On Linda’s birthday we went to pick her parents up at the airport. We went in the Roles and Albert drove. Linda’s mom and dad met us at the front of the airport. Linda introduced me to them. I shook hands with her father and her mother put her arms around me and kissed me on the check.
She said, “I hope you are taking good care of our little angel.” I answered, “I am trying, but she is the boss,” with a chuckle. Her mother said, “That’s the way it is supposed to be.”
I replied, “Yes mam.” She said, “Call me Mom. So you two are getting married in late June. But I don’t see a ring on her finger.” I made a “shhh” sound. Linda told them, “He was slow. I had to ask him out the first time. I will most likely have to propose, too.” “I don’t think so, I think he has something in mind,” her dad said.
When we got to the house I opened the doors for the ladies and said, “Sir, please go ahead.” “No, it is Dad. Ok?” “Ok.”
Albert walked up to me and handed me the box and I promptly put it in my pocket. Linda said, “What is going on here.” Albert said, “Don’t be so nosey! It is a man thing.”
The cook came in and said it would be about an hour and a half before dinner will be served. Her mom and dad said they were going change clothes and relax till then. Linda and I walked down to the lake.
The sun was glistening in her hair and it sparkled like diamonds. It framed her beautiful face and looked like a halo around her head. She looked like one of God’s angles. Her skin was so soft and smooth like sifted flour but slightly tan. Her lips were soft and smooth like a rose petal. Her eyes like deep blue pools and sparkled like stars in the midnight sky. She never wore makeup of any kind. She did not need it. She was perfect when she woke up.
We kissed and I said, “Linda Ruth Anne Von Haskeilmyer, will you marry me?” I opened the ring case and I placed the engagement ring on her finger.
She said, “Well let me see. This is so sudden. Oh, of course I will marry you. I love you so much.” “I love you more!” “Oh no you don’t. I love you more!” “Ok, I see I cannot win this one.” I took her in my arms and we kissed, and kissed some more. “Linda you know that the rings are your grandmother’s. She wanted you to have them and so do I.”
The cook called us for dinner. “Your mother will be happy to see that we have made it official.” Linda and I did not tell anyone. She picked up her glass of water and took a drink.
Her mother almost shouted, “They’re engaged! What a birthday present! We are thrilled for you two! How soon are we going to have a grandbaby?” “It will be a long time,” Linda replied.
“Well you have been living together for five months.” Linda exclaimed, “We are not having sex! I am still a virgin! I have told you that several times. We just love to be together and it is possible to wait.” I leaned over to Linda and said, “Please don’t be so short with your mother.” She said, “Yes dear. I am sorry, Mother.”
Things were quiet the rest of the meal. After the meal her dad said he wanted to talk to us. We went into the sitting room and sat down, her dad sat in the high back chair and we sat on the loveseat.
“Wil, Linda tells me you are good pilot. I would like for you two to be our personal pilots starting when you get back from your honeymoon. I hear you will be going to the beaches of Florida. You can fly there in your plane or I can have Royal Linda sent over and you can go down on her. You can stay on her or at our beach house if that is ok.”
Linda looked at me, “Is that ok with you?” “Anything you want, Darling, is fine with me.” She said, “Are you sure?” “Yes dear.” “Now you sound like I have you wrapped around my finger.”
“Well, that is right where I want to be. Anything you want that is what I want too, just because I love you so much. That’s the way it should be.” I asked, “What is the Royal Linda?”
Dad said, “She is our yacht. She is 1,600’ long and 180’ wide. Now if we could get back to business. As pilots you will get to know the day to day operations of the businesses. I am going to retire in five years and you two will take over at the top.” I said, “That is a lot to take in.”
“Albert said that you are going to resign from the fire department and Linda is quitting then too.
How is the new truck working?” Linda said, “It is fantastic, the air makes it so much more comfortable. The first time I worked, it I was so smelly I could not stand myself. I don’t know how Wil could stand me.” “That’s because I smelled just as bad if not worse. Running an engine for ten hours you get pretty sweaty and stinky.”
“Are you going to the Indy 500 next week? You can go as car owners. We are sponsoring the Haskeilmyer Special. It is being driven by Richard Petty. He qualified in third place, just about .0003 seconds behind the pole. The car has a Haskeilmyer aircraft engine in it. That car was so fast that the Indy car people made us tone it down. They did that when somebody had a turbine powered car, too.”
“Richard is great driver, but if I would have known earlier I could have gotten you a better driver,” I said. “Who would that be?” “Me. I drove the Bryant Heating and Cooling Special two years ago for four laps and on the fourth lap I was running at low qualifying speed. With a little practice I could have been at qualifying speeds.” “We will keep that in mind for next year.” Linda said, “We positively will not!! It is risky enough for you being a fireman, you are not going to drive race cars!”
“We have to get back this afternoon it is 14 hour flight and I have a 3:00pm meeting tomorrow,” her father said. “Well, I am glad you took time out of your busy schedule for me,” Linda replied. “Linda, someday you will understand what it is like running three businesses.” “No I will not put the business ahead of Wil or our children if we have any.”
We said goodbye to her parents at the car. We did not ride back to airport with them. I knew how Linda felt, my parents never had time for me either.