Airplane

The flight attendant helps me to my seat in First Class and hands me a bottle of water. She takes my hand, with my permission, and guides it to where the call button is. I’m hoping that my lack of flight experience isn’t showing. Nervousness and fear are causing butterflies in my stomach. I hope that I won’t have to ring the stewardess for a barf-bag.

The plane quickly fills up. The person next to me is a businessperson flying home to Dallas. She politely informs me that she is exhausted and doesn’t feel like chatting. This suits me fine. I’ve got a lot to think about. 

Before long, the plane takes off and reaches cruising altitude. The pilot announces that the flight will take around two and a half hours, so I have plenty of time to think. They have not provided much information about the lab or project which will consume my summer break. I only know that I will eat, sleep, and work all within the confines of the facility. Personal cell phone and computer use will be non-existent. I’m excited about a chance to work on such an important project. I hope that I will get to meet new people and experience new things. The only worry that nags at my mind is being a liability due to my disability. I’ll just die if they all treat me like Melissa did.

 Just because my eyes and skin are different doesn’t mean that there’s something wrong with my mind. I’ve been blind since birth. Eye surgery as a toddler gave me enough vision to detect light and bright colors. At the same time, migraines go with the ability to detect those colors. It was not a good trade, but one that I have had to live with. From what I have heard, my eyes are a startling reddish hue, but I’ve never seen them, so I don’t really know. 

As melodramatic as it sounds, the sun is my mortal enemy. Of course, that’s not completely correct but there is some truth to it. My skin blisters badly in the sunlight. It feels tight and itchy after just a few minutes of exposure. I must wear dark sunglasses to protect my eyes from the glare of sunlight as it causes me to have migraine headaches and nausea. To avoid the problem, I must cover as much skin as possible, slather on sunscreen, and wear my dark glasses. When possible, I choose to move outside when it’s dark. 

One of the reasons I am most looking forward to my internship is never having to go outside in the sun. I would think that the Texas sun is way stronger than the northern Utah sun. Then I’ll only need my glasses to protect me from extremely bright artificial light. Maybe if I am working in my room, I can just turn the lights off. Working in the dark doesn’t bother me. 

Patrick, the flight attendant who had introduced himself to me when I boarded, interrupts my thought stream, “Excuse me, miss. What would you like to drink?”

“Hot tea, please.” 

Sipping the tea and placing the headphones over my ears. I listen to some nineties alternative hits mixed with the loud hum of the airplane engine and try to relax.