Flying

This airplane is maybe 100 feet long. There is one walking aisle, between two rows of seats. The couple in front of me are talking in a romantic language. They have a tiny son whose head is constantly twisting right and left. My head brushes the ceiling. The steward is also the co pilot. Friendly guy. I mentioned I was going to Africa and he said "right on."


The windows are shaped in an oval that reminds me of portal. I think I'm the most interesting looking person on this flight. Not that that's anything to brag about, these people are just incredibly Canadian looking. 


Did I mention how tiny this plane is? For reasons too ironic to sufficiently explain, I'm concerned that this means it won't be able to defy gravity sufficiently. As if gravity and the plane are about to get into a fight, and my prize boxing champ has been skimping on protein shakes. 


The lady they keep in the speaker is begrudgingly mumbling incomprehensible safety tips. Oh gosh we're moving. I just learned that the guy in front of me is catholic, despite our language barrier. 


I can see into the control room. There's no door. I can't decide if they couldn't afford it or didn't have the room for it. We've been moving around so long on wheels that I wonder if we're just gonna drive there. 


Ooh. Acceleration power. Haahahahaha we're not on the ground. The baby's face in front of me is delightful. It's overcast. Aces of the pacific style. Like swimming in gray milk. Every so often I get a wave of vertigo. My butt is buzzing. I chose a seat way too close to the engine. Remember that. The kid in front of me staring at me, wide eyed. Not quite scared. Just curious and a bit incredulous. His father is holding on to him so tightly, I wonder if the wide-eyed look is involuntary. 


We just breached the clouds. Noise canceling headphones are good, but they filter about half the noise out. We're leveling out, which means the engines are quieter. Turbulence. Daddy seems to be getting more comfort from junior than vice versa. You can tell if the plane is going up or down. It's distinct. Banking hard is fun. The clouds look like a foamy field of white. I almost expect to see cows hanging out on them. We're going down. Someone in the back is cheering. This is wicked rough. Wow. Hitting the ground is brutal. On the ground now. It's dark out.