Flight attendants make their final announcements. I look up to see a family of 5 coming down the aisle. Right to me. Great. I swallow the hope and adjust myself to be sure I have the right armrest and the space I need before they sit.
Two women sit with me. Clearly they know each other. They start code switching and I wonder if this is how the 4 hour flight will go.
It is hard not to ease drop in these tight quarters. The younger of the women, the one right next to me talks about when she moved to California. She recalls the flight out by herself. Her ears popped and she was miserable most of the trip. A boy behind her was making fun of her. At the end of the flight, the same boy, four years her junior, offered her a piece of gum. It was then she learned to chew gum to avoid the horrid ear pain.
Through her story, I gather she is about 16 years old and on her spring break. The other woman next to her turns out to be her mother. They continue to talk, sleep, and listen to the I-Pod for the flight. Across the aisle were two men. I am not sure of their relation to the women with me, but they keeprro the conversations going.
I try to drown them out with the book in my lap. It sort of works. I feel the 16-year old’s eyes on the words in front of me. One of my pet peeves is people reading over my shoulder. I change my position, close my book, and reach into my bag. I hope it’s enough to distract her.
It’s not.
She continues it seems to look at my book and out the window. She also moves in on my armrest. I am not a fan of sharing my personal space and I squeeze against the wall of the plane. I stick my sweatshirt in between my head and a window. My tray is also down to reclaim some space. I look over. She is asleep.
Peace and I drift off.
The turbulence awakes me. It was a bumpy ride all the way south. I let it rock me back to sleep and slept much better…until I heard her voice…again.
Where did I leave my headphones?? I couldn’t find them in the days approaching my trip. How I wish I had them now!
I find comfort in my book again and fight between reading and sleeping more. I had only gotten 2 hours of sleep last night. Or rather this morning.
We begin our descend. The pressure change awakes me this time. It’s not quite gum time but close. I am awake now - no sense in trying to sleep at this juncture. My book is still open to my page and I continue reading.
My seat neighbor is eagerly looking out the window I left open. The water below is crystal blue. A glimpse makes me smile. I love this view! I love being over the open water and watching the waves from above. This is why I get the window seats.
Feeling the ground closer I recognize that this is a true definition of faith - to descend over the sea and trust the pilot has the runway or airport in sight.
I see rainbows and reefs. I see the stratosphere and ships. My vacation is becoming more and more of a reality. I feel home. Inside the pressure is building.
The young woman reaches for something in her bag. I don’t pay much attention, my book is getting good. She turns to me and offers me a stick of gum. Did she read my mind?
Too distracted and thrown off by it, I politely refuse. I continue reading and glancing out the window. But now I can’t concentrate on my book. A stranger I sat next to for 4 hours offered me a piece of gum because she noticed I wasn’t chewing on any and didn’t want anyone around her to feel that pain she felt on her first flight.
I reach into my bag. I put my sweatshirt away, grab my camera, notebook (the rainbow sparked a verse), and a stick of gum. As I do this, a gentleman in the row ahead turns and asks her if she has any extra gum. His got hard. Of course she shared it.
With a smile and glint of excitement in her eyes, she talks to her mother about the island of Puerto Rico. It seems as though she spent her early years here. She is full of questions and memories.
And as the plane lands in San Juan, applause fills the cabin. It was a bumpy ride.
No comments:
Post a Comment