A reconnection story
Everyone loves a classic happily-ever-after fairy tale. Lexington authors Beth and Jim Aubrey share theirs in The Long Flight Home: A True Story of Years Lost and Love Found.
Though the two first became acquainted as pen pals, it took decades for them to finally meet.
As a young teen, Beth craved adventure. Each time she heard the coal train whistles in her small southeastern Kentucky coal camp, she dreamed of traveling outside her mountains. Library books would take her to exotic locales, enabling her to live out her dreams in the only way possible at the time. When a pirate radio station far away offered to pair up folks seeking a pen pal, Beth took a chance and sent her request.
Jim, an ocean away from Beth in England, had just suffered through the loss of his grandmother and a family relocation to his grandfather’s home. Seeking peace and solace alone in his room, he tuned in to the same radio station, heard Beth’s request for a pen pal, and wrote her a letter.
The two corresponded as regularly as air mail would allow, getting to know each other until a comfortable friendship evolved. Both anxiously awaited the arrival of the next letter. The many miles between them prevented any pursuit beyond friendship, though.
Soon, when a local young man showed interest in Beth, she invited him to the prom, unknowingly sealing her fate.
Higher education was out of reach both financially and geographically. Deeming Beth’s fellow a worthy suitor, and fearing an unplanned pregnancy, Beth’s parents all but arranged her marriage to him, signing consent papers without her knowledge or even a proposal from her groom.
Jim experienced a different approach to adulthood. Dreaming of a life at sea, Jim sought and gained admission to a nautical college. Though courses went well, he didn’t pass all his exams, which charted his course into different waters— an enlistment with the Royal Air Force.
Still mourning the loss of his sailing dream, more disappointment would arrive with Beth’s final letter announcing her marriage and ending communication.
Into their senior years, after both found successful careers but endured failed marriages, Jim reconnected with Beth through an internet search. Read the rest of the story to follow their long journey from hardships to hearts healed.
The Long Flight Home: A True Story of Years Lost and Love Found, $19.99, is available on Amazon. As a single parent, Beth became a safety inspector and mine safety and first aid trainer, eventually becoming one of a handful of women in Kentucky who obtained First Class Mine Foreman’s Certification in the 1980s. She went on to become a registered nurse with a 34-year career that took her across the world.
During his service with the Royal Air Force, Jim installed, serviced and maintained ground radar systems. He is also a juried artist and has written several short stories and poems. Connect with the Aubreys at www.bbaubrey.com.
