Captured Sunsets

Chapter One

I stare out of the colossal window pane as the terminal slowly extended out to connect to the airplane's exit. The hectic bustle of the airport combined with the voices of Anarbor blaring in my earbuds drowns out the sounds of the flight attendant as she calls for the first set of passengers. I clutch my business class ticket and passport tightly in my left hand and reach for my backpack with my right. The nude lacquer chipped away on my nails serves as a reminder of the trauma I've been through in the past few weeks. She would've thrown a fit to see my nails such a boring color, I think. I tighten my grip on my backpack, while the black Adidas bag was unassuming, it held cargo more precious to me than my life.

When the attendant calls up the business class, I carefully make my way to the gate and stand in the line. As the queue begins to crawl towards the terminal, I glance around at my fellow flight mates. Ahead of me are a couple of girls who couldn't be much older than me jumping up and down; an older couple who seem to be arguing about the whereabouts of their passports; and about fifteen more people. I wait patiently, tapping my foot to the beat of '18'. When I get up to the front of the desk, the flight attendant takes my passport and boarding ticket to scan. She reads the notes of my passenger info and gives my backpack a fleeting glance. She returns my documents and ushers me in, "Have a safe journey, Ms. Grant."

I walk carefully down the aisle, not making eye contact with anyone. 13a, 13a, 13a

I chant in my head as I glance at the seat numbers. I finally find my seat and sit down, placing my bag beneath my seat. I hate the number 13, but I promised myself that trip was not about me and everything about Neve. I unwrap the burgundy blanket out of the plastic covering and get cozy, knowing that we wouldn't be departing anytime soon. I let the sounds of Twenty One Pilots wash over me as I lay back and tune out the now incoming passengers. I send a quick text to my father, who I know won't rest until I'm back safely in our Boston home.

Got through boarding okay, going to depart soon. Will text once I land. Give Bean and Milo tons of kisses and hugs. Love you papa - G<3

"Ladies and gentlemen, good evening. Welcome onboard Flight 479. This is your Captain speaking and I have some information about our flight. The current time here at Logan International Airport is 7:45 pm. Our flight time today will be approximately twenty-two hours and our estimated time of arrival at 7:45 am local time. The weather in our route is good and the forecast says it will be sunny and slightly overcast when we arrive. We remind you that all our crew will be available to assist you throughout the journey. The latest update on the weather at our destination will be given as we approach our destination. Enjoy your flight. Cabin crew, prepare for taxi and departure."

I put away my earbuds and turn my phone onto airplane mode, stowing both into the storage compartment in my armrest. An air hostess asks me to move my chair back upright as the plane begins moving along the tarmac. I sit up straight and watch as the marshaller guides our captain onto the runway. We move quickly and gracefully along the lit path. The plane takes a gentle right turn as we approach a strip of straight tarmac with glowing arrows and as we start to gain some speed; I clutch my armrests tightly. I close my eyes and squeeze the handles as tight as I can as I feel the plane lift off from the ground.

About an hour into the flight, an air hostess comes around to serve our dinners. Between my stomachache and the slight migraine, I have no appetite to eat. I ask her for a Jell-O cup and two Advils, hoping to be able to fall asleep soon. I finish my cup quickly and down the Advil with a bottle of water. Pushing my seat down to stretch into a bed, I think about my family. I think about how my father let a single teardrop as he hugged me goodbye at the drop off of the airport, whispering in my ear about how proud he is of me and what I've chosen to do. Bean, my little brother, had grabbed ahold of my leg and refused to let go.

Tears had poured down his face as he sobbed, begging me to not leave. I couldn't bear to see his tears; I'd picked him up and held him close. I promised him that the next four weeks would go by in a flash and that I would be back home before he knew it. When his tiny hiccups and sniffles had died down, I realized he'd fallen asleep in my arms. I transferred him back to my dad and looked around one more time. My dad gave me a sad smile and said, "She really wanted to be here kiddo. You know how her work gets."

Maybe this is how it's meant to be. She may be my mother, she may have given me life, but it'd been a long time since she'd been my mom. Maybe she and I were just meant to be passengers on passing ships in the night. We come out and acknowledge the person on the other ship, but make no attempts to get to know each other. With a million thoughts running through my mind, I shut my eyes and let the lulling of the airplane help me drift off into a dreamless sleep.

~~~~~~

"We've started our descent into SYD Sydney Airport. We expect to land at 8:15 am; 30 minutes after our scheduled time. We apologize for the delay, as we had to reroute the flight path to avoid some thunderstorm patches. If you want to adjust your watch, it is 8:00 am in Sydney now. The weather is a bit overcast, the temperature is thirteen degrees Celsius. We hope you have a wonderful stay in Sydney and hope to see you again very soon. On behalf of my co-pilot, our cabin crew, and all our staff, thank you for choosing Qantas as your airline today."