“I was hoping you’d say that.”
“We’ll have a better landing this time,” he managed.
Dash stuck her arm through his, and they strolled toward Jenny. The plane stood quietly in the sun, her double wings shining, ready to go. The closer they got, the faster her uncle walked.
“Let’s go,” he said, giving her a leg up onto the wing.
It was a perfect takeoff. Dash’s face nearly froze at two thousand feet, but she didn’t care. Her uncle hollered over the wind for her to enjoy herself, so she flew farther than before. Beneath the racket of the engine, the airplane’s shadow slid silently over the ground, glittering with the vestiges of last night’s rain, and the beauty took her breath away. Gosh, she’d miss this, she thought, a lump in her throat. She’d miss a lot.
Dot’s words rang in her head.I don’t want you to go. Please, Dash. Stay with me.
Well, Dash thought, choosing not to dwell on the hurt,I don’t want you to stay here, Dot. I want you to fly.
Squinting into the wind, she soaked in the glorious view below and the heavenly blue above. Beyond the horizon there was so much more,she knew, and her heart ached to explore every part of it. After a while, Uncle Bob tapped her shoulder, and Dash reluctantly turned back toward the airfield. It would be her last flight for who knew how long, and the reality threatened to pull her down, but there was too much to look forward to. Right now, she idled on the runway of her life. By joining the Wrens, she would take flight.
She touched down without a bump then rolled to the spot where Uncle Bob liked to park. After she turned off the engine, she faced him, wanting to thank him for this gift. He had already taken off his helmet, and his flyaway hairs danced in the breeze. His cheeks were bright red from the flight. Like hers, they were wet with tears.
“Thank you, Dash,” he said. “Being up there… It helps, you know?”
“We’ll get through this,” she promised as they climbed out.
He skimmed his fingers along the plane’s fuselage then curled them around one of the struts between the wings. “I know you aren’t going far,” he said, eyes on the plane, “but please take care of yourself wherever you are. I couldn’t bear to lose you, too.”
“Oh, Uncle Bob.” She gave him a hug, and she felt his strength tighten around her. “You never need to worry about me. I’m always careful with everything I do.”
The irony of that made him laugh, which was exactly what she’d been aiming for.
Days passed, but not fast enough for Dash. When the date finally came, she crowded into the car with her parents and Dot, and her father drove them all to Union Station. Dash’s letter from the Wrens had said she was being sent for training at a place called HMCS Conestoga, in Galt, Ontario. Having never heard of the place, Dot had looked it up for her on a provincial map. Not too far, but far enough for a little adventure.
The four of them stood together on the platform, waiting for the train to arrive. Her father, looking dapper in his Sunday coat with a tartan scarfwrapped around his neck, situated himself behind their mother. Where he was quiet, she was busy, and now she fussed, folding and unfolding Dash’s coat collar while running through a checklist of things she might have forgotten to pack.
“I have everything,” Dash assured her. “Dot packed for me.”
“Sweetheart.” Her mother’s eyes shone. “We’re so proud of you. It’s just so hard to believe our little bird is leaving the nest.”
Dash grinned. “I wish I was a bird. Then I’d really be flying.”
“You know what I mean. Now, don’t forget to write to us about everything, and—” She bit her lip and pressed a handkerchief to her nose.
Her father stepped in. “Write when you can, but don’t worry about us. Your priority must be your work. I imagine you’re in for a very interesting time.”
“I hope so.”
He hugged her, but when she squeezed him back, she was startled by a jolt of panic and held on a little longer. What was she doing, boarding a train on her own? She had no idea about any of this. Had she lost her mind?
He smiled with understanding when he let her go, as if he’d felt it, too. “Don’t worry about yourself, either. You’ve never failed at anything you’ve done.”
“Oh, Margaret,” her mother cried, pulling her into an embrace. “Be smart out there. Please, please be safe.”
Then both parents backed away to let the sisters say goodbye.
“It’s going to be okay.” Dot’s sweet attempt at a reassuring smile practically broke Dash’s heart. “We’ll be fine.”
“I’m sorry.”
Dot pressed her lips together, embarrassed. “It’s me who should be sorry. I’ve been a baby. I see how this lights you up. You’re reaching for something you want, and you’re going to get it. I will miss you every day, but you’ll be where you belong. I understand that now.”
Dash took her twin’s mittened hands in her own. “You’ll be in my heart every step of the way.”
