Dishes and Dreamboats

The Airman's Stop

       ALL EUNICE HORTON COULD LOOK at were her stompers. Black, evening heels that saw her stockings stick out at the toes, she kept her peepers fixated on them to avoid glancing at someone she rather wouldn't.

She believed the woman was no older than Eunice's twenty-six; however, her blue eyes, or what Eunice could see of them behind her golden curls, burned into Eunice like hen fruits in a frying pan nonetheless. She knew the woman wasn't admiring her swing dress, which had dried into a mess of rayon after she had waited outside the bus station in the rain for Alton Caldwell.

Alton. 

Eunice had promised herself that she wasn't going to think of him. Though Alton was one of the best jive bombers in town, and he had agreed to be Eunice's date to the Savoy Ballroom to upstage Mattie Ruffin and Tony Nash, it was because of him that she now sat angry and alone.

Sighing, Eunice dared another glance at her starer despite it being written in her unflinching gaze that Eunice was seated in the wrong section at the bus station. Past her eyes, a forest green gown clothed her person while pearl buttons on her matching dinner jacket glistened palely like her skin under the headlights of the incoming bus.

The bus.

Eunice tore her eyes from the woman whilst the woman chose then to wave down one of the clerks at the ticket booth. Eunice had hoped that she'd be let off the hook given her obvious misfortune—she had just purchased her dress with a good hunk of lettuce!—but the clerk started towards her angrily as riders filtered into the station.

Pushing herself off the bench, Eunice looked frantically among the newly arrived riders, and, seeing a man whose hair was black and oil brushed, walked across the station until she could latch onto his arm.

"Hot diggity dog! It's been some time since I last saw you."

The owner of the arm gave her a confused smile and followed her eyes over her shoulder, where the clerk and the woman stood. Realizing what she needed, the man began cracking up, his shoulders moving up and down with each laugh. Eunice found herself laughing too, and the two ignored the irritated glances of passersby as they reached the end of the station.

"Thank you, sir—" Eunice started but caught sight of the man's flight suit, its khaki color looking much lighter against his dark skin. "This is your homecoming?"

Stars shone brightly in his eyes. "It is. My name's Julius Ward, I'm a former Tuskegee Airman."

Eunice stood awed as Julius continued: "Where are you heading all decked out?"

"The Savoy Ballroom," she stated, suddenly aware of the black strands that had come out of her chignon due to the rain.

But Julius didn't seem to mind.

"Well, I was supposed to meet my mama for dinner, but if you ain't got a date—"

Eunice accepted his proposal before he was done.