Her Flight

Who would have thought it would be a life-changing event. One that would have her rethink and take a deeper look at herself. She thought it would be a simple solo adventure and anticipated no real excitement to come out of it, boy was she wrong. It started when she arrived at the airport, after checking her baggage, she slipped into a cozy airport chair awaiting her flight to begin boarding. Her first time in 1st class should be thrilling she thought. She remembered how in movies 1st class meant royalty and prestige. She thought it would be an excellent birthday present to herself to be among those who drink champagne and eat caviar.

Boarding with Group A, she was stopped for verification. She did not understand the problem for she was the only person verified. The stewardess, upon reviewing her boarding pass, apologized and allowed her to enter, personally escorting her to her seat in row 4 ignoring the awkward stares from the other passengers. She buckled in for her 3-hour flight and knew the money the trip cost her was well worth it. Her neighbor for the flight was a gentleman around her age who tried very hard to avoid eye contact. She thought it better for her to speak first and did so to remove the excruciating silence that hung between them. The look on her face showed that she would not accept anything other than a reply and one was received. With that over with, she smiled and settled in closing her eyes preparing to listen to some soothing music. Periodically she would open her eyes to view the other passengers. In row 2, was an elderly gentleman who could not help but dig up his nose and lick whatever he fished out. Seated next to him was hopefully his wife, a woman dressed in a comfortable summer dress that showed the freckles on her back. She, after his third nose check, shook her head and turned slightly to her right to avoid her husband's disgustful act. In row 3, she could not see the person but the snore revealed that someone was indeed present. Occasionally the chair would rock against the weight of the person but she never witnessed a body.

It was not until the food arrived that she understood the benefits of 1st class, besides the spacious rows. Asked if she wanted beer or champagne with her meal, she declined both and asked for water. The meal to choose from, sirloin steak or seafood salad, were not pre-packaged meals but personally cooked and brought onto the plane right before take-off. The size of the meals was enough for three people to consume and she turned around and watched as the people in economy feasted on stale peanuts. She proceeded to ask the woman in row 5 who had a child if she wanted to share, but the flight attendant quickly reprimanded her actions for the food given to her could not for any reason go outside of 1st class. She felt uncomfortable eating such a lavish meal with others watching and not being able to share, so she decided to save her uneaten portions for when she landed. The remainder of her flight went quickly. She received two additional snacks before the plane landed while the economy onlookers received nothing.

Her arrival in Puerto Rico was in the middle of the night with not many people around to assist her. She knew very little Spanish but enough to get by. Hoping to remember what she learned in college, she found her way to the Avis car rental and picked up her mini-van. Asked what brought her to Puerto Rico, she replied that she was treating herself, a birthday gift, something she wanted all her life. After surveying her rental for damages, she left for her Airbnb which, per GPS, was 20 minutes away. The house, which was not located on the beach as advertised, was centered on a cud-de-sac three blocks from the beach surrounded by avocado trees and hibiscus plants. They were as beautiful as they were fragrant. The home, once she got through the various security obstacles, held two bedrooms, a kitchen, bath, living room, and an outside sitting area. Picking a bedroom, she plopped down hoping she chose a comfortable bed. She did not know the degree of tiredness she held until she awoke six hours later. After showering, she decided to drive to the neighboring market for groceries and also practice her Spanish. While in the market and standing out as a tourist, a woman suggested something she could buy. Looking at the elderly woman giving her the suggestion, she thought how disgusting the presented food seemed. Gesturing for her to try, the elderly woman ignored the distasteful expression viewed and waited for her to place the food in her mouth. Her reaction, pure delight. The sweet mixture of bananas and pineapples danced on her tongue and she could not understand how, if she was eating beef, her mouth confused it with fruit. The elderly woman shook her head for she understood exactly what was going through her thoughts and smiled at the fact that the visitor to her country dared to try something new.

Intrigued with the elderly woman's selection, more was asked for. Instead, the elderly woman handed her an address for her to visit. Why not go, she was there to be enlightened, and what best way to be than with food. At the address, she was met with so many delectable aromas that her senses went into overdrive. The address was in a neighborhood she would never herself visit; it matched the slums she always seen on television. She was greeted by people she never met before and was treated like family. As she watched an infant crawl over to her and gesture to be picked up, she could not help but pre-judge the child's parents by the clothing they dressed the child in. With the child in her arms, a snore was heard signifying the child fell asleep on her. How could anyone, if they loved their child, allow such tattered clothing. She quickly realized that the materials objects she placed as valuable were not viewed the same here. She forgot that the family values of home and work or character and spirituality outweighed the items that money bought. As she held the infant nuzzled against her, it registered to her brain that her view of what was important was construed and she needed to re-evaluate her morals. She looked around at the family that took her in and blessed her with such love, not to mention food, she saw how happy they were even if they lived in what she perceived as squander. She laughed at the fact that she had to fly thousands of miles to learn such a lesson, but could not be more grateful.