Being Different Isn't So Bad Chapter 15

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August couldn’t believe the crowd they had gotten at the airfield for the airshow. The antique car club had rented a spot to display some of their newest cars that had joined the club and she had set-up a stall to sell T-shirt, jackets, baseball caps and flags. All the shirts had pictures of the aircraft in the airshow and Trenner Garage plaster on the back of them. The ones that belonged to Rebecca were signed by the pilots of those aircraft. Rebecca managed to get one of the F14 Tomcats up and operational. Jake from the Propeller Club was going to fly that fighter. He used to be a F14 Tomcat pilot back in his navy days.

August was full of energy as she managed the booth. She knew Rebecca was happy that Lev had managed to make it back in time for the airshow. He had showned up at three in the morning and parked his rig in its assigned parking space. She spots Rebecca down near the airfield helping a pilot that was having problems with his plane.

“Hey good looking, how are you doing?” Butch wanted to see how August was.

He knew she had been instrumental in helping with the organization of the air show.

August nearly jumped out of her skin when Butch came up from behind her. She slaps him on the shoulder.

“You scared me.”

“I take it, you didn’t hear me.” He had a smile on his face. She was cute when she was startled.

“No, I didn’t.” She leans in and gives him a kiss.

Butch returns it. He looks at her smiling face and couldn’t get over how beautiful she looked. Her sixteenth birthday was in a few days and he
had something special picked out for her.

“So, how are you feeling today?”

“I am so excited. This will be my first airshow and I get to see my boyfriend fly my sister’s jetfighter and the Blue Angels are going to be here in
a few minutes.” She was giddied with excitement.

Butch could see the excitement in August’s eyes.

“I promise not to disappoint you August.” He gives her a kiss.

“I know you won’t.” August had a smile on her face going from ear to ear.

She never thought she would ever be this happy or find someone that loves her for her. She watches as he walks towards the fighter he was flying today. She loved the way his ass moved in those tight blue jeans. She looks up when she hears several fighters and bombers fly over the airfield.

One was a B-17 Flying Fortress and the other was a B-29 Superfortress. They were being escorted by several North American A-36 Apache fighters. Following them were Mustangs, Bearcats and Hellcats. Behind the War World II fighters were fighters from Vietnam and The Korean war. Then the next generations of fighters and bombers.

The planning committee she was on had planned to start with oldest to newest fighters. This was to show the evolution of airplanes as they pass overhead. Rebecca was busy helping the ground crew with any problems they were having and Lev was her assistant. He didn’t know anything about planes, but he did know tools and could hand them to her.

“You look pretty today, August.”

Pamela had gotten her cousin and his wife to bring her to the airfield to see her daughter. She was in the process of divorcing her husband after she found out he had another woman he had been seeing since August was five years old. She also found out that the other woman had given birth to two boys. The youngest of the boys was like August. A transgender, but his mother didn’t have a problem with it. If nothing else, she had encouraged the child, because she had always wanted a girl, instead of a boy. Her first born had been spoiled by August’s father.

August had been kneeling to get some more shirts. When she heard her mother’s voice. She looks up at her mother’s voice.

“Mom!” She comes from behind her stall and gives her mother a hug.

Pamela returns the hug and holds her baby to her. Rebecca had sent pictures of August as she began her transition. She had also seen the
pictures that August had sent of her as well. She couldn’t believe how closely she looked like her Aunt Stephine.

Tears were sliding down her cheeks as she held August. She had missed her little girl. Sure, she was shocked to discovered her little boy had been wearing her clothes. Still, she didn’t agree with her husband throwing her out of the house when she was fifteen years old. He also told her she couldn’t come back till she found a job and agreed to act like a man.

August had tears coming down her cheeks. She had missed her mother and was happy that she hadn’t stopped loving her. If nothing else, she gave her make-up advice and helped her chose the right outfits, just like Rebecca.

“Mom, it is so good to see you. Why don’t you come back here with me and have a seat?” August escorts her mother back behind the stall.

Pamela sits down while she watches August help a few people that had come up to buy t-shirts and caps from her. She was so proud of her.
She looked so pretty and had a twinkle in her eyes.

Once the customers left, August turns around to face her mother.

“How have you been, mom?”

“Fine. As you know, me and your father are getting a divorce. I found out he has been cheating on me since you were five years old. Also, the woman he had been seeing has two children from him, so now you have a half-brother and a half-sister.”

“Do they know about me?” August was wondering if her father ever told his other woman about her.

“Actually, yes they do. Your half-sister is just like you. She knew since she was five years old that she should had been a girl, instead of a boy.
Her mother was concern at first, but she took her daughter to see someone and the doctor confirmed it.”

“Wow, I have another brother and sister.” August was stunned. She no longer carried her birth father’s last name.

Rebecca’s father had adopted her to be Rebecca’s little sister.

“Maybe one day I could meet them.” Rebecca wouldn’t mind meeting her siblings.

“I think that would be nice if you did, August. So, how is business so far?”

“It’s still too early to tell mom, but so far it’s going well. If you don’t mind me asking mom, where are you staying at?”

“Do you mean here or back home?” Pam could tell her daughter was concern.

“Both.” August was concern about her mother.

“I’m keeping the house and the cars, since they are mostly in my name. I still have my job and half of the bank account. As for here, I’m staying
with a cousin of mine. Him and his wife live twenty minutes from this airfield.”

“Oh boy, they are probably hating today with the airshow and the jets flying over their heads.” August hopes they don’t mind.

“Nope, they are here at the airshow. They went down to talk with the pilots and take pictures. Speaking of pilots, where’s this young man you
have been seeing young lady?” Pamela wanted to meet Butch.

“He’s down by the fighter signing autographs.” August looks to see if she could spot him, but there was just too many people in the way.
Pamela looks also, but couldn’t spot who her daughter was talking about.

“He’ll be joining us for lunch. Why don’t you and your cousins join us mom?” All the vendors and helpers were being supplied lunch from the propeller club.

“I don’t want to be a bother, August.”

“You’re not mom. Let me call over there and order three additional plates.” August pulls her cellphone from her back pocket and calls the propeller club.

“Hey Jill, could I add three more meals to mine and Rebecca’s order?”

“Sure, August. What would you like to add?” Jill grabs a pencil and her pad.

“Let me add three number fours and sweet tea as well.” August figures her mother’s cousins wouldn’t mind sweet tea.

“Okay, I have three number fours and sweet tea to go with them?”

“Yep.”

“When do you want them delivered August?” Jill marking time for time.

“Let’s say around three. Is that time slot still opened?”

“Yep, it’s still opened. I’ll see you at three.” Jill hangs up the phone.

August closes her cellphone and looks towards her mother.

“You didn’t need to do that sweetie.”

“I know mom. I just thought you might like to have lunch with us and meet everyone.” August was hoping she would.

“I would love to. I see my cousin waving at me. You don’t mind?”

“Go ahead, mom. Meet me and Rebecca here at three.”

“I will.” Pamela stands up and walks over. She hugs her daughter and place a kiss on her cheek.

Pamela lets go and head towards her cousin and his wife.

August watches as her mother walks off and heads towards two people she didn’t recognized. She just shakes her head and goes back to
work. Sales were going good and she was selling a lot of shirt, caps and other things. At three o’clock her relief shows up as does her mother, and her cousins. Rebecca, Lev and Butch come walking over and they all head over towards the sitting area that had been setup for the vendors and have lunch.

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Comments

Gadget!

Aylesea Malcolm's picture

Gadget!

Mom at last

Jamie Lee's picture

August has found her niche, at least for now. And she's happy.

Rather strange that her birth father would kick her out of the house and forbid her return until she had a job and acted like a man, but he had another woman on the side, while he was married, since August was five. Plus he had two children by her, one like August. Should he be demanding August act like a man when he hasn't the slightest what it means to be a man? Being a man does not mean using his little brain as often as he likes. To say he's a slime ball would insult actual balls of slime.

Her day was made when she was able to see and hug her mom again. Moms' day was made when she got to see and hold her daughter. Will they make an effort to see more of each other?

Others have feelings too.

August and her Mother

Actually, August and her mother will be closer then ever now that she is free from her husband. Her mother wants so much to be part of August's life.

garfieldwritingsf.jpg
If there's a book that you want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it.”
― Toni Morrison

A-36 Apache

The A-36A (there were no A-36 or A-36B models) was a ground attack/dive bomber built for the Army Air Corp. It was adapted from the early model P-51 with the original Alison engine and added dive brakes. It could engage in air combat but that was never its intended usage. So it is a misnomer to call it a fighter.


"Life is not measured by the breaths you take, but by the moments that take your breath away.”
George Carlin

A36/ P51

During the Korean War, P51s were used to escort B29s. They also were used as ground support and bombing, two things they weren't designed for. The placement of their radiator, great for WW2 dogfights but in low level attacks they were exposed to rifle fire, one hit would cause the engine to over-heat. many pilots would not make it home.

A-36

According to several different websites right after the end of WW2 all the A-36s were sold for scrap and destroyed. So whatever faults the P/F-51 had doing ground attack missions in Korea doesn't necessarily apply to the A-36. Also look at the prefix that denotes what types of missions the aircraft was intended for. The A-36 has the prefix "A" for attack. A current example is the A-10 Warthog. A plane designed for ground attack. The P-51 has a prefix "P" for pursuit, later changed to F-51, "F" being for fighter.

So whatever problems the P-51 had in the ground attack role can not be laid at the feet of the A-36. The A-36 flew some 23,000+ combat missions and did what it was designed to do very well. What the A-36 could not do well was fly fighter escort. The P-51 didn't really come into it's own until they were fitted with the Rolls-Royce-designed Merlin engines, the early P-51s were outfitted with Alison engines, which wimped out at altitude. The A-36, which was built for low level ground attack, did just fine with the Alison engine and were never fitted with the Merlin engines.


"Life is not measured by the breaths you take, but by the moments that take your breath away.”
George Carlin