Conversation was the
best outlet for stress. We leapt into it, both secretly waiting for disaster in
the hidden crannies of our minds. After exhausting all small talk there was a
worried silence before she spoke up and asked me, “Why are you going to Paris?”
“Paris?” I laughed.
“This flight is going to London.”
Her mouth dropped
open with fierce surprise. “What?”
“You didn’t know
that?”
“No! Oh for goodness
sake. I’m supposed to be going to Paris!”
“Well maybe London will work out.” I was
feeling cheerier. “Was it a vacation?”
Her eyes brightened suddenly with a deep alluring glow that made me feel as if I was seeing her for the first time.
"That," She said smilingly, "Is a very long story."
Just then the man
behind me leaned forward and tapped my shoulder.
“Son, did I hear you
say this flight is heading for London?” I nodded and the man smiled with a Mr.
Brownlow air. He swabbed his glasses with the corner of his jacket and answered, “I think you had better check your ticket. We’ll be in Verona in
a few hours.” He turned back to his newspaper, head shaking.
"Are you serious?" I muttered to the void. "Looks like we're both on the wrong side of destiny today." I tossed a slosh of orange juice down my throat. My companion smiled that bewitching grin again and replied, "Is there a wrong side?"
Years later I
wondered if it was magic. Or fate. Or luck. Or a bit of all three.
~*~
But at the time I
wasn’t accounting anything to luck, that’s certain. A few minutes after
the Verona discovery, and the fears that I might lose my job set in, the lights
started flickering and the plane dodged in an out and up and about through a
wall of black clouds. She closed her eyes again, and the intercom kicked in with
warnings and obscure reassurances.
“So, you weren’t
kidding,” I murmured, making sure my safety belt was properly secured. Next to me, she sat clutching the seat. Her skin was white
again and the words “braced for impact” were etched into every feature. We
bounced through air-pocket after air-pocket. It was strange. I'd never seen such a sudden storm.
“Yeah well, like I
said before, we’ll probably be okay. I’ve beaten the odds so far. Why not now?” People around us started to look panicky. I felt my own pulse racing and adrenaline rushing its way through my body.
“Tell me one thing. Were any of those flights
heading for another continent?”
“No.” The plane
started to shake and I flashed back to every plane crash movie I’d ever seen,
my heart thundering underneath my shirt. “Why?” She asked; daring to open her
eyes long enough to glance over at me.
“Well, there’s just one
problem I've been wondering about." I laughed nervously. "You see, it isn't really possible to crash land a jet in the middle of the ocean.” At that moment the oxygen
masks tumbled down and I heard a ripping screech like metal meeting madness.
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