Flight of Destiny

The Words:   Itinerary          Distortion         Turbulence 

  I glanced down at the itinerary I held in my hand, with new butterflies erupting in my stomach. I've crumpled the sheet of blue paper while off in my own thoughts. I'm still so surprised that I'm doing this. I can't believe I'm sitting here at the air port waiting to board the plain. That Plain I've been dreaming about taking for over a year. that Plain that will change my life forever. For better or worse I do not know yet. Either way will be better than this holding pattern I've been in for the past eighteen months. At least that is what I keep telling myself. More butterflies at the thought of seeing him again. I absently flatten my itinerary across the knee of my jeans, still in a place far from the air port where I sit. I finally focus on the neat lines of print running across the ripples I've made in the paper. Tracing each line with my finger I carefully read each word. I've done this at least ten times already but this little list of words seems to be the only thing that is real to me . Everything else is so surreal.
  "Flight 362 Boston to New York is now boarding all rows. Now boarding all rows." Comes over the speakers causing me to jump. Knocking over my bag the contains scattering across the industrial carpet. I can't believe I missed them calling my seat.  "Crap!" I look over at the boarding doors, still a line. I start shoving items in my bag trying to hurry before the last person in line is at the ticket counter. I get everything that was on the floor in the bag and holding the flaps closed at the top rush over with my ticket out.
  "Thank you." The woman behind the counter says as she takes my ticket to scan it. "Is everything okay?" She asks handing back my ticket. At my puzzled expression she says "Your bag, I saw it spill. Did you find everything?"
  "Oh, yes. Thank you." I automatically look back at the spot were I was sitting. And there on the chair next to mine is a square of blue. To late to go back for the itinerary. Good thing I memorized it. I turn and walk down the flexible hall to the waiting plain. I find my seat, I'm the last one on. I get my bag straightened up zipped and stowed under the seat in front of me just in time to feel the plain taxiing down the runway. I pop a stick of gum in my mouth and settle back in my seat closing my eyes. I don't need to have the window seat, I'm not interested in the view. I just don't want to be disturbed. I'm happy to retreat into the world in my head, the world I'll be getting back to soon, until the flight is over.
  As soon as I feel the plain level out I let myself fully relax. That's when his image starts to form on my darkened lids. It starts out as a vague shadow, slowly sharpening. The first thing to come into focus were his eyes, two pools of brown jasper surrounded by fabulously curving lashes. Next was his full lips pulled back in his typical easy smile. The rest quickly fallowed, close cropped black hair, broad shoulders, narrow waist. This beautiful man, all tall dark and handsome, is waiting for me. I still can't believe that he is waiting for me.


  I must have fallen asleep because the next thing I knew I was jolted as the plain touched the tarmac. I sat up, rubbed a hand across my eyes and down my face, and looked out the window for the first time.
  There was about a foot of snow on the ground! Not to unusual for New York if it was a few months earlier but it was late May. Way to late for snow! I closed my eyes, thinking that I still had remnants of sleep distorting my vision. I opened them, closed them again rubbed at them and opened again. The snow was still there. The members of the ground crew I saw were dressed for extreme cold. Things were starting to get a little strange.
  I turned to the middle aged business woman sitting in the isle seat, "Do you see the snow? Why is there snow on the ground in May?"
  "There's always snow. Where have you been?" She said looking at me as if I was a little crazy.
  "There is always snow in New York City? Since when?" I couldn't keep the disbelief out of my voice.  "Not just New York City but the whole world. For the past fifteen years there has been nothing but snow. Really you should know this, you should have learned about this in school. You don't look older than your early twenties, how do you not know about the Global Freeze?" She shook her head and stood.
  Only then did I realize that the plain had pulled up to the gate and passengers were disembarking. Grabbing my bag from under the seat in front of me, I stood and got ready to get off. 
I'm going to have to buy a parka.

That's all for this one (I am trying to keep these short). Please let me know what you think.