She opened her eyes.
“Did you hear me?” he asked. “I might have found you a silver lining.”
“What’s that?”
“Okay well — the thought of being buried scares you, yeah?”
“Yes.”
“And the thought of being cremated also makes you feel uncomfortable.”
Kirsty already knew where this was going and was just glaring at her husband. Was he really going to be this stupid right now?
“Well think of this,” he said, “if the plane does go down — there’s a good chance they won’t find the body and — therefore — you avoid both burial and cremation.” Yep. That was exactly what she thought he was going to say. He noticed her lack of smile and gave her a little nudge, “Come on, I’m joking. It was just a little joke… You have to admit, it was a little funny.”
“You’re an idiot.”
5
“I’m sorry but we’re going to have to ask you to board the plane now,” one of the air stewardess came over. The gate was on the verge of closing now and most passengers had been accounted for. Kirsty, Ethan and Dylan had to get on the plane for fear of holding it up.
“Sorry, I don’t like flying.” Kirsty warned her, just in case she couldn’t help herself but to freak out.
“Come on, it will be fine.” Dylan stood up and extended his hand to his wife. She took it and he helped her stand. Her damned legs were shaking like leaves in a breeze.
Ethan had already run to the entrance of the tunnel that connected to the plane. He definitely had no fear when it came to flying.
Dylan helped his wife down the tunnel and onto the plane where they were pointed to their seats by the cabin crew, greeting people at the door.
“You’re just down there on the right,” the smartly dressed man pointed them down the rows of seats to the set of three against one of the emergency exits. Whenever they flew they opted for these seats. Dylan was six foot three and liked the extra legroom offered. Yes it cost slightly more than a standard seat but at least it meant he was going to be comfortable for the duration of the flight as he could stretch right out. He took the window seat, Ethan was put in the middle and Kirsty sat on the aisle seat. She immediately put her seatbelt on and closed her eyes. Her hands were clenched around the armrests.
“Honey we’re probably going to be here for about twenty minutes or so before we even taxi to the runway,” Dylan pointed out. She opened her eyes and the fear was very evident. He felt sorry for her, of course he did, but there was very little he could do and — he was right — they had both chosen to come on this holiday. It wasn’t as though it was something he had just surprised her with.
He reached into the side pocket, against the wall, and pulled out the menu and guide for the inflight entertainment, “Here — why don’t you take a look through this,” he offered. She took it without saying a word and promptly started reading through it.
“Oh great,” she moaned almost as soon as she opened the menu.
“What is it?”
“Tuna steak for dinner. Brilliant.”
Dylan couldn’t help but to laugh, even though he felt like an asshole for it. Kirsty hated fish as much as she hated flying. It didn’t matter as to whether it was alive or dead. For some reason, they just freaked her right out. She closed the menu and tossed it to one side before opening the inflight entertainment.
The plane started to move.
“Oh God, oh God, oh God…” she started muttering to herself.
“It’s okay. It’s all good. We’re just heading to the runway. Nothing bad happening.” He quickly changed the subject, “Any good films or games to play?” he nodded towards the guide. Kirsty looked back down to it.
They were both gamers at home — mainly on the Xbox — so he hoped there’d be something entertaining enough to take Kirsty’s attention. Sure, it wouldn’t be as good as the games they had at home but it would be better than nothing. Anything to distract her frayed nerves was better than nothing.
“They have Tetris apparently,” Kirsty said. She knew the games would be crap but she was now thinking similarly to her husband — anything to distract her was better than nothing. “And Pacman. Clearly all the latest here,” she mocked.
“I want to play games,” Ethan blurted out.
“Soon buddy, soon. Can’t pull the televisions out until we’re in the air,” Dylan pointed out.
The cabin crew all took their positions in front of the cabin — one on either side of each section — and started to run through the safety announcement. Whereas most people half listen whilst looking out of the window and thinking about where they were headed — Kirsty paid close attention. She watched how to put the life-vest on, she paid attention to where the emergency exits were (even reading how to open the door on the special leaflet provided) and even watched — with interest — how to disembark using the slide. If the plane was going to go down — and in her head it was — she was going to be prepared.
The plane stopped.
An announcement came over the tannoy; all cabin crew were to take their seats.
“Oh God…”
“Honey, it’s fine! You need to relax.” Dylan leaned across his son and placed his hand on his wife’s leg for comfort. He could feel how much she was trembling. Ten minutes, he thought, and they’d be in the air and she would start to relax a little. Ten minutes. “Oh — nearly forgot,” he said. He took his hand back for a moment and reached into his pocket. He pulled out three hard-boiled sweets. Keeping one for himself — he handed the other two to his wife and son. “If you suck them, it stops your ears from popping.”
The plane started to move and gather speed.
Kirsty snatched the sweet from her husband and unwrapped the clear wrapper as quickly as she could before dropping the sweet into her mouth. The ear-popping sensation was part of what made flying so bad for her. As soon as the pressure changed, she felt her ears go yet sometimes they would not go the whole way and would end up feeling blocked and uncomfortable. And — more frustratingly — she wouldn’t be able to hear for days until they sorted themselves out again. Although she didn’t believe it, sucking sweets was supposed to stop that change in pressure affecting your ears and so — whenever she boarded a flight — she’d ensure she had a hardboiled sweet of some description to suck upon.
The plane tilted back as the front lifted from the ground. A second later, the whole machine was in the air.
Kirsty sucked back as hard as she could…
And so…
Eight of the longest hours of Dylan’s life had gone by and — finally — the plane touched down upon tarmac once more. The plane sped down the runway with the brakes on full, gradually slowing the craft to a stop. Outside the weather was as you’d expect for the tropics; beautiful skies and brilliant sunshine as the perfect golden orb, high in the air, beat down upon the lands superheating everything. Paradise.
The seatbelt lights pinged off and the cabin crew busied themselves, helping people get off. No one was really saying anything and — if they were — it was in hushed voices. Dylan and Ethan remained seated with Kirsty who’d usually be so desperate to disembark that she’d be one of the first off. Not this time though.
Only when the rest of the plane was empty did Dylan get off with his family; first he and his son left — walking down the stairs hand in hand, then two of the cabin crew with the family’s carry on luggage and then the paramedics — stretchering out the body of Kirsty. The hardboiled sweet still lodged in her throat. Her skin so blue, her eyes so lifeless.
But the plane hadn’t crashed…