Bituin's Journey

Flying Sucks

It was early morning and still dark outside as she gazed out the airport window. Freya sobbed quietly as she wiped another tear from her face. A week had passed since she arrived and now she was off again, to the next stage in her journey. Seeing her family again had been even more wonderful than she hoped for and stopped crying for a moment. Singing with her cousins, seeing her young brother and sister again, and hugging her mom all flashed back in a wave in her mind.

She had just about stopped crying when her older sister sent her another message. This caused her to start crying all over again, so she hid her face in her backpack so no one would notice. The airport was fairly empty this early in the morning. Her mother had insisted that Freya come early so she had a couple of hours to just sit, and wait, and cry. Leaving everyone was always so hard. It caused her heart to ache and a lump to form in her throat. But she knew she had to and she was determined as ever to continue with what had to be done.

This was Freya's first time flying. He had told her earlier that it would be fun and a new adventure, but she wasn't so sure. She was scared and alone, with no one to comfort her as she waited. Suddenly her phone vibrated as a new message arrived. It was him finally, and she stopped crying and started to focus on his texts. They came in very fast, as usual, and Freya was having a hard time keeping up as she tried to read them through teary eyes. But even though he wasn't there with her, she felt some comfort in reading his texts. They helped to settle her and occupy her mind with something other than missing her family.

For a quick moment, she looked around the airport. It was starting to get crowded, and Freya saw a few people that reminded her of him. She texted him and laughed as she played back the experience to him. Calm washed over her and she finally felt somewhat normal. Chatting back and forth, they discussed what the next tasks would be and how quickly she would be able to start them. She found herself engulfed in the discussion and soon, her flight was announced. The time always seemed to fly by when Freya chatted with him. The two of them never seemed to have enough time together.

She grabbed her backpack, found her ticket, and made her way to the gate. Nervousness crept its way back in now, but she remember his words and moved diligently to the end of the line. Freya still wasn't sure if she was really going to like flying or not; but in any case, she was about to find out.