December 31st, 2018

“So let me ask one more time,” Asoese said with drops of crystal clear sweat rolling down her tan skin, “you’re sure that it’s okay for me to be on a plane right now?”

Her husband, Tangi Patel, nodded with a sigh and a laugh. “I’ve asked every doctor I know, honey. Since you’re only nine weeks into pregnancy, we’ll be perfectly fine. Now, can we have our plane trip to America be stress-free? I’d last to practice some more English on the way there if you don’t mind.”

He put on a pair of cheap plastic headphones to mute out any other anxiety-inducing questions she may try to pursue, and ended the conversation.

“Well wait, what if I need to go to the restroom-?” She tried to ask, but quickly noticed him dialing up the volume wheel on his tablet, nodding along to the English lesson.

“Rude,” she pouted, redirecting her focus to her tense stomach. She’d only discovered her pregnancy a few days prior to the plane trip, so having to take the trip to Washington with knowledge of what dangers might be included was a terrifying act.

On the car ride to the airport, Asoese tried to depict all the possible horrors that could occur.

Maybe the baby will come early, she would think. What would I do? Tangi doesn’t know how to help, and I’m taking a guess when I say there wouldn’t be a certified doctor on the plane.

What kind of people are entering this plane? If they ask to touch my baby, could they contaminate it? What if the baby comes out of me shriveled and dying because I let someone touch them?

Would being this high up hurt the baby’s breathing when it comes out?

What if the plane explodes?? What then?

“Breathe, Asoese,” her husband said, his words clearing the fog of her worries. She did as he suggested, closing her eyes and feeling the air enter and leave her chest.

“How did you know I was worrying?” Asoese asked through exhausted breathing.

“Your face is as red as a tomato,” he explained, his eyes not leaving the video on his tablet, “Do you need me to get you a drink of water?”

“No, no. I-I’ll be fine.”

“Alright, just let me know if you need anything. Try to get some rest, this is gonna be a long ride.”

-

She couldn’t get any sleep, and it was a very long ride.

When she tried to close her eyes, her original worries became a reality. She dreamed of the plane’s wings falling off and the cabin falling at dangerous speeds. She then looked out the nearby window and saw the world burning around her, so she knew she was dreaming. No matter how soon she realized her imagination was playing tricks on her, she always woke up with bullets of sweat slipping down her face.

“Ladies and gentlemen, we would like to announce that we’re under ten minutes away from passing over American soil,” the speakers of the airplane stated. Through closed eyes and heavy breathing, Asoese heard a wave of clapping from the passengers in the cabin.

Then it happened.

“L-ladies a-and and gentle… gentle… ladies..." the speakers crackled and popped to a halt, and the plane shook as if it was blown by the greatest gust of wind imaginable.

“T-Tangi? Tangi!” She couldn’t utter any more words, because the shaky breathing overcame her as she hunched over.

Tangi ripped off his headphones, looking around. “What’s happening?!”

“I-I...” Her throat was choked up. She couldn’t think.

“Asoese? Asoese, it’s okay!” He yelled, and Asoese felt his arms wrap themselves over her back. “You need to breathe. Everything’s going to be fine-”

As he said that, the walls of the airplane were torn wide open. As the burst of wind entered the cabin, Asoese finally fell towards the dangerous state of unconsciousness.

January 20th, 2019

All she could see was bubbly darkness. She felt her movements in slow motion and realized she was underwater. I’m alive… she thought.

Where’s Tangi?

She slowly managed to swim her way to the surface of the ocean and found the floating remnants of the airplane. On one of the wings, her husband laid motionless surrounded by other dead bodies.

“No… no, no no no-” she cried through gargles of salt water, “Tangi!”

She clawed herself onto the wing but nearly flipped it. “No no no, stop!”

The wing stopped sinking.

As if the ocean responded, the endless waves moved generously in Tangi’s direction to keep the wing afloat. Too stressed to notice, Asoese crawled toward her dead husband.

Why did this happen? She thought, lightly kissing him in between sobs. Why us?

Before she fell asleep for the second time, she barely heard the sound of helicopter blades whirring above her.