Monday, January 24, 2011

Through the Eyes of God - Chapter One Page One

“Excuse me Ma’am?”  A soft voice broke through my tired state.

My eyelids resisted the movement but eventually her pretty round face came within my fuzzy view.

“Sorry to waken you Ma’am but we have arrived at our destination.”

“Destination?”  It took a few seconds to perfectly blend the reality of the moment with my sleepy thoughts.

Her navy tailored suit coat contrasted nicely with her red hair and sharp green eyes. Amidst my haze, her thick, sweet accent pushed again.  “Are you well enough to disembark Dear, or do you require assistance?”

That did it.  I stood quickly to my feet.  “I’m fine.  Thank you.”

As I shifted left to manoeuvre my way through the airline seats, I noticed the other two flight attendants watching my every move with concern.  I must look really bad, I thought as I tried to blink away the sleepy-droop to my eyes.

As I arrived in the aisle, the sweet attendant handed me the last carry-on left in the overhead compartment.  For a moment I remember the decision to purchase the bright ruby red travelling set.  There would be no confusing it with everyone else’s on the luggage carousel. 

Her eyes asked the question that her lips never formed.

“Yes, thank you”, I said, reaching out my free hand.  “That's mine.”

“Thank you for choosing Canadian Continental Air.  Have a fabulous day.”  Her smile widened almost past her facial edges. 

My fuzzy thoughts pondered how much her cheeks must hurt at the end of a shift working here.  Here?  I had to work hard processing the answer to that question.  Where was here exactly?

I remember getting on an airplane in Montreal, but that felt like days ago.  Working my double shifts at the senior’s home usually throws my whole life balance off normally.  Now I’ve added a Transatlantic flight on the end of it which has forced my brain to vacate altogether.

No wonder I have refused my sister’s invitation to visit her in France for three years now.  This is not something I normally do.  As I swagger my way through the airport tunnel, I remember how far out of the norm this really is.

My eyes scanned the glass walled Quonset-style terminal.  People moved in every direction around me as if I wasn’t even there.  My mind was still striving to find answers to my uncertainty.  I slid into a ladies washroom to freshen up and gather all my senses together.

The bathroom was large and well lit, bringing a new shock to my exhaustion.  There was an older woman resting against the countertop.  Her back was to the mirror.  She appeared travel-weary but her smile led me to believe she was alright.  I watched her while I made my way to a sink.  With a motion of my hand, water ran, cool and refreshing into my cupped hands.  Before any other thoughts took over, I splashed the cool water to my face washing away the bewilderment.


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