The sky was dark, and I retreated, leaning back as far as I could (which, by the way, was not very far at all) and turning only slightly to my right as to not disturb the passenger next to me. I was in the window seat, usually the most desired seat, but at this time I was hoping to get up and stretch; which, in this seat, was practically impossible. There were three seats, the window, and one middle and one aisle. With both occupants of the middle and aisle seats asleep, and nothing else to occupy me as I was not planning on spending more money on the tiny television with poor quality in front of me, I observed them.
The middle seat was filled by a little old lady. Her skin wrinkled most by her eyes and the edges of her mouth; probably from laughter. She wore little black sneakers and black slacks, with a black shirt, and dangly pearl earrings. Looking ahead, I smiled to myself. She reminded me of my own grandmother who also thought that matching everything made a perfect outfit.
In the aisle seat was a plain looking man. Not plain as in ugly, as he was quite easy on the eyes, but he definitely had to be plain; no other way to describe it. He had short, but not too short, brown hair. I had a hunch that his eyes, although closed, would be a boring brown as well. He slept towards the aisle.
The airconditioning was becoming cold so I reached above myself and swiveled the nozzle, turning it off. Looking over at my travelling ‘companions’, for lack of a better word, I decided I’d do the same for them. Just barely reaching over, I turned the old woman’s air conditioning off, and then, leaning just a bit further, I was just about to turn the man’s off when his eyes snapped open with a start.





They were green; His eyes. I had learned his name was Matthew, and hers Linda. The pair was travelling as a mother and son-in-law duo, which I would have never known if it hadn’t been brought up in their conversation. They seemed friendly enough toward each other, and it was not that they were cold toward each other either, but it was that in every new subject they spoke about, each seemed to learn something new about the other, as if it were their first time meeting.
Matthew, the man (but of course you knew that), had woken up not long ago, though I wasn’t sure of the actual time it had been because I had left my watch at home and my phone was turned off and in my handbag on the floor; The sky was light now. Matthew hadn’t elaborated on his sudden stirring, instead he had waved it off as being no more than a bad dream, claiming he shouldn’t share it aloud because it would only frighten all of us. All of us, I assumed, meaning the passengers on the plane. He confirmed. The woman had woken up not long after Matthew.
I looked back, towards the bathroom, to find to my great delight that the flight attendant was bringing the snacks down the aisle way. I stretched out my legs as much as I could. Matthew and Linda were talking about their plans for when the plane arrived in Rome. Apparently, they were to meet Matthew’s recent bride and Linda’s husband who were already there, waiting at the airport. The bride, Mary, was expecting; They had found out a month ago. Linda had been occasionally turning to me to explain, even though I really wasn’t a part of the conversation. I found it to be quite charming.
As the flight attendant arrived at our row of seats, I watched as Matthew waved her off and then as he turned to Linda and me with a smile on his face. He shrugged and spoke in a staggered manner as if there wasn’t much explaining to do, “unhealthy snacks, not good for the descent, we should be landing soon.” Sighing, I turned my attention back to the window.
We were still flying over water. The sun hitting the ocean at such an illuminating angle only added to the sense of height we had in the sky. I felt as though I was looking down on Earth from space, the bright edge of the waterline seemed so clear. I was aware of a mild humming of hushed low voices near the front of the plane by the captain’s cabin. Glancing up and peering discretely through my eyelashes, I watched as the attendants and one of the captains stood uncomfortably close together, talking very hurriedly.
Linda shifted next to me, her delicate snow coated head bobbed onto Matthew’s shoulder. He spoke through a smile, “She’s ninety-two, you know.” Raising my eyebrows, I turned to face him.
“I would have never known.”
“No, you wouldn’t. She’s very in shape, but on top of that, she’s happy. Happy people always look younger.” He nodded to himself, proud of his conclusion. There was a soft silence, a comfortable one, and then he spoke again. “I try to be happy as well. I am happy, I have everything I ever wanted; a wife, a child on the way, loving parents and parent-in-laws - I’m all set.” He stopped to shrug. “Sometimes though, I feel guilty. I feel like I want more, you know?” He had this funny way of ending so many statements with a phrase that he saw as ‘relatable’, as if I were in the same boat as him. Before I had time to respond, he began again. “I want more opportunity. I’m not ready to be tied down, I have dreams! I want to go places and see people, you know what I mean?” The sunlight shone through the window behind my head, glittering in his bright green eyes.
Just as he finished the rhetorical question, the bell for the seatbelt sign went off. I smiled, nodding slightly at him before turning away to secure my belt. “Hey, what’s your name again?”
I knew the voice well enough now to recognize it as Matthew’s without having to look and check, I responded without turning my head again, “Jan. Jan Williams.” I clicked my seatbelt and tugged to make sure that it was secure.
“Nice to meet you Jan, Matthew Smith.”
“And you.” Together, his named seemed plain, which was strange. He seemed plain. He wasn’t. To begin with, he had green eyes, not the typical brown you see so often paired with dark brown hair. He was also outspoken, and, you had to hand it to him, the guy still had dreams even though he looked to be upwards of his prime.
Suddenly, I felt as though the floor was vibrating, my legs humming with the pressure and juddering of the plane. Linda’s head shot up, and she looked around with wide, innocent eyes. I watched as Matthew placed a hand on her leg, offering his reassurance and murmuring something that seemed to calm her down. She relaxed back into her seat and the vibrating seemed to cease.
Several minutes passed before the shuddering of the plane began again. Normally this kind of motion was associated with going through clouds but as I looked outside through the window, I saw open sky. Looking around myself I saw the widened eyes of worried parents and their oblivious children. I saw people looking around for the comfort and reassurance of their friends, families, and the attendants.
There was a buzz, the sound that comes on before an announcement, but then silence. And then, we were dropping. It had taken me a second to feel it, but my stomach was being left behind, which meant we weren’t dropping at a measured pace. I felt my heart begin to race. Through the window the hard blue of the ocean became nearer and nearer. I couldn’t hear, a ringing in my ears blocked the noises and all I could see were the wide mouths and outstretching arms of people around me.
The funny thing was, with all of this chaos, and with all of this knowledge that we were going down, the only thing I could think about was myself. Who was I? What did I mean? I had no family, I had been on my way to begin a new life and establish roots. I had lost what little of a family I had had because I had made poor choices. I should be able to do something, to sacrifice myself for those who are more deserving. Linda’s worn hand grabbed my own leg, as Matthew’s had done so calmly to hers moments earlier, but this time it was not for reassurance.
As I looked into Linda’s eyes, I was surprised at her expression. She was smiling, her eyes were a brilliant blue and seemed quite watery, though I was not sure if it was from happiness or sadness. She just nodded, and then offered one comment. “Isn’t it fun?” Her voice was so measured, and so optimistic. I looked from her to Matthew, who only nodded solemnly, as if he had accepted his fate. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, waiting for the bone-crushing impact.