The Flight
Posted: Tue Jan 10, 2012 4:42 pm
Lilly’s footsteps weigh heavy on her soul. Each step takes her further and further from the life she’s leaving behind. Each step reminds her that she would never be around her beloved again. Each step tears away at her inside.
The only thing she was allowed from her past held tightly onto her right arm. Akira’s pace was that of a leader – strong, yet accommodating to her sister’s needs. The airport is incredibly busy this time of day. People come from seemingly every direction, forcing Akira to move defensively. The roar of voices overwhelms the Satous, and the eldest can barely hear her own thoughts. Frustrated, she tries to vocalize them.
“You know, it isn’t all bad. We can go swimming whenever we want now. And a home cooked meal every day? Sign me up.”
Lilly silently nods her head. If Akira weren’t focused so intently on her sister she wouldn’t have noticed. She sighs audibly. Her own breakup wasn’t the easiest thing for her to do, but she has the feeling that she has no idea what Lilly is going through. This only exacerbates her mood, and her forlorn expression shows it to almost everyone. She’d prefer not to worry her sister, and Lilly’s condition proves to be a grim fortune.
Their gate draws closer as they contemplate their final moments in Japan. Rows of poor-quality yet overpriced restaurants and gift shops for the unprepared surround the two on either side. The two might have stopped for something to eat to calm their nerves if they had more time. However, they have a flight to catch, and they can’t afford to stop for anything. Not even for exceptionally loud commotion behind them. Not even for what Lilly thinks is a familiar voice.
“Is that...?”
“Hmm?”
“No, it couldn’t be.”
This trip will be harder than she ever realized.
After standing in line for what seems like eternity, Lilly and Akira arrive at the security checkpoint. The two have their tickets scanned, and a security officer greets them with a stern and timely “Hello,” as if he were waiting for them his whole life. He continues with his words of destiny:
“Please place all metallic, liquid, or electronic objects and carry-ons on your persons in the bin and step through the scanner.”
They had already checked their luggage. Lilly would go first. She places her purse into the bin, and instinctively checks the contents to be sure that nothing was forgotten. The usual suspects are all there: her wallet, which she used happily to treat those important to her; her cellphone, her last connection to the world facing her back; lastly, a new offender hid inside. Something Lilly refused to be without – a small rectangular box – filled with her fondest memories.
Everything is accounted for, and Lilly gingerly removes her necklace and joins it with her other belongings before stepping through the scanner. The noise of the large crowd has died down, and Lilly can hear the clink-clink-thud of Akira’s studs and briefcase tossed into a bin with little concern. Moments later, a negative beep tells Akira that something is wrong.
“Oh yeah, heh heh. Pockets.”
Akira empties the aforementioned contents and tries again to success.
“Enjoy your flight.”
A feeling of foreboding begins to well up in Lilly’s stomach.
Minutes later the two are reassembled and welcomed by the airport’s terminal. It has a calm, disinfected feel, and Lilly can’t help but notice that the air is warm and far too dry. Akira leads her to their airline’s corner, and the two sit down. The area is filled with other travelers, and the seats are hard and rigid. As if Lilly could be any more uncomfortable.
Their flight boards in twenty minutes.
“How about something to drink, Lilly? You know how they only have soda on the plane.”
“Tea, please.”
Lilly can’t see her sister’s face, but it would break her heart if she did. She’s completely unaware of how defeated she sounds. She is leaving. She has to.
“Alright, you just… hang tight.”
Akira sighs.
“I’ll go grab some drinks and I’ll be right back.”
As Akira turns to walk away, Lilly solemnly lowers her head.
This is too hard.
For a while, Lilly just sits and thinks. She thinks about the past year. Her first glass of wine. Her trip to Hokkaido with her two greatest friends. The rustling of a field of wheat accompanied by a warm and gentle breeze, and the emotions that go with them. But mostly, she thinks of a certain someone. Her train of thought is interrupted by a woman’s voice over a speaker.
“Passengers en-route to Inverness Scotland in the United Kingdom, boarding will begin in five minutes.”
Akira isn’t back yet. Lilly calls out to her, as if her sister were playing some sort of cruel prank from their childhood.
“Akira? Akira, are you there?”
Her call is returned by an unfamiliar and loud voice. A man on his phone, sounding as if he’s somewhere around his thirties. He sits down two seats away from Lilly.
“Yeah, I just got to the terminal, we’ll be boarding soon.”
That’s right. Her last minutes in Japan will soon reach their end. As if there’s nothing else to do, Lilly continues to listen in on the conversation.
“I know, I almost didn’t make it. I’d have been here earlier, but I had the craziest time. Some shouting kid crashed into me on the way. Hard.”
Crazy is right. This is all crazy. But there’s nothing that can be done. There’s nothing that-
“He was such a young kid, too. Looked like he was in high school, judging by the uniform.”
Could she not have been hearing things? Could that voice have been real? She thought she may have heard him, but she thought it was just because he was on her mind.
“But after picking myself up, the kid just laid there on the ground. Paramedics said that he had a heart attack and rushed him to the nearest hospital.”
Wait a minute. A young man in a high school uniform? Heart attack? Lilly raises her head with conviction and a desperate concern.
“Hisao?!”
“Passengers en-route to Inverness Scotland, we will now begin boarding.”
Seconds later, Akira comes running up to Lilly, two drinks in hand and short of breath.
“Sorry I took so long, Lilly. They didn’t have tea, but I think some juice might be-“
“Akira, we have to go.”
“I know, silly, the announcement just said-“
“No.”
Lilly stands.
“We have to go now.”
The only thing she was allowed from her past held tightly onto her right arm. Akira’s pace was that of a leader – strong, yet accommodating to her sister’s needs. The airport is incredibly busy this time of day. People come from seemingly every direction, forcing Akira to move defensively. The roar of voices overwhelms the Satous, and the eldest can barely hear her own thoughts. Frustrated, she tries to vocalize them.
“You know, it isn’t all bad. We can go swimming whenever we want now. And a home cooked meal every day? Sign me up.”
Lilly silently nods her head. If Akira weren’t focused so intently on her sister she wouldn’t have noticed. She sighs audibly. Her own breakup wasn’t the easiest thing for her to do, but she has the feeling that she has no idea what Lilly is going through. This only exacerbates her mood, and her forlorn expression shows it to almost everyone. She’d prefer not to worry her sister, and Lilly’s condition proves to be a grim fortune.
Their gate draws closer as they contemplate their final moments in Japan. Rows of poor-quality yet overpriced restaurants and gift shops for the unprepared surround the two on either side. The two might have stopped for something to eat to calm their nerves if they had more time. However, they have a flight to catch, and they can’t afford to stop for anything. Not even for exceptionally loud commotion behind them. Not even for what Lilly thinks is a familiar voice.
“Is that...?”
“Hmm?”
“No, it couldn’t be.”
This trip will be harder than she ever realized.
After standing in line for what seems like eternity, Lilly and Akira arrive at the security checkpoint. The two have their tickets scanned, and a security officer greets them with a stern and timely “Hello,” as if he were waiting for them his whole life. He continues with his words of destiny:
“Please place all metallic, liquid, or electronic objects and carry-ons on your persons in the bin and step through the scanner.”
They had already checked their luggage. Lilly would go first. She places her purse into the bin, and instinctively checks the contents to be sure that nothing was forgotten. The usual suspects are all there: her wallet, which she used happily to treat those important to her; her cellphone, her last connection to the world facing her back; lastly, a new offender hid inside. Something Lilly refused to be without – a small rectangular box – filled with her fondest memories.
Everything is accounted for, and Lilly gingerly removes her necklace and joins it with her other belongings before stepping through the scanner. The noise of the large crowd has died down, and Lilly can hear the clink-clink-thud of Akira’s studs and briefcase tossed into a bin with little concern. Moments later, a negative beep tells Akira that something is wrong.
“Oh yeah, heh heh. Pockets.”
Akira empties the aforementioned contents and tries again to success.
“Enjoy your flight.”
A feeling of foreboding begins to well up in Lilly’s stomach.
Minutes later the two are reassembled and welcomed by the airport’s terminal. It has a calm, disinfected feel, and Lilly can’t help but notice that the air is warm and far too dry. Akira leads her to their airline’s corner, and the two sit down. The area is filled with other travelers, and the seats are hard and rigid. As if Lilly could be any more uncomfortable.
Their flight boards in twenty minutes.
“How about something to drink, Lilly? You know how they only have soda on the plane.”
“Tea, please.”
Lilly can’t see her sister’s face, but it would break her heart if she did. She’s completely unaware of how defeated she sounds. She is leaving. She has to.
“Alright, you just… hang tight.”
Akira sighs.
“I’ll go grab some drinks and I’ll be right back.”
As Akira turns to walk away, Lilly solemnly lowers her head.
This is too hard.
For a while, Lilly just sits and thinks. She thinks about the past year. Her first glass of wine. Her trip to Hokkaido with her two greatest friends. The rustling of a field of wheat accompanied by a warm and gentle breeze, and the emotions that go with them. But mostly, she thinks of a certain someone. Her train of thought is interrupted by a woman’s voice over a speaker.
“Passengers en-route to Inverness Scotland in the United Kingdom, boarding will begin in five minutes.”
Akira isn’t back yet. Lilly calls out to her, as if her sister were playing some sort of cruel prank from their childhood.
“Akira? Akira, are you there?”
Her call is returned by an unfamiliar and loud voice. A man on his phone, sounding as if he’s somewhere around his thirties. He sits down two seats away from Lilly.
“Yeah, I just got to the terminal, we’ll be boarding soon.”
That’s right. Her last minutes in Japan will soon reach their end. As if there’s nothing else to do, Lilly continues to listen in on the conversation.
“I know, I almost didn’t make it. I’d have been here earlier, but I had the craziest time. Some shouting kid crashed into me on the way. Hard.”
Crazy is right. This is all crazy. But there’s nothing that can be done. There’s nothing that-
“He was such a young kid, too. Looked like he was in high school, judging by the uniform.”
Could she not have been hearing things? Could that voice have been real? She thought she may have heard him, but she thought it was just because he was on her mind.
“But after picking myself up, the kid just laid there on the ground. Paramedics said that he had a heart attack and rushed him to the nearest hospital.”
Wait a minute. A young man in a high school uniform? Heart attack? Lilly raises her head with conviction and a desperate concern.
“Hisao?!”
“Passengers en-route to Inverness Scotland, we will now begin boarding.”
Seconds later, Akira comes running up to Lilly, two drinks in hand and short of breath.
“Sorry I took so long, Lilly. They didn’t have tea, but I think some juice might be-“
“Akira, we have to go.”
“I know, silly, the announcement just said-“
“No.”
Lilly stands.
“We have to go now.”
