My take on this :)
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There were days like that where Jake wondered if it was his fate putting him to test. When he climbed the plane he knew things would go wrong.
First it was when he arrived to his seat. Or what he thought was his seat since a loud man notified him that he got it wrong.Jake politely moved to the right spot and felt his heart drop when his seat neighbour was pale as a sheet.
He knew it would suck from the start and he prayed whatever god -if they existed- to not have this young kid vomit his breakfast and yesterday’s dinner.
Jake knew he shouldn’t have taken the middle seat from the start but since it was a last booking emergency he didn’t think about the struggle of the present. His damn past self was that insensitive sometimes.
Then a nervous middle-aged woman sat on the other side and Jake saw that she wasn’t that fond of airplanes. He felt the same way on a spiritual level.
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Announcement were made and the plane pilots were speaking. Like usual, pilots spoke way to close to the microphone and way too fast. But, nobody was that fascinated about the plane itinerary or the time they would arrive.
After that, it was time for the safety demonstration from the flight attendants and Jake looked at them. He felt like he had to since he didn’t want to jinx himself by not watching what they had to do. He felt like if he didn’t watch, something bad was bound to happen.
The plane moved and Jake felt a clampy hand go on his hand. The middle aged woman was closing her eyes and looked desperate. He decided to let her do it, if that made her feel better. Then it was the kid’s turn to put his moist hand on his and Jake realized that he was no better than a comfort pillow.
He went in his own happy place and closed his eyes as the plane left the ground. He thought of his hikes and the first time he went camping alone. He was free, far from what his family had planned for him.He could hear the trees moving to the calm wind, the cold breeze hitting his hair and the smell of vomit...The smell of vomit?
Jake opened his eyes and he saw it. The bag filled with puke and the panic around him.God damn it, the kid let it all out. Breakfast, lunch and dinner all in one bag.
A flight attendant went to his row and helped the kid out to the bathroom. “One comrade down”Jake thought.
He closed his eyes down while putting his nose in his scarf to at least smell something else than the predigested meal the kid let out.And back he was to that forest.
He could hear the birds chirping, the water from that small creek and a baby crying…
What now! Jake opened his eyes and saw desperate parents trying to comfort the child. He couldn’t be too mad. The child was probably in pain and scared.
Jake closed his eyes again and was back to the forest. He pictured himself feeling the grass on his hand and under his feet. And could feel kicks on his back.
Oh for fuck sake! Another nervous freak was kicking his seat. Anger rose inside him and Jake turned himself to glare at the apologetic person behind him.
He decided to keep his eyes open and rightfully so. The kid was back and sat next to him. Colors were back on the poor boy’s face. That pudding he let out had been beneficial.
“You’re okay, kid?” Jake asked. The kid replied with an embarrassed smile and a nod.
Jake went to his bag and got out his headphones and phone. It was time for ambient music and daydream.He tried to ignore the kicks on his back, the clampy hand that was clawing his hand and the horrible smell of vomit.Jake fell asleep slowly after.
He was dreaming about the camping trip he took once on his own. And it was the best dream ever. In his dream, he saw that nervous woman next to him playing with the sick kid in the grass. The “kicker” who was kicking a ball and the new parents relaxing with their baby. And then pain from his hand came back...
The woman was clawing his hand. Jake figured they were landing but the plane was struggling with the wind, making all the nervous wrecks scream at the same time.It was like they were landing into hell given how much they were panicking. All the poor souls soon stopped at the same time when the plane landed.
Jake allowed the kid to leave his seat and waited for everyone to evacuate the plane before standing up. He was thankful he fell asleep to not focus on people around him.
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After finally getting his luggage, Jake walked to the exit door. He felt like he went through all the circles of hell as he was not a fan of people in general. And he saw him, that dork who made him take the plane just so they could be reunited for a week. He was smiling at him and Jake knew this plane trip was worth it. They hugged and kissed. This dork he called his boyfriend looked like he couldn’t stand from how happy he was. And Jake would lie if he said he wasn’t feeling the same way. “How was the trip?” he asked with a smile. “It was okay” Jake said as his arm went around his lover as they walked to the exit.
