Chapter 27

 

It was back in 1995 and the time machine in the basement of Lloyd's house.

From inside the time machine, Trevor knew he returned back to 1995, and he was back to being James Grayson again when he saw the junk in the basement. But there was something different this time, as sunlight illuminated the basement floor.

"That's weird," James said while he looked around and saw wooden debris that filled the floor of the basement.

James heard the sound of an excavator. There was the crunch sound while the excavator grabbed the time machine. 

Then the machine was tilted down while the excavator lifted it up in the air.

James opened the door but realized he was now thirty feet in the air and jumping out would probably break a leg. He decided to ride it out to see where the excavator would place him.

In the front yard of Lloyd's house, the excavator turned to the left placed the time machine over house debris inside a dump truck.

From inside the time machine, James braced himself while the time machine was dropped into the dump truck. It slammed into some wooden debris. James looked, and the power was still on the machine. He thought about Lloyd and dialed in "June 1, 1944, 2:30 p.m. on the console. 

James opened the door and stepped out in the debris. 

He reached in and turned the key to the ignition. 

The machine whirled.

James slammed the door shut.

He climbed over some debris and saw his 1995 clothes. He tried to grab the clothes at the same second the time machine shook the dump truck. This caused him to fall out of the truck and slam hard to the ground.

He looked up from the ground and saw the psychedelic colors emitted from the machine.

Then he watched while the time machine disappeared. He smiled as he knew Lloyd was pissed back in 1944 for him taking his machine, but he would be happy when it returned.

James looked around, and the coast was clear.

James ran through the front yard to the street.

At the end of the driveway, he saw a pile of Lloyd's books with his manuscript on top. He got a smirk and grabbed the manuscript, and it was now 600-pages thick. He knew Lloyd got his machine back, so he kept the manuscript.

James ran off to his Mustang, still parked down the street. He got inside it and dropped the manuscript in the passenger seat. He opened up his glove box and removed his wallet and put it in his back pocket.

He started up his car and raced away.

While he raced down another street, he looked at the clock on his dashboard and saw that was 2:45 p.m. Then it dawned on him that he's late from picking Teri up from work early so she could get her haircut.

He raced his Mustang down the street.

Twenty minutes later, James parked his car in front of Teri's office. He got out and rushed inside her shop.

Inside Teri's office, she worked on her computer when James rushed inside.

"I'm so sorry, I'm late. Please forgive me!" he pleaded while he rushed up to her desk.

Teri looked up from her work and looked baffled. "Late? Late for what?" she asked then looked even more baffled with him wearing a Marine uniform.

"I thought you wanted me to pick you up at two-thirty for a hair appointment," James said.

"I saw Gail yesterday, James," she replied and started to worry about his behavior. "And why are you wearing that Army uniform?" she just had to ask.

He remembered he never changed clothes and was stumped with a response for a few seconds. "It's the uniform of a Marine officer, and I wanted it for the office Halloween party," James said. 

"Boys will be boys," she replied, then she looked at her watch. "I've accomplished a lot today, let's go home early," she said then turned off her computer.

They walked to the door, and she turned off the lights. They left.

James opened up the door for Teri. She saw the manuscript in the passenger seat and picked it up. She sat down, and he closed the door.  He rushed over and got inside his car.

"Where did you get this?" she asked while she held up Lloyd's manuscript.

He looked at her. "Well, I stopped by the old Lloyd house to see if they started demolition and saw this in the pile of debris by the street," he replied.

"Why did you take it?" she asked.

"Don't you have a friend from college that works for a publisher?" he asked and cringed inside hoping that part still happened.

"Yeah, Mandy."

"This is a good manuscript, and it looks like Lloyd never found a publisher. I thought you could give Mandy a call," he said.

Teri flipped through some pages. "I'll call her and see if she's interested," she replied while she scanned through some of the pages. "Too bad he died. It would be a shame if this became a best seller and he never saw any of the money," she said.

James started up his car. "We could take any profits and donate it to some organization that helps out military veterans that served in the war," he offered then drove away down the street.

She thought about his offer. "Actually, that's a great idea," she said while she continued to scan through the manuscript.

She finished looking at the manuscript. "What time are you meeting your grandfather at the airport tomorrow morning?" she asked while he turned down another street.

"Airport?" he asked. 

"Yes, the airport. You're both going fly up to the airshow up in Vandenberg," she replied.

"Oh yeah, Vandenberg. I forgot," he responded.

"I'm really starting to worry about you," she said.

"I'm okay," he said then looked nervous about tomorrow.

The next morning, James' stomach was full of butterflies while he drove to the airport.  He wore his WWII type A-2 jacket, and it felt weird doing this the second time, but he hoped to see Henry again. 

He parked his car and walked to the hangar in the hope that this part was still the same.

He walked into the hangar and saw a calendar on the wall with "October 21, 1995" as the date. Then he saw a beautiful restored Corsair F4U with Marine markings.  

"So far, everything is the same," he quietly said while he walked up to the plane.

He walked up to the Corsair, and he was scared to look up at the fuselage. He took the gamble and smiled at what he saw.

Under the canopy was painted "Ben Grayson – Pilot and James Grayson. – Co-Pilot" markings with Medal of Honor and Purple Heart decals.

James wanted to jump up for joy but stopped when he heard footsteps.

"Good morning, James," Ben said while he walked up behind him.

James' heart raced while he turned around and saw Ben, now seventy-five years old, white hair and looking so much older but still in great shape. He walked up to James, and he also wore a WWII type A-2 jacket and walked with a slight limp. 

"I saw on the way over they're finally started tearing down the Bannister house. I can't wait to start on that project," Ben said while he patted James' shoulder. 

"I know," James replied and had a gut feeling that Ben was now in charge of the construction company.

Ben looked up at the Corsair. "So, are you ready to perform in the show?" Ben asked.

James looked shocked at his comment. "You mean I can perform in the show?" he asked to make sure he heard Ben correctly.

"Of course. You're my main co-pilot, and you had the greatest instructor around. Me!" Ben said with a smile.

James had a huge grin on his face while he looked up at the plane.

"I'll meet you there with everybody," Ben said then handed James the keys to the plane. 

James had a proud smile while he ran his hand along the leading edge of the plane.

"I'll get a line boy to help get the plane out of the hangar," Ben said then walked away.

James climbed up the fuselage and sat inside the cockpit, and he smiled while he grabbed the control stick.

Twenty minutes later, James started the engine of the Corsair.

After receiving the proper ground clearance from the tower, James taxied the plane to runway 7.

After he performed his run-up checks, he received clearance again and rolled the Corsair down the runway.

James did a smooth take off from runway 7.

Thirty minutes later, James and ascended the Corsair. It wasn't long before he flew along the beach and headed toward Vandenberg Air Force Base. He felt like he was back in 1944 with his young grandfather.

Later that day, James leveled the Corsair out at 9,000 feet and performed a perfect barrel roll.

James was in heaven, flying the Corsair without the Japanese trying to shoot you out of the sky.

After James landed the Corsair on runway 12 at Vandenberg, he taxied behind the "Follow Me" truck that escorted them to their parking spot on the flightline. 

James parked the Corsair, and he shut it down. He got out of the Corsair and waited by the front of the plane.

An hour later, Ben, Diana, and Teri walked to the plane. Ben carried two lounge chairs while Diana and Teri each carried one.

The set up the chairs by the nose of the plane and sat down.

A man in a Jeep drove up and stopped.

"James Grayson goes on after the Thunderbirds perform. Be ready in twenty minutes," the driver said then he drove away.

James nodded in agreement that he understood the instruction.

It was later during the airshow, and the Thunderbirds were finished performing. James had his Corsair on the taxiway ready to perform.

Then the Thunderbirds taxied off the runway.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we will now have James Grayson of Santa Barbara who performed some aerobatic maneuvers with his F4U Corsair. And what a beautiful airplane! Now, James' grandfather, Ben Grayson was a Marine pilot in World War two in the South Pacific and fought the Zero's in a Corsair. He shot down fourteen Zero's during his short tour of duty in the South Pacific," the announcer said across the loudspeakers.

Most of the crowd eyes the runway for James' Corsair. Amongst the crowd was Henry Foley, still seventy-three years old, who walked with a bit of a limp with the aid of a cane. The announcement the announcer made was of interest to Henry. 

He pushed his way through the crowd to get a closer view of the runway.

After receiving clearance from the tower, James taxied to the end of runway 12. 

Henry watched while James Corsair rolled down the runway and was soon airborne. Seeing that Corsair brought back so many good and bad memories for Henry.

James flew the Corsair out then banked and flew back to the runway.

"Okay ladies and gentlemen, James will now perform a Humpty Bump," the announcer said over the loudspeakers.

James flew the plane horizontal over the runway.  He flew into a vertical climb. While in the vertical climb, he did a half a roll.  He then flew half a loop and came straight down into a vertical dive.  He went out of the dive at the same attitude he was over the runway.  He flew the Corsair away from the runway.

The crowd clapped over James' performance.

Henry continued to watch the show.

"James will now perform an Immelmann," the announcer said over the loudspeakers.

James flew his airplane over the runway. He flew into half a loop, and when they reached the top of the loop, he went into half a roll.  He flew away from the runway.

Henry pushed his way through the crowd to get closer to the runway. He watched for another fifteen minutes.

"For his grand finale, James will perform a Cuban eight," the announcer said over the loudspeakers.

The crowd looked up at the sky.

James flew his plane straight and level and went into a vertical climb. When he got to the top of the loop, he rolled the plane right-side up.  He entered into a 45-degree dive and leveled out at the attitude he started the maneuver. Then he began a second loop, and when he got to the top of the loop, he rolled the plane right-side up.  He then went off into a 45-degree dive and recovered at the same attitude he started the maneuver. 

He flew away from the runway

James banked his airplane around and came back in for a landing.

He landed on runway 12 and taxied near the announcer's stand.

"And a round of applause for James Grayson and his Corsair. For a matter of interest, his grandfather, Ben Grayson, is a Medal of Honor Marine Corps ace pilot from WWII," the announcer said.

Henry's eyes lit up when he heard Ben's name being mentioned again as he wasn't sure he heard the announcer correctly. He watched while James had his canopy back and waved at the crowd.

Henry watched while James taxied his Corsair off the closest taxiway where a "Follow Me" truck waited.

James taxied his Corsair behind the truck that drove him to his parking spot. James shut down his Corsair. 

James climbed down the fuselage. He walked over, and Ben brought back the lounge chairs.

"Whew. That was fun," James said while he relaxed in the chair.

"You did great. I'm proud of you," Ben said.

James had a huge proud smile after receiving praise from his grandfather.

"Ben, is that you?" Henry's voice was heard behind them.

Ben's eyes widened, and he smiled when he turned around and saw Henry Foley walk up to them.

Henry's eyes widened with joy when he saw Ben. "Why it is you! It's Ben Grayson!" Henry cried out happily.

Henry walked over, and Ben stood up. They shook hands.

"Well, hello, Henry Foley."

"Henry and I were stationed in WW two," Ben told James but he already knew that and played dumb.

"That's nice," James said while he stood up.

"Henry, this is my grandson, James Grayson," Ben said while James walked up to Henry.

James and Henry shook hands.

Henry looked at James then looked a little shocked. "Oh, my God! He looks just like Trevor Walker from Engebi," Henry said while he looked James over.

Ben smiled and placed a hand on James' shoulder. "I know. Isn't it bizarre?"

"Have a seat, Henry," Ben offered.

Henry and Ben sat down while James sat on the flightline.

Henry looked up at the Corsair. "That plane sure brings back the memory of our time at Engebi," Henry said. Then he looked at Ben and looked a little sad. "I still can't get over what Carl did. And this guy Trevor," Henry said

"I know. He saved my grandfather's life. I heard the story many times," he said then cringed thinking he shouldn't have mentioned that.

"Yeah, I told James all about our experiences in the South Pacific when he was growing up," Ben said.

James felt relieved knowing he didn't say something wrong.

"I wonder whatever happened to Trevor?" Henry asked curiously.

"I don't know. After Carl's court-martial and we got discharged from the Marines, I took him home to meet Diana and my son. He stayed a day, then left. We never heard from him again," Ben said. Then he looked a little baffled. "But the day after he left, we found an envelope in our living room desk. It was from Trevor, and he left all his pay from Engebi to me to use for our son's college," Ben added.

"He what?" Henry asked.

"He left all his Engebi to pay for our son's college," Ben repeated.

"Wow. Why would he do that?" Henry said.

"I don't know. I tried to locate him but never had any success. It was almost like he never existed. He sure was a mystery," Ben said while he looked at James like he knew he went back in time to save his life.

James pretended he didn't have a clue what Ben was talking about.

Henry's eyes widen as he remembered an important detail. "I know what you mean. A week after Carl's court-martial, something strange happened back at Engebi," Henry said.

"What was that?" Ben asked, curiously.

"Well, Colonel Weaver got a message that the Pentagon couldn't find proof Trevor ever joined the Marines. And remember Gunny Sergeant Sewickley?"

Ben thought for a second, then his eye widened when he remembered. "Oh yeah, the personnel guy at El Toro."

"Yeah him. Because of Trevor, the Pentagon discovered a criminal ring between Sewickley and his brother who worked in headquarters and another brother working in the Pentagon. They accepted money for orders of your choice as we all knew that back in El Toro," Henry said while he looked at Ben and James.

Ben looked surprised overhearing that new. 

"Sewickley and the other guys got what they deserved, but why would Trevor forge papers to fight in the war?" Ben asked, curiously.

"Maybe he couldn't get in the Marines and really wanted to fight," Henry responded. Then he looked at James. "Trevor was a good pilot. If it weren't for Ben and Trevor, we wouldn't have found that new Japanese airstrip." 

"I sure miss Trevor," Ben said and looked sad.

"Oh, I'm sure he's probably somewhere thinking about you, grandpa," James said.

"I wonder whatever happened to Carl?" Henry asked curiously.

"We got word he died in Leavenworth back in seventy-five from a heart attack," Ben answered.

"What a shame," Henry said.

"Grandpa, grandma's ready to go home," Henry's granddaughter called out from thirty feet away.

They looked and saw his granddaughter.

"Coming honey," Henry said while he stood up.

Ben stood up, and they shook hands.

"It was great seeing you again, Ben. And I really enjoyed meeting you, James," Henry said while he stared at him. "Man, looking at you just gave me a feeling I just went back in time," Henry said.

If they only knew! James thought to himself.

James and Ben watch Henry walk away, hand in hand, with his grandfather.

Robert, Kathy, Diana, and Teri walked up to the plane.

"You flew like an ace, son," Robert said.

"That's my husband," Teri said while she walked up to him and gave him a quick kiss on his lips.

Kathy walked up to James and kissed him on the cheek. "Good show."

"I loved it," Diana added and gave James a kiss on his cheek.

Then Angie Madison, a forty-seven-year-old beautiful woman with black hair, walked up with her husband, John, fifty years old. "Hi mom and dad," Angie said while she walked up to Diana and gave her a kiss on her cheek then kissed Ben on his cheek.

Angie looked at James. "You did great, James," she said with a warm smile.

James looked at Angie, and for a few seconds, he didn't have a clue that she was her aunt. Then something weird happened, and his mind was suddenly flooded with memories of his new life with Ben as his grandfather and Angie and John as his aunt and uncle. "Hi, Aunt Angie and Uncle John," James said.

"Well, I think it's time we head back home," Ben said to everybody.

"James, have fun flying her home. We'll meet you back at the house," Ben said while he collected up the lounge chairs.

Teri walked up to James and gave him a quick kiss on his lips. "Fly safe," she said.

"Always," he responded then he watched while his new family walked away.

An hour later, James took off in the Corsair and soon departed the traffic pattern from Vandenberg Air Force Base. 

He ascended the plane, and when he reached 4,000 feet, he did a barrel roll and headed south.