The Flight (part three)

It seemed at first like any normal cloud covering, but this was during the days of Hurricane Edward and within seconds we had lurched and bucked and lurched again. I tried to think positively, but now the nose of the plane was pointing down and we were still bucking and lurching and that's when I gave up and experienced, for the second time in my young life, absolute certainty that I was going to die. I had both arms gripping the back of my headrest and was praying aloud to every god I knew. We swerved to the left, to the right, up, and down again, and I was certain that this was punishment for my impulsiveness, punishment for the last time. I only hoped it would be over quickly.

The whole plane shuddered, and then we were out of the clouds. The nose straightened, and the air was smooth. I looked around me and realized that no one else was panicking. The waif to my right was positively demure, and I knew I had sacrificed whatever coolness I had managed to convey during our interchange about the belligerent woman. So I opted to bury myself in headphones and direct TV, and with the help of a Legally Blonde marathon and "Friends," it seemed like no time at all before the flight tracker screen showed the nose of the plane inching into California. I couldn't believe how easy it had all been after all.