Love at 30,000 Feet

Chapter 1 “One hundred and fifty soul’s dead. Again, for those who have just tuned in, United Flight 931 went down a few hours ago over the North Atlantic on route to Houston Texas,” the somber news anchor reported on the late-night news. As the anchor moved on to other breaking news of the day, Ashley sat wide-eyed and still. Disbelief washed over her as she sat in shock while watching the television as pictures of the ocean were being shown. An ocean that was covered in debris from the aircraft and its contents as the waves tumbled the large pieces together as if they were being washed in a large washing machine. “Oh my God! This can’t be…!” “Hey girl! Are you watching the news?!” Ashley jumped frantically as the cell phone lying beside her on the bed lit up and began to ring loudly. Shaken by the events and the scene on the television, she struggled to swipe the green phone symbol to answer the call. “Hey Nicole! Yes, I am watching it now girl! Those poor people! If only there were a crystal ball for these types of things, and just think, that could be any of us.” As Ashley spoke to her best friend, her mind was all over the place for so many reasons. One being that her career required her to travel at all times of the day and night, but the second reason was what was affecting her the most. Unbeknownst to any of her friends and family, she was supposed to be on that doomed flight. “Listen, Nicole… do you remember the meeting I was supposed to go to?” Silence filled the phone line as Nicole seemed to try to understand what Ashley was about to say next. “Yes…,” Nicole said with a hint of both skepticism and fear in her voice. “Well, that meeting was in France and that was my return flight… United 931… I was supposed to be number one hundred and fifty-one! I don’t even really know how to feel right now girl. I… I am literally shaking as we speak.” “Ashley, oh my god… I don’t know what to say! I could not imagine this world without you in it! When… how… why did you cancel the trip? I have so many questions! How did I not even know you were headed to France!? Ashley oh my god girl! I know you are seriously trippin' right now!” Nicole knew her friend well, and Ashley was beyond trippin' as she paced back and forth throughout her plush and very elegant WaterWall Place uptown condo that overlooked WaterWall Park. As she looked out of her large glass window onto the dark, yet vibrant street below, her life suddenly flashed right before her eyes. All her hard work, all her memories with friends, family and lovers, her life in the city she loved so much was that close to being gone. From what the reporters were saying on the television that played in the background, one of the plane’s engines stalled- causing the plane to quickly lose altitude, and based on the last recordings from the pilots, the second engine stalled soon after, dooming the plane and its passengers over the second largest ocean in the world. According to the FAA, there was no way for the pilots to recover the plane in that condition. Snapping from her trance, Ashley moved away from the window and locked her watery eyes back on the television, watching as divers searched for the black box- almost forgetting that Nicole was on the other end as she adjusted her Air Pods in her ear. “Huh? Sorry… what did you say?” Ashley asked as she sat in front of the television. “Why did you cancel the trip?” Nicole repeated frantically. “…Because my passport was expired. I was at the airport… going through TSA, they pointed it out… I never even realized it. I was not going to pass any other checkpoints after I left the states so, I decided to turn around and cancel the trip altogether. But the crazy thing is… I was still trying to find a way… to… I don’t know… make the passport pass, but there was this… this woman… who… convinced me that it was no use.” Ashley went on to explain how this woman- who worked for the airlines convinced her that the incident must have been a sign and cancelling the trip might be the best thing for her to do. “I was not going to be able to cross over internationally…which I knew but… I was just hoping. Plus… being that my employer is the FBI, I was sure something could have been worked out if I had pressed the issue. Anyway… I… I listened to her and just called it. The passport saved my life and this mystery woman… saved my life…,” Ashley continued slowly as she recounted the chilling events. It was as if she was in a trance as she slowly relived her experience three days prior. Her focus was half on explaining and half on the television. “Listen… Nicole, I need to go. I promise I will call you tomorrow… I just need to…” “No need to explain Ashley, I can’t even imagine what you must be going through. Try to get some rest, we can always talk,” Nicole interrupted, knowing her friend needed to clear her head. But that’s just it, Ashley thought as she ended the call, we never know if we will have another chance to do… anything. Two Months Later… “So, Ashley, how have you been holding up?” It had been a long two months for Ashley, the accident had really hit her hard and she was not coping with it too well. Not only did she put in time for FMLA due to the stress affecting her health, which caused her to not be able to focus on her job fully, but she was now also seeing a therapist almost full time to help her conquer her new fear of flying and a new condition that had developed. Anxiety. Even the relationship between her and her friends had suffered due to the incident. It was almost like her third eye had opened fully and she now gained a new respect for life. She had always been in a rush, never taking the time to take a breath and breathe in the wonderful life that she had. It was as if God gave her another chance and she intended to appreciate it fully this time around. Even if it meant leaving her very lucrative career as an FBI agent, which was a possibility. She loved her job and had worked hard to enter that field of work, but the question she was now having was… was it worth it. A final report had come out about the incident and as it turned out, a mechanic’s error is what caused the malfunction. A repair to one of the plane’s engine had taken place before the trip from France back to the states, a large wrench was mistakenly left in one of the engine’s compartments and once in flight, the wrench had worked itself inside the main compartment, causing an electrical malfunction that caused the other engine to go out. The reports said the last moments on that flight had to be terrifying to everyone on board. “I am taking it day by day Betty; I get so nervous now when I hear or see a plane that is flying close… I just… I don’t know, I never thought twice about planes or where or how they flew,” Ashley said as she began to cry as Betty handed her a Kleenex. “It’s ok to feel this way after what happened, our minds are very powerful things. Although you were not on the plane, the fact remains that you were supposed to be on that flight and your mind is still comprehending that fact. Everyone is different Ashley, but in time things will get better.” After a few more tears, and a few more conversations, the hour had passed, and Betty was ending the session by giving her an assignment to do by their next meeting. “So, I will see you on Thursday at 2pm,” Ashley confirmed before putting the final details in her phone. “Yes, Thursday at 2,” Betty confirmed.