For a long part of my life I wasn’t to be trusted by myself
It was always “bring a friend with you” “two is better than one”
And although I could understand the importance of my mom telling me this I didn’t quite understand it
I’ve always been told that when you grow up you have to learn to do things for yourself, doesn’t that go against the idea of always having a buddy with you to travel with?
Why depend on someone else to go with you if you’ll have to learn to be by yourself when you're older? But it’s my mother so I didn’t make a big fuss.
That’s why when she said I was heading to Seattle, Washington to see my sister I was shocked. Not only was I traveling on an airplane for the first time in years I was traveling by myself. This was a big change from my mother who insisted I always travel with another person.
Eventually I was at the airport. My mother right beside me. It seemed like a dream, one very big dream. We approached the receptionist who took my bag. She asked questions which related to my flight, my mother answered for me. I felt small, like a kid who didn’t know where to go or what to do and that's exactly what I was. Soon we got in a long line dedicated to checking you and your items to make sure you’re not carrying anything illegally. I got to a man who asked for my passport, which I gave. My mother received a slip from the receptionist which let her come through with me.
We finished checking out and were now headed to the area designated for my flight. I looked around checking for maps to see which direction we needed to go. We eventually found out and began walking. I was surrounded by so many people and lights. There were stores basically everywhere ranging from food to even mini markets with miscellaneous items. My mother and I stopped at an Auntie Ann’s pretzel store because we were both hungry. While walking and eating we found our place and decided to sit down. We still had time but it felt as if everything was moving fast. My mother was asking me questions like, “How do you feel?”, “Are you nervous?” and me being me gave the basic answers of “I’m fine” and “Maybe just a little”. There was so much racing through my mind but I didn’t have the words to say them.
What if the plan crashes?
What if a horrible accident happens and we all die?
The usual
I didn’t say them though because my mother tells me it's bad to think of bad things happening, it’s even worse to say them outloud
Before I knew it the plane was already here and people were boarding it already, I just had to wait for my section to be called and before I knew it it was.
I said goodbye to my mom and boarded the plane. At the time I was nervous but excited. If everything went well I would be in Seattle turning 16 in just a few days and got time to spend with my sister. So I got on the plane and hoped for the best. I hoped I would be able to experience all these things.
The plane was confusing and I didn’t know where to sit. All I knew was that I had a window seat and I was in the back. Because of that I just went to the back row, sat down next to the window and put my bookbag between my legs and relaxed. There was a lady that sat on the aisle seat leaving the middle seat open, which I was happy for.
Soon an announcement was made, the standard one. “Everyone please sit down and fasten your seat belts the plane is about to take off”
And take off it did.
It felt like a roller coaster, my heart going up inside my chest, a wonderful feeling. I looked outside to see the wings of the airplane gliding across the sky. The clouds so white that they looked like fluff. Once the plane was know in a comfortable position in the sky I decided to start listening to music from then 2 ipods I brought, thinking of the rest of my flight and if we didn’t die, seeing my sister and the fun we would have