I called Mike minutes after I hung up with Peter and asked him if he would join me on an adventure to Russia to acquire a Messerschmitt 109. Once again, he laughed at me. I didn’t know anyone who traveled as often as Mike or who had the expertise to recognize if I was buying a Messerschmitt 109 or a pile of junk. I practically begged him to join me, even bribing him by saying that we could come back through London for an extra day and he should plan to meet up with a long-time German friend of his who he had talked of often. Eventually, he began to take interest. He agreed to join me—but only for the three days that I had promised. I told him to prepare his passport and apply for a travel visa to Russia. We would leave within the month. He would also need a money belt. I had no desire to carry all of the cash for the purchase on my own.
Before we hung up, he asked me what my wife thought about a return trip to Russia. I told him that I was just about to go buy a few dozen roses to improve the odds of her approval but that his agreeing to go with me would go a long way with her. At least I hoped it would.
