Highway Kismet

A Conundrum

I was never one who used idiomatic expressions and if I did, it was rare, however as I sat in the plane and looked out the little window, I could understand why people spoke about having their heads in the clouds.

Something was tranquilizing about being thousands of feet above sea level, above the clouds, and amidst the blue sky. Just looking at nothing but blue and white, calmed my nerves and took my mind off everything which stressed me out, the only sound heard was the steady rhythm of the airplane engine and the light chatter between Mandy and my dad.

We were on the plane for a little over two hours and another two to go, I sat quietly on the luxurious, leather seat of the private jet and aimlessly looked out the window. I checked my watch occasionally hoping to land as soon as possible.

When my father enquired about my mom's condition, I immediately knew something was wrong so without giving him an explanation, I ran upstairs and called my grandparents. My Abuela answered the call and was in tears which increased my anxiety and worry, she then went on to tell me that they found my mom unconscious on her bed with foam in her mouth. That got my anxiety levels soaring, but the good news was that she still had a pulse, so they rushed her to the hospital where it was known she had a seizure.

The doctors were still busy with her but all that was known at the moment was that she had a seizure and also apparently developed pneumonia a few days ago, it was news to Julie and my grandparents because she showed no symptoms of the illness.

Before the plane took off, I spoke to my grandfather and he told me she was stable and doing better which gave me some reassurance.

My dad surprisingly wasn't mad that I hid my mom's illness from him, instead, he was very quiet. When Abuela called him, she was on the verge of hysteria and let everything slip, he was confused but I briefed him up on the ride to the airport – I didn't tell him every detail but the important ones.

I felt someone loop their arm through mine and I looked away from the window to spot Eric on the seat next to me, he scooted closer and offered his shoulder. He was by far the sweetest sixteen-year-old boy I had ever come across.

I flashed him a tight smile and placed my head on his shoulder, I didn't know I needed it but feeling some sort of comfort from family felt good.

"Don't worry, Mils," He softly said, resting his head over mine, "She'll be fine."

I didn't respond with words, I just shut my eyes and hoped for the best. I was never religious or prayed, but ever since that phone call, I had been silently praying all the time. I prayed that she would be fine, I knew her immune system was getting weaker because of Alzheimer's, so the fact that she had to fight off a seizure and pneumonia scared me.

I exhaled and allowed myself to try and sleep, the flight was going to take a long time and staying awake thinking would only make me feel worse.

I didn't know when I drifted off to sleep but when I did, I dreamt of a five-year-old Mila – I wasn't sure if it was a memory or just a dream but it felt so real.

"More sugar, Mommy?" I asked as I stirred invisible tea in the little porcelain, teacup.

"Oh, just one more cube, thank you." My mom answered.

"Plop," I said mimicking the sound a cube of sugar would make if it were dropped into tea, I stirred some more before – with small shaky hands – handing the invisible tea to my mother.

My mom took a sip and said, "Mmm, now that is marvelous tea."

I smiled widely and took a sip from my cup too. I pouted at her and said, rather dramatically, "I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to bake cookies."