Anthony was surprised not to see Mikayla waiting inside he hanger as he approached the plane that'd bring him to his destination. But he did see Earl.
"Hey Fusco, com'ere a minute."
Tony walked over to Earl a bit nervous and wondering if Earl attacked, could he fight him off with his duffel bag.
"Yeah Earl?"
"Tony we both know I don't like the idea of my little girl seein' you. Her whole life the only rule I ever gave her id 'Don't get too attached to pilots.' So she goes and breaks the rules by fallin' in love with you."
"Is there a point to this Sarg.? Because I gotta get goin'." Anthony shifted from side to side uncomfortably.
"Do you know why I don't like pilots Fusco?"
"No Earl, I don't, Mickey don't either."
"I've got two reasons, I had two brothers. They were twins, three years older then me. 1917 came and the U.S. joined the war in Europe. They decided they wanted to join the Army, be pilots. I wanted to follow 'em, but my momma begged me not to, said I was her baby and she couldn't bare to lose me. So I became a military mechanic. My brothers never came back alive. Killed in action, I was alone. It still hurts, I never told Mikayla cuz I couldn't even talk about it without crying. I didn't want Mickey to ever have to feel that. But its to late she already went out and fell in love with you. So you better come back."
"I will sir." Tony nodded and extended his hand, surprisingly Earl took it. "I can't promise you I'll be able to give her everything she wants, but I can promise she'll never go without love or happiness."
"I'm gonna hold you to that."
And the younger soldier got on the plane.
WEEKS LATER
"Come on Mickey, you haven't touched your sandwich." Mikayla, Martha, Evelyn, Barbara and Sandra all sat around a table at the Black Cat, eating their now weekly Saturday lunch.
"I don't fell much like eatin' Martha, I haven't gotten a letter from Anthony in two weeks."
Sandra made a small noise in the back of her throat, almost like a repressed giggle, which Mickey ignored and continued talking.
"Ev, have you received a letter from Danny recently?"
Evelyn pulled the cheeseburger she was devouring from her mouth long enough to say.
"Yes, yesterday."
Barbara remained silent throughout the entire conversation, she missed Billy so much, she almost wanted to run through the street screaming.
Martha however tried to lighten the mood
"I got an idea, Mickey why don't you give Evelyn your food. She's been eating like a pig these past few months."
"She is eating for two these days." Sandra pointed out
"I'm starting to think it maybe triplets." Evelyn smiled dumping more ketchup on her fries.
"I gotta go guys, my dad wanted me to go over to the hanger and do a tune up on a B-25." Mikayla fibbed pushing herself up from the table.
"Alright Mikayla, hey don't worry okay. Tony's just probably busy." Sandra said across the table. She had to at least appear to be kind to Mikayla with her friends around.
"Yeah, you know Danny is a better pilot then Anthony, maybe he has to practice less or something, so he's got time to write Evelyn." Barbara agreed
"Yeah maybe." Mickey forced a smile and left the restaurant.
Mikayla opened the door to her house and found a letter from Tony smiling back at her from the kitchen table. She sighed picking it up and clutched it to her heart. She settled on the arm chair in the family room and peeled off the top of the envelope.
'Dear Mickey,
We found out today what our mission will be, but I can't tell you right now what it is. Top secret stuff you know. But I'm sure you'll be proud of me, when I get back. It's something we can tell our grandkids about.'
"Grandkids?" Mickey thought out loud.
'Yes, Grandkids.' The next line read 'How many kids do you think we'll have? Course we got to settle down, I'm going to have to leave the Army. Do you want to live in Hawaii or would you be willing to come with me back to Brooklyn? I have to go baby the Captains McCawley and Walker are trying to read this letter as I write it. I love you Mickey.
Anthony'
Mikayla smiled he mentioned children, grandchildren and moving yet nothing about marriage. But still, she knew.
*~*
"Mickey huh?" Danny raised his eye brows.
"Yeah" Tony put his pencil down with a goofy grin.
"I never thought I'd see the day Anthony Fusco would find 'the girl'." Rafe curled up on his bunk.
"Ah, come on now Rafe you know every girl Tone meets is 'the girl'. First it was Debbie, then Katherine, then Grace, then Sandra and now Mikayla." Danny razzed
Anthony's smile faded slightly as he looked at his friends
"She really is 'the one' guys. I'm gonna ask her to marry me when we get back. I'm gonna get off the plane, get down on one knee and beg her to be my wife."
"I think she'll be good for you." Rafe said "besides, maybe now you'll leave Sandy alone."
"Yeah, maybe." Anthony had never told anyone about what Sandra had pulled, but it didn't matter.
It was two weeks after that, the very day Mikayla received her letter. the Hornet broke into utter bedlam.
The call came out
"Army pilots man you planes!"
Anthony stumbled from the bathroom stall, his pants around his ankles. Knowing instantly that no good could come from this. He scrambled to the deck only to find the crew stuffing broomsticks in the slots that normally held guns. He knew then, that this was real.
Nothing, with the exception of holding Mikayla, ever made Tony feel better in his life, then as he flew over the Japanese country side, bringing vengeance for Billy and making America safe for Mickey and their future.
It was a dangerous mission but he felt safe in the hands of Danny and Gooze. Well maybe not as much Gooze, but he certainly trusted his life to Danny. He soon found out the homing beacons were not working and they were low on fuel but still he trusted Danny. Then came the holler from the cockpit.
"Look alive back there, I see a coastline!"
China!
Suddenly all kinds of thought came flooding his brain. Images of Mikayla in an apron, meeting him at the front door holding their baby, or walking down the aisle in a beautiful wedding dress. They began swirling around in his head, however he didn't have much time to enjoy them for long. Rafe's plane had just crashed landed in the middle of a heavily Japanese patrolled part of China.
From the air Danny, Gooze and Anthony could see the enemy surge toward the wreckage of Rafe's plane and the members of his crew. Danny made the call, they were going to protect their friends. Anthony was their gunner and so he shook the thoughts of Mickey from his mind band focused on the task as hand. The B-25 buzzed over the heads of Rafe's crew and Tony nailed the Japs, cutting them down like stocks of corn. And in what seemed like a millisecond, the sweet cheers of victory, were replaced by the eerie squeal of twisted metal, the shattering of glass and the painful cry of American soldiers.
"Hey Fusco, com'ere a minute."
Tony walked over to Earl a bit nervous and wondering if Earl attacked, could he fight him off with his duffel bag.
"Yeah Earl?"
"Tony we both know I don't like the idea of my little girl seein' you. Her whole life the only rule I ever gave her id 'Don't get too attached to pilots.' So she goes and breaks the rules by fallin' in love with you."
"Is there a point to this Sarg.? Because I gotta get goin'." Anthony shifted from side to side uncomfortably.
"Do you know why I don't like pilots Fusco?"
"No Earl, I don't, Mickey don't either."
"I've got two reasons, I had two brothers. They were twins, three years older then me. 1917 came and the U.S. joined the war in Europe. They decided they wanted to join the Army, be pilots. I wanted to follow 'em, but my momma begged me not to, said I was her baby and she couldn't bare to lose me. So I became a military mechanic. My brothers never came back alive. Killed in action, I was alone. It still hurts, I never told Mikayla cuz I couldn't even talk about it without crying. I didn't want Mickey to ever have to feel that. But its to late she already went out and fell in love with you. So you better come back."
"I will sir." Tony nodded and extended his hand, surprisingly Earl took it. "I can't promise you I'll be able to give her everything she wants, but I can promise she'll never go without love or happiness."
"I'm gonna hold you to that."
And the younger soldier got on the plane.
WEEKS LATER
"Come on Mickey, you haven't touched your sandwich." Mikayla, Martha, Evelyn, Barbara and Sandra all sat around a table at the Black Cat, eating their now weekly Saturday lunch.
"I don't fell much like eatin' Martha, I haven't gotten a letter from Anthony in two weeks."
Sandra made a small noise in the back of her throat, almost like a repressed giggle, which Mickey ignored and continued talking.
"Ev, have you received a letter from Danny recently?"
Evelyn pulled the cheeseburger she was devouring from her mouth long enough to say.
"Yes, yesterday."
Barbara remained silent throughout the entire conversation, she missed Billy so much, she almost wanted to run through the street screaming.
Martha however tried to lighten the mood
"I got an idea, Mickey why don't you give Evelyn your food. She's been eating like a pig these past few months."
"She is eating for two these days." Sandra pointed out
"I'm starting to think it maybe triplets." Evelyn smiled dumping more ketchup on her fries.
"I gotta go guys, my dad wanted me to go over to the hanger and do a tune up on a B-25." Mikayla fibbed pushing herself up from the table.
"Alright Mikayla, hey don't worry okay. Tony's just probably busy." Sandra said across the table. She had to at least appear to be kind to Mikayla with her friends around.
"Yeah, you know Danny is a better pilot then Anthony, maybe he has to practice less or something, so he's got time to write Evelyn." Barbara agreed
"Yeah maybe." Mickey forced a smile and left the restaurant.
Mikayla opened the door to her house and found a letter from Tony smiling back at her from the kitchen table. She sighed picking it up and clutched it to her heart. She settled on the arm chair in the family room and peeled off the top of the envelope.
'Dear Mickey,
We found out today what our mission will be, but I can't tell you right now what it is. Top secret stuff you know. But I'm sure you'll be proud of me, when I get back. It's something we can tell our grandkids about.'
"Grandkids?" Mickey thought out loud.
'Yes, Grandkids.' The next line read 'How many kids do you think we'll have? Course we got to settle down, I'm going to have to leave the Army. Do you want to live in Hawaii or would you be willing to come with me back to Brooklyn? I have to go baby the Captains McCawley and Walker are trying to read this letter as I write it. I love you Mickey.
Anthony'
Mikayla smiled he mentioned children, grandchildren and moving yet nothing about marriage. But still, she knew.
*~*
"Mickey huh?" Danny raised his eye brows.
"Yeah" Tony put his pencil down with a goofy grin.
"I never thought I'd see the day Anthony Fusco would find 'the girl'." Rafe curled up on his bunk.
"Ah, come on now Rafe you know every girl Tone meets is 'the girl'. First it was Debbie, then Katherine, then Grace, then Sandra and now Mikayla." Danny razzed
Anthony's smile faded slightly as he looked at his friends
"She really is 'the one' guys. I'm gonna ask her to marry me when we get back. I'm gonna get off the plane, get down on one knee and beg her to be my wife."
"I think she'll be good for you." Rafe said "besides, maybe now you'll leave Sandy alone."
"Yeah, maybe." Anthony had never told anyone about what Sandra had pulled, but it didn't matter.
It was two weeks after that, the very day Mikayla received her letter. the Hornet broke into utter bedlam.
The call came out
"Army pilots man you planes!"
Anthony stumbled from the bathroom stall, his pants around his ankles. Knowing instantly that no good could come from this. He scrambled to the deck only to find the crew stuffing broomsticks in the slots that normally held guns. He knew then, that this was real.
Nothing, with the exception of holding Mikayla, ever made Tony feel better in his life, then as he flew over the Japanese country side, bringing vengeance for Billy and making America safe for Mickey and their future.
It was a dangerous mission but he felt safe in the hands of Danny and Gooze. Well maybe not as much Gooze, but he certainly trusted his life to Danny. He soon found out the homing beacons were not working and they were low on fuel but still he trusted Danny. Then came the holler from the cockpit.
"Look alive back there, I see a coastline!"
China!
Suddenly all kinds of thought came flooding his brain. Images of Mikayla in an apron, meeting him at the front door holding their baby, or walking down the aisle in a beautiful wedding dress. They began swirling around in his head, however he didn't have much time to enjoy them for long. Rafe's plane had just crashed landed in the middle of a heavily Japanese patrolled part of China.
From the air Danny, Gooze and Anthony could see the enemy surge toward the wreckage of Rafe's plane and the members of his crew. Danny made the call, they were going to protect their friends. Anthony was their gunner and so he shook the thoughts of Mickey from his mind band focused on the task as hand. The B-25 buzzed over the heads of Rafe's crew and Tony nailed the Japs, cutting them down like stocks of corn. And in what seemed like a millisecond, the sweet cheers of victory, were replaced by the eerie squeal of twisted metal, the shattering of glass and the painful cry of American soldiers.