I could slip down to San Diego and pay Allie a visit. I made one stop for fuel and onto LA. I dropped my passenger off in LA, by the time I got to San Diego it was dark. I buzzed the field and someone turned the landing strip lights on, I sat down very easily. Tied down and ran to the office, I called Allie and in a few minutes the Ford roadster was pulling into the hanger. Allie gave lots of hugs and kisses. I had a most pleasant evening and all the next day with her. We had a nice talk with Jack and I got up the nerve to ask about Allie’s mother, I hit a sore spot on Jack as he got up and left without saying a word.
Allie told me the story about her mother. She ran off with a guy while Allie was still a baby. Allie said that Jack was devastated when she left. Allie said he had never got over her mother. “He still loves her and he would take her back if she wanted to come back.”
I asked if she ever tried to see her Mom.
“I’ve only seen her two times in my life, she came one Christmas when I was five and another time when I was ten. Tommy, you’ll never have to worry about me running out, I saw how it affected Jack.”
I thanked her for telling me the story. “I’ll never ask again about your mom.”
“Its okay, Tommy, I don’t really care one way or the other about her, I have the best father a girl can have, he is swell to me.” She was smiling as she spoke. “Now I have a man I can love.” She sure knows how to make a guy feel good, now I know why I became a pilot.
I flew home the next day. Oh how I hated to leave Allie. I had really become attached to her, me the guy who never cared much for girls before. Love is a funny human emotion, it had hit me hard.
The spring of 1937 came with a fury of news about wars in the world. The Japanese had attacked China, the Italians had invaded Ethiopia in ‘36 and the Germans were building an air force bigger than any country had in the whole world.
On one of my trips home, I asked Dad and Popie about the world situation. Popie said he didn’t think there would be a war that the U.S. would get in. Pop was more concerned. He said, “Yeah, there will be a war; men just have to fight each other.”
I asked if he thought I should join the Army.
“No, if they want ya, they’ll come for ya.”
I talked to Uncle Bob and he said there will always be talk of war. “Don’t worry, the U.S. won’t get into it.” He made me feel a lot better.
The first of May, I flew the Doctor and his family to San Diego for a vacation. I hadn’t finished tying down before Allie was in my arms again. After hugs and kisses she helped me tie the Stinson down.
We spent a most pleasant evening with Jack. Supper at the diner, then we talked with Jack at their home until he retired for the night. He said I could sleep on the living room couch. He made Allie mad telling her to go to bed in her room.
She said it in a sharp voice, “I will when I get ready.” I could see she had a temper when she got angry, Jack let it pass.
She got Guy Lombardo on the radio and wanted to dance, of course I didn’t know how. Anyway I made a good try and I got to hold her in my arms while listening and dancing to the sweetest music this side of heaven. My life couldn’t have been better, loving this wonderful woman. We danced until the radio played the Star Spangled Banner, afterwards we took a long walk and didn’t go to bed until three in the morning.
Allie woke me up at eight a.m. and had fixed a great breakfast. This girl could cook, too. After breakfast we took a ride in the car, she drove us over to Coronado Island. We sat in the car and watched a Navy PBY take off and shoot landings.
I asked her about the war situation. She said, “Na. I don’t believe America will ever get in a war again.” She told me the US Congress had just passed a draft by only one vote. She didn’t want to talk of war anymore, she drove around showing me the sights of San Diego. We ended up at Mission Beach watching the people swim into the surf. We hadn’t had lunch so we had an early supper of seafood.
Back at the airport Jack invited us into his office. “Sit,” he said, “I need to talk with you kids.”
Allie spoke first, “Daddy, Tommy and I want-a get married.”
Jack raised his voice and said, “Absolutely not, you’re both too young; you’ll have to wait a while longer, that’s all I’m going to say.”
Allie started crying and yelling, “You promised we could in a year if we were still in love, Daddy we’re still in love.” She kept telling him he had made a promise. “Daddy you never broke a promise before.” Now she was crying hard.
“I’m sorry, baby, you can, but not now.” He got up went out, got in his car and left.
She went out, got in her car and was crying almost uncontrollable. What could I say? I got in the car and told her it wasn’t the end. “We’ll just have to wait.”
“No,” she said and started sniffing, I gave her my hanky. “We’re going to get married tonight, okay, Tommy?”
“Whoa,” I said, “How can we?”
“We’ll go to Tijuana; they have marriage chapels over there, open all night.”
I told her, “I can’t go against Jack, I need his approval.”
“Do you love me Tommy? Do you want me?”
What could I say? “You know I want you, my whole body aches for you, I need you, Allie.”
“Let’s go now, right now.” I couldn’t turn her down.
Yeah, we went to Mexico and got married, it was legal and all, I made sure of that. We spent the most wonderful night in my life. We got a room at the Coronado Hotel, the moonlight streamed into our room making Allie look like the goddess she is, I never spent a night like that again as we consummated our marriage. I was so much in love I didn’t care if Jack approved or not.
Next morning, on the way to the diner to have breakfast, I told Allie I was going to confront Jack and tell him we had gotten married.
“NO!” she said. “We’ll let him think he got his way. I’ll tell him when I think its right. He’ll be mad, but he’ll get over it when he sees how happy we are.”
“Allie, I hate to deceive him, I like your dad.”
“He likes you, too, Tommy. He’s told me that several times, he said I couldn’t make a better choice than you.” Boy, oh boy, did that ever make me feel better.
We had ordered and were being served our breakfast by the little blonde when Jack came in. He came over and stood looking at us, he looked a little mean, he had a snarl on his face.
The little blonde gal said, “Allie, you got a glow on this morning, I’ve never seen ya look better.”
Jack looked me right in the eye and said in a loud voice, “You did it, didn’t ya?”
I gave him a blank look, “What?”
“Ya slept with her, didn’t ya?”
I thought for a minute he was going to punch me, he had his right fist made. He turned on
