. Father very ill.stop. Not going to make it.stop.'
Aisla sighed thinking about what a drunk her father has always been but he was still her father and she would give him the proper burial. She went into her house and packed a bag for a couple weeks, and then called Anthony but no one picked up so she just left a message saying she'd be back in a couple weeks. And not to worry or anything she just had some family issues to deal with.
The next day she got a boat out to the mainland and then began her long drive home to Mississippi. When she finally got there nearly a week and a half had passed since she got the telegram, she climbed out of her car not bothering to get her bag knowing that she still had clothes here and hurried up the steps and into her old house. While she looked around memories came flooding back, voices from the past, it was like hearing ghosts running through the house but really it was just memories of her and her brother and some of Evelyn. She climbed the stairs to her old room and opened the door looking around, nothing had changed; it still looked the way she left it.
Quietly she shut the door and walked down the hallway to her fathers room, where she figured he was. Opening the door she peaked her head around the corner to look at the bed and there he was. Lying propped up on a couple of pillows, eyes closed, skin pale and sunken in. She stepped into the room and walked to the bed where she sat down, her father must have felt the bed shift because he opened his eyes and stared at Aisla as if in a dream world. "Izzy, dat you'se?" Aisla cringed at the heavy New York accent of her father.
"Yea Daddy it's me."
"I'se knew you'se would come, bet you'se didn't tink you'se evah see da day of me death."
"You ain't dead yet Daddy."
"Nah but I'se will be real soon and I'se want you'se ta know dat no mattah what I'se said ovah da years I'se nevah meant ta hoirt you'se or nuttin. I'se love you'se cause you'se me little goil and you'se look jist like you'se momma."
Aisla couldn't stop her eyes from tearing up and she quickly wiped them away and leaned in to hug her father. Those had been the words she waited half her life to hear come out of her fathers mouth and now that they had she felt so happy. "I love you to Daddy."
He looked startled to see her but let it pass and finished his phone call, "Alright I'll talk to you later."
When he hung up he looked at her expectantly, "Can I take one of the planes up?"
"Where have you been?"
"Home, now can I take one of the planes up?"
"Yeah go ahead," He sighed, upset that she didn't give him a straight answer. She stood and walked to the nearest plane that was out on the field. She climbed in just as she saw Anthony drive up, she quickly started the plane up wanting to avoid having to talk to him. Once in the air she felt free for the first time in awhile, and she practiced all of her tricks with the exception of the nosedive because she didn't think Earl would appreciate it if he saw her doing it. When she landed and got out she saw that Tony was there waiting to talk to her.
She held a hand up to him and frowned, "I don't feel like talking Tony. Just let me go home and I'll talk all you want tomorrow." She walked off without waiting for an answer and drove home; as she pulled up in front of her house and headed in she saw a telegram taped to her door. Quickly she pulled it off and read it over, 'Come home soon.stop. Father very ill.stop. Not going to make it.stop.'
Aisla sighed thinking about what a drunk her father has always been but he was still her father and she would give him the proper burial. She went into her house and packed a bag for a couple weeks, and then called Anthony but no one picked up so she just left a message saying she'd be back in a couple weeks. And not to worry or anything she just had some family issues to deal with.
The next day she got a boat out to the mainland and then began her long drive home to Mississippi. When she finally got there nearly a week and a half had passed since she got the telegram, she climbed out of her car not bothering to get her bag knowing that she still had clothes here and hurried up the steps and into her old house. While she looked around memories came flooding back, voices from the past, it was like hearing ghosts running through the house but really it was just memories of her and her brother and some of Evelyn. She climbed the stairs to her old room and opened the door looking around, nothing had changed; it still looked the way she left it.
Quietly she shut the door and walked down the hallway to her fathers room, where she figured he was. Opening the door she peaked her head around the corner to look at the bed and there he was. Lying propped up on a couple of pillows, eyes closed, skin pale and sunken in. She stepped into the room and walked to the bed where she sat down, her father must have felt the bed shift because he opened his eyes and stared at Aisla as if in a dream world. "Izzy, dat you'se?" Aisla cringed at the heavy New York accent of her father.
"Yea Daddy it's me."
"I'se knew you'se would come, bet you'se didn't tink you'se evah see da day of me death."
"You ain't dead yet Daddy."
"Nah but I'se will be real soon and I'se want you'se ta know dat no mattah what I'se said ovah da years I'se nevah meant ta hoirt you'se or nuttin. I'se love you'se cause you'se me little goil and you'se look jist like you'se momma."
Aisla couldn't stop her eyes from tearing up and she quickly wiped them away and leaned in to hug her father. Those had been the words she waited half her life to hear come out of her fathers mouth and now that they had she felt so happy. "I love you to Daddy."