Previously: 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…”
Now that this big old plane has transported me to the District, I look out the window, and everything startin’ to be all new to me, even before I unbuckle my seat belt.
I feel excited and I feel afraid. I’m so curious to get off the plane and out to the airport. What this new life gonna be like?
I’m hopin’ to bump into Bundy and his master. But, wherever they at, I hope they made it safe.
At least I hope the District reminds me something of my hometown, New Orleans. I hope the food gonna be like that, especially the chicken.
I hope they find us a good place to sleep.
I hope they let us see doctors to check on our health.
I hope I meet up with some of my family, that maybe didn’t go to Texas.
I hope they give us some clothes.
I wonder how the time run. Do it be daylight here? I thought it might be dark most of the day here, because I never been to another state before.
As soon as we entered the airport from the Delta plane, we heard shouts of “Congratulations,” shouts of “Praise God.” It was a crowd of people, cheering like we was celebrities.
The way they was greetin’ us, it seemed they had good folks here, some with volunteer badges, some Red Cross, some military in uniform.
We walked out of the airport to what looked like hundreds of busses. That’s when I caught a flashback to all them National Guard trucks lined up at the projects to help folks get out of New Orleans.
I asked, “What are all them busses out there. Is this a bus station too?”
They tell me the busses was waiting for Katrina evacuees. We loading you up, they say, those busses gonna take you to the armory.
“What?,” I asked. “We staying at an army base?”
One guy, a Metro police—although I didn’t know what that was—said to me, “You gonna be all right.” He told us, “We got health care in a trailer.”
They makin’ sure nobody in serious pain. That right there put a smile on my face. But I still was wonderin’, Who I gonna run into that I know? I really want to run into Calio and KK.
They squashed us like sardines into them busses. They drive us across a bridge, and then they say there’ll be a gate and it’ll rail back, and that make me think of prison.
From me bein’ in prison, I was thinking, Now is my chance to get a new life, if they don’t hold New Orleans against me.
(to be continued)
