A Hidden Destiny

I woke up, startled, on the plane. Turbulence. I hated it. As if this whole trip couldn’t get any worse. First I was hesitating even going on this trip. Then I almost missed the damn flight because of the usual traffic jam. More importantly, I was nervous and scared of what would be the result of this trip. I took a look around. The woman beside me was still asleep. Her black hair were braided to the side and she was lightly snoring throughout her mouth, as her lips were parted slightly. Beside from my neighbor and the continuous buzzing from the plane itself, the flight was actually pretty quiet and not as horrible as I had expected it to be. I looked out the window. Nothing, but blue skies and big, fluffy clouds. It was beautiful sight and one I rarely enjoyed, since I wasn’t one to travel much. At least not by plane. As I sat there, enjoying the view, I didn’t notice the stewardess offering me some water and some snacks and when I noticed her presence, I apologized and quickly thanked her, so she could move on to the next passenger. I took a look at the snacks she gave me and my face fell a little. Nuts and raisins... Don’t get me wrong. It’s not that I don’t like nuts and raisins, but I was kind of hoping for some chocolate or chips or something like that. You know, a more snack-ish snack. I sighed and opened the water bottle the stewardess had given me, taking a big sip, the coolness from the chilling liquid cooling my throat as I swallowed it. My eyes gazed out of the window again, glancing at the clouds drifting by. Their different formations and textures made me reminisce about my childhood, when I wanted to touch the clouds, expecting them to feel like cotton. The fond memory and with me being amongst the clouds, made me thinking about my currently situation and I wondered if I was making the right decision leaving my home behind. But it wasn’t the only thought racing through my mind. Maybe it was kind of a rash decision? What about a job? I had always been a practical person and I knew that I needed to get a job eventually to afford to continue my mission. For all I knew it could end before it even began, or it could last for several months or even years. And also, I didn’t want to use all of my savings on a maybe unsuccessful mission. I wasn’t exactly rich or something like that, but I had worked hard and long to be able to save enough money for this trip. I grabbed the ear pods from the inner pocket of my bag and secured them into my ears as I opened my phone and found my favorite playlist and pressed shuffle. Nothing that great music couldn’t solve. Maybe this could take my mind off of things. I rested my head back against the seat and closed my eyes, letting the music flow through my brain and calm my nerves. Breathing in through my nose, deep down to my stomach and exhaling out through my mouth. I repeated it one more time. And again. I felt my heartbeat slow down and I opened my eyes again, feeling a bit more relaxed. The packet with nuts and raisins made a popping sound as I opened it to eat some of it. With the combined flavor from the salty nuts and sweet raisins teasing my tastebuds, and the music booming in my ears, I felt more comfortable and relaxed. I found myself rocking my head from side to side and my feet tapping on the floor, as I was feeling the music playing in my ears and through my whole body. I could even hear myself chewing on the nuts, the sound muffling the music in my ears a little, but I didn’t mind. No, it was the right decision for me, doing this. Yes, it wasn’t rash. I could feel it in my bones that I needed to do this. Something like this could be life-altering, I was aware of that. Maybe everything would click into place. A new job in the future, a new place to live, maybe even new friends? Who knew? It would probably take a while to get settled, but I was confident that I could make it happen. I was a friendly, easygoing person, I could make some friends. Don’t think so little of yourself, Maddie. I opened my water bottle to take a sip. Suddenly, the plane jumped a bit from turbulence, making me spill down my t-shirt and skirt, and my positive mindset was instantly replaced with a foul one again. Seriously!? I quickly regretted my decision again, feeling all hope for my mission to succeed vanish as quickly as it had appeared. Could this trip get any worse than it was now? God, I hoped not!