Playing With the Boys

Chapter 6

The next couple of weeks went by fast, Flying then some lessons, debriefing, more flying, then study time, and nights at the Bar. Then doing it all over again, it was easy to get into the rhythm of it.

Things with BullDog have not been going well. I always seem to be doing something wrong every time I get in the cockpit. I expect him to grill me. Stress is gone, right? But I was wrong. After we first got Jester, I went to high-five him when we landed. He went over to Hollywood, WolfMan, and Slider to celebrate.

Mav and Goose dragged me to the bar that night to celebrate, drinking and playing a game of darts, which I was terrible at, but it was still fun. Iceman even came over offering to buy me a drink as a well done. Mav being Mav, asked him what he was up to, thinking Iceman was trying something when he was not,

Iceman has kept his word about what we talked about on the tarmac, and I've kept mine.

Today was just like any other we were flying in the morning, and everyone got their ass kicked by Viper. The man is a beast when it comes to flying. It turned into the last man standing more than anyone trying to get him, not that we did not try, I had Mav as my wingman, and we tried everything we could think of to outsmart him, but nothing worked, but in the end, instead of being upset about it we just laughed.

Our debriefing after that went on for some time, going over what we could have done better, learning that sometimes it's best to bug out than to stay in the fight when you know you won't win, best to go home and fight another day.

Lunch was fun. Myself, Mav, and Goose headed to a place close to the beach. We all got burgers and chips, not the healthiest thing. Still, they tasted so good, sitting in a small both Goose by himself and Mav next to me with his arm over the back of the back, stealing some of my chips since he ate all his. As we ate, Goose could not stop talking about how Carole and Bradley were coming to visit. He looked like a kid the night before x-mas, his face all bright. It made me happy to see him like that, but I was also excited. I love seeing them two. Carole is a fantastic sister-in-law, even if she does tease me about Mav, and Bradly is just the cutest nephew anyone could ask for.

Now in a quiet classroom part from the sound of an arm of fans cooling the room down in the San Diego heat, sitting at a table close to one of the open windows with Mav as Goose was off doing other stuff, I sat sideways on a chair next to him, leaning my back on his side which he did not mind, with my feed up on another chair bending my legs to use them to place my textbook on to read, as my notebook sat on the table net to me so I can write in, my left hand playing with my pen and my right hand fanning myself with a pace of paper I accordion folded into a make makeshift fan.

We talked now and then, I would ask him questions about something I read and what would be the best way to go about it, and he helped me, turning his head to read my textbook over my shoulder before talking things over with me, I find Mav to be a good teacher, he's not one to give you the answer right away. Still, he gives you hints to help you work it out yourself.

Charlie was in the room as well sometimes, she'll be at the desk reading or writing stuff down, or she is walking up and down the classroom checking in on people.

Slader was sitting at a table in fount of us, playing with one of the demonstration jet models as he had headphones on, listening to his portable cassette player. He looked around at us now and then, sending me a wink if I ever happened to look up to see him looking, Or he commented how I should come and sit next to him, that he makes a better back nest than Mav to which I just give him the finger, before going back to reading. Mav tells him to Shh and turns around.

I could hear Charlie's high heel tapping on the floor as she walked around, coming close to our table for what felt like the tenth time.

"A rolling Reversal would work well in that situation."