Chapter 20

 

Six months had passed, and Jason and Cindy spent every weekend together. 

He would fly his Cessna 172 down to West Haven on the weekend, and she would fly her 1941 Stearman up to Sandbar Island the following weekend.

During one weekend, Jason and Cindy attended Mandy’s wedding in Melbourne. Mandy was shocked over the sudden turn with Jason’s decision on attending her grand event. 

A month later, Jason sold his business and house and moved into Cindy’s home along Lake Hartridge.  

Two months later, it was time for Jason and Cindy’s long-awaited wedding.

Jason drove to the Orlando airport to pick up some guests for the wedding.

Jason waited at an Eastern gate for a flight from New York.

He looked anxious while he watched the passengers walk out of the gate.

“Hans!” he cried out the second he laid eyes on his old German friend.

“Jay Jay!” Hans, now fifty-two years old with salt and pepper hair, called out the second he saw his old American friend while he walked out of the gate.

The two old friends hugged for a few seconds. 

“How’s retirement from Lufthansa?”

“It’s great,” Hans replied with a huge smile.

Then Jason saw Emilie standing behind Hans. “Hello Emilie, it’s been a while since I’ve seen you,” he said then gave her a hug and a kiss on her cheek.

“It’s good to see you again Jay Jay,” she said.

“I can imagine you’re happy Hans is retired,” he told her.

“I kind of miss my time alone,” she playfully said while she winked at Hans.

Jason chuckled. “Let’s get your luggage.”

Jason walked Hans and Emilie down the terminal and headed to the baggage claim area.

Jason drove Hans and Emilie to a hotel close to West Haven off Interstate 4.

While Hans and Emilie settled into their hotel room, Jason drove to the West Haven airport and waited outside the museum.

Fifteen minutes later, Robyn’s Piper Arrow taxied and parked on the flight line by the museum.

The door opened, and Jerry White, thirty years old got out and walked down the wing. 

Patty, their six-year-old daughter, got out from the back seat and walked down the wing.

“Uncle Jason!” Patty called out and ran over to him.

Jerry started tying down the Arrow while Robyn secured the cockpit.

Jason knelt down and hugged Patty. “It’s so good to see you,” he said then gave her a kiss on the cheek.

Robyn got out and locked the door to the plane. She walked down the wing then unlocked the baggage door and removed two small suitcases. 

Jerry and Robyn walked over to Jason and Patty.

“Good to see you again, Uncle Jason,” Robyn said while she hugged, and kissed his cheek.

“Hey Uncle Jason,” Jerry said while he shook Jason’s hand.

Jason carried Robyn’s suitcase while they walked to his car.

That night, Cindy and Jason had Robyn, Jerry, Patty, Hans, and Emilie over for dinner at their house.

Jason couldn’t believe that he had Cindy, Hans, and Emilie all in the same room.

They had a wonderful time talking about their lives since the war. 

The next day, Jason took Hans and Emilie over to the museum.

“I can’t believe this was part of your B seventeen,” Hans said while he looked at the Sweet Bird nose section.

“Remember this?” Jason said while he walked Hans over to the display board.

“Oh, my,” Hans said in disbelief when he saw the photo of Cindy and Jason.

“Look, Emilie. Jay Jay would show me that picture when he was a prisoner at the Stalag,” he told her.

Emilie looked at the photo. “I remember you telling me about this,” she replied.

Jason spent the next hour, giving Hans the grand tour of the museum.

Then later that day, they waited outside the museum by Robyn’s airplane.

A Cessna 172 taxied over and parked next to Robyn’s Arrow. Kimberly was the pilot in command, as she got her license four months ago thanks to Jason’s fatherly attention. In fact, this was the Cessna that Jason once owned and gave it to Kimberly after he sold his business. He figured it was for thirty-five years of missing birthday and Christmas presents.

“Hey dad,” Kimberly said the second she got out of her airplane. 

She rushed over and gave Jason a hug and kiss on the cheek.

“I still can’t believe that I’m going to be a grandfather,” he said while he continued to hug Kimberly.

“In five more months, grandpa,” she replied with another kiss on his cheek.

Rob Brooke, thirty-eight years old, got out of the passenger seat and he walked over to Jason.

“Did she scare you during the flight down from Sandbar Island?” Jason jokingly asked Rob.

“Actually, it was a very smooth flight. She only had to land once to ask for directions to West Haven,” Rob jokingly replied.

Kimberly playfully stuck out her tongue at her husband. 

“Kimberly and Rob, meet Hans and Emilie from Germany,” Jason introduced his friends.

“Hans, it’s so good to finally meet you,” Kimberly replied.

“It’s good to finally meet Jay Jay’s daughter,” Hans replied while he placed his arm around Emilie. “And this is my wife, Emilie.”

“My husband Rob,” Kimberly replied.

“Come, my backseat pilot, we have to secure our plane,” Kimberly said then walked back to the airplane.

Jason and Hans helped tie down the Cessna.

It took thirty-four years, but Cindy and Jason’s wedding finally arrived.

It was a small wedding and Robyn, Patty, Jerry, Kimberly, Hans, and Emilie watched while Cindy and Jason kissed, as man and wife in front of the Priest.

“It gives me much pleasure to introduce to you Mister and Misses Jason Jenkins,” the Priest said told everybody.

Jason and Cindy turned around and smiled at everybody.

Two days later, and Robyn, Jerry and Patty flew back to Jacksonville in her Piper Arrow.

Kimberly and Rob flew back to Sandbar Island in her Cessna 172.

Jason and Cindy drove down to Sanibel Island down by Fort Myers for three days on the beach for a honeymoon.

Hans and Emilie spent three days at Disney World in Kissimmee.

After the honeymoon and stay at Disney, Cindy and Jason pulled out a 1978 Piper Seneca II twin-engine plane they bought, as their wedding present for each other. Jason had the old nose art of the sexy blonde from the Sweet Bird painted on the nose of the Piper under the “Sweet Bird II” words.

Jason loaded their suitcases into the baggage compartment.

Hans loaded their suitcases into the baggage compartment.

Cindy and Emilie walked up to the plane, and they got in the backseat.

Jason and Hans got behind the controls.

Jason started up the twin engines.

Jason taxied the Seneca down to runway 23.

“Gilly Field traffic, Piper Seneca six zero nine Sierra Bravo, aka the Sweet Bird II, departing runway two-three, Gilly Field,” Jason said into the radio.

Jason taxied the Seneca to runway 23, and then after double-checking his gauges, he gave it full throttle and rolled down the runway.

The Sweet Bird II rolled down the runway and took off.

Jason soon raised his landing gear. “Gilly Field, Seneca six zero nine Sierra Bravo, aka the Sweet Bird II, making a left crosswind departure and heading southeast, Gilly Field,” Jason said into the radio.

The Sweet Bird II made its left crosswind departure and headed southeast.

Cindy and Jason spent two weeks flying around numerous Caribbean Islands. 

They first flew to Nassau in the Bahamas and Hans was in heaven, finally getting the chance to soak up some sun at a beach.

They then flew to the Cayman Islands and enjoyed some snorkeling while they also soaked up the sun on the beaches.

After they returned from their Caribbean trip, Hans and Emilie flew back to Kaiserslautern, Germany.

Jason and Cindy then spent the next three weeks setting up the new High Flying Adventures flight school at the museum. Jason also got approval to build his High Flying Eatery on Lake Hartridge, and Cindy helped with the financing.

Then five month later, Kimberly gave birth to a healthy boy named Jason junior. 

Life was really great for Jason now that he realized he could spend his golden years with Cindy.