They cabled home again, as they did from every stop, and in the morning they left for Howland Island. They had already covered more than nine thousand miles, and in Cassie's mind they were almost there, though there were still more than three thousand miles between them and Honolulu. But they had already done more than half the trip, and knowing they were approaching Howland, where most people believed Earhart had gone down, made her nostalgic.
“What are you going to do after all this?” she asked Billy as they shared a sandwich two hours out from Pago Pago. The woman at the place they'd stayed had been very nice, and had insisted on giving them a basket of fruit and sandwiches, which turned out to be delicious.
“Me?” Billy thought about it. “I don't know… invest my money somewhere, maybe like your father did. I'd like to run a charter service somewhere. Maybe even someplace crazy like Tahiti.” He had really loved Papeete. “What about you, Cass?” They had nothing but time on their hands, as they shared the basket of food, and flew over the shimmering Pacific.
“I don't know. I get confused sometimes. Sometimes I think this is it for me… planes… test flights… airports… that's all I want… other times I wonder if I should do other things, like be married, and have kids.” She looked sad for a moment, looking out at the horizon. “I thought I had it worked out with Desmond, but I guess not. I don't know,” she shrugged, “I guess I'll have to refigure it when we go home. I sure didn't win on this one.”
“I think you had the right idea, wrong guy. It happens that way sometimes. What about Nick?”
“What about him?” She still didn't have any of the answers. He had been so adamant about not marrying her before, but maybe now, after Desmond, it would be different. She still hadn't told him. And who knew when she'd see him again? Who knew anything now, except what they were doing right now. For the moment, life was very simple.
The stop at Howland was very emotional for her because of Amelia Earhart. She and Billy were carrying a wreath to drop from the plane just before they reached the island.
Billy opened a window for her, just as they came in to land, and she dropped it with a silent prayer for the woman she had never known but admired all her life. She thanked her for being an example to her, and hoped she had had an easy death, and a life that was worthwhile to her. Looking at lives like hers, it was hard to know what people felt, or who they really were. Now that Cassie had been devoured by the press, she knew that most of it meant nothing. But she felt an odd kinship with her idol as she and Billy landed quietly after a twelve-hundred-mile flight. It was so simple for them. It had gone so easily. Why couldn't it have been that way for Amelia Earhart?
Billy patted her knee as the plane came to a stop; it was easy to see all that she was feeling, and he loved her for it.
At Howland, there were photographers waiting for them, courtesy of Desmond Williams. And the expected parallels were drawn between Cassie and Amelia Ear-hart.
They were only planning to spend one night, before the nearly two-thousand-mile flight to Honolulu. And it was there that Desmond had planned ceremonies and events, awards and honors, press conferences and films, and even a demonstration of the
She was quiet when they had dinner alone that night, and with what lay ahead of them, Billy wasn't surprised, that and the fact that she was still feeling emotional about Earhart.
“It's scary going back to all of it again, isn't it?” she said after dinner, sipping a cup of coffee.
“Yeah… and exciting.” It was less complicated for him, he didn't have the strain of her history with Desmond. “it'll all be over soon, in a great flash of light,” he beamed, “like a Fourth of July firework display, now you see it, now you don't, catch the shooting star. Well be famous for a minute, and then gone,” he said prophetically, “until someone else flies farther and faster.” But they'd be remembered for a long time. Their fame wouldn't be gone as quickly as he thought. Desmond was right about some things, and what they were doing was important.
‘This time tomorrow night, well be in Honolulu, Miss O'Malley,” he said, toasting her with a small glass of wine. He only had a few sips, knowing that the next day he'd be flying. ‘think of the fanfare, the excitement.” His eyes danced and she smiled wanly.
“I'd rather not. I go pale thinking of it. Maybe we should just go back, and surprise them by going home the way we came. Now there's a thought.” She laughed at the idea and he shook his head, amused by her. They always had a good time together.
