My Katrina: Part 28

Previously: Some people had little bitty small dogs on the plane. Blind people had they big dogs. The airport folks let everyone bring their animals. It was like Noah’s Arc with all the hamsters, parrots, iguanas, and snakes. The waitress showed me how to push a button to make the back of my seat recline. I closed my eyes and all them dogs got me thinkin’ about Bundy, my friend’s dog, the baddest dog around. Last dog I seen him fight, he killed that dog. Bundy’s owner feed him raw steak. It chills in my body that the dogs shouldn’t fight. But it’s just part of life in the projects. The plane bounces me back with a jolt; with the jolt and all the animals it’s like the world comin’ to the end…
I look around and people be staring at they family pictures, but not too much talkin’ on the plane. Not that we couldn’t talk or anything, but people praying, looking out the window, mumbling to theyself. One guy was singing gospel. The more the plane goin’ into the clouds, the more worried I was gettin’.
I sat next to the window and my little shade was open.
It was gettin’ real dark as the plane went up, up, up into the clouds, a sight I never seen. I couldn’t sleep. Me never bein’ that high before, I worry if we gonna make it.
The waitress comin’ around talking, askin’ if we need anything. I put in my mind why should I be scared when this female waitress askin’ these questions? I told my homegirl, “It like the old song, ‘Fly Like the Eagle into the Sea.’”
I started to talk, tried to motivate everybody around me, tellin’ them, “We come this far, we gonna make it.” Maybe I was trying to convince myself.
Then a man’s voice on a loudspeaker said, “Attention everyone.” I was lookin’ around for him. I thought he was right there. But I couldn’t see him. “He was saying so much I couldn’t hear him the way I wanted to, but I did hear, “It’s not too long until we reach our destination and the plane will be landing.”
I was saying to myself, How they gonna land this big ole plane? The waitress was telling me we gonna drop—it may hit your stomach a little bit.
I say, “Why it gonna do something to my stomach?” And I think, Oh my God.
I try to fake sleep so I don’t feel it. I put the blanket over my head, tryin’ to trick myself. I worry how it going to hit my body like boom when we land, so I stick my head out when I hear the waitress passing by. I ask her, “How this go?”
Really I was tryin’ to take my mind off this plane crashing. It had me stressing. But talking to the lady made me feel better. I was asking her how long you been working on this plane? All kind of question to take my mind off my scary thoughts. She was a real nice lady.
Now that we about to land, all I feel is sudden jerking. You feel funny. My homegirl sitting next to me, I got my head on her shoulder she got her head on my shoulder.
After a bit, I opened the shade and I could see the plane coming down and then come the BOOM. We bouncing and we be landed. It hit my stomach in a way I never felt before.
I say, “I hope the brakes on this plane good, ‘cause we still like we flying, but on the ground.”
In my mind I was thinking, What’s gonna happen now? I never could have guessed.
(to be continued)