Real Story: A Plane Scare - Essay Example

Real story A plane scare I did not sleep; I had not slept for the past three nights. Every night I would sit reminiscing about the first time I had visited my aunt in Dubai and the experience we had there. Dubai is arguably the most beautiful city in the world. From the large shopping malls to the vast artificial beach lines. The visit was a success and I would surely do anything just to get back to Dubai. Besides the interesting landscape and the fun we had in Dubai, the most interesting part was the journey itself. we had boarded a fly emirates jet at the JF Kennedy international airport and the seven hour flight was an experience of a life time. I was a child back then, barely eight but I can still recall every minute of my visit to Dubai. It was a great success. Three days ago, my dad come back home from work on a high. Apparently, he had an assignment in Qatar and therefore decided to use the opportunity to take his family on a family vacation. The pronouncement could not have come at a better time. My mother had been discharged from a hospital a few weeks ago as she had developed complications while delivering our last-born. On the other hand, I had just received my high school diploma and the result was a success. The family was therefore on a mood for vacation in order to celebrate our achievements and successes. He had come home from work looking cheerful and offered to cook dinner, mother could readily tell the strange behavior. “Fatima” she called banging softly on my door, “come out my dinner is ready and there is something strange about this one.” What could be strange about a dinner? We had had countless dinners in the past and they all tasted the same. “Do you know that ever since we got married this is the first time has made me a meal?” she offered an explanation thereby drawing my attention. “He had always take me out during the early stages of our relationship but he has never cooked. Today he offered to cook and I am anxious because I cannot wait to taste his cooking.” The meal was in deed weird, he had tried following some recipe but he could not master most of the content thereby making a meal that tasted sour. Despite the weird taste, the meal was filled with love and joy as he could not run out of story and self-praise for himself. When we could not eat the meal anymore, we resorted to juice and that constituted our dinner that night. However, before he offered to clear the table he made the big announcement to the merriment of everyone in the room. “My dears, I am taking you people with me to Qatar on a two week visit courtesy of my assignment in the middle east. It will be a second honeymoon for us and a joy riding tour for you,” He said pointing my mother when he said us, while pointing at me alleging that it would be a joy ride for me. My father had never looked that charming all his life. He loved us, but the conservative Muslim culture could not permit him to express his feelings openly. As an ardent Muslim, we had known him as a jovial and loving man but that night three days ago, he looked beautiful and had looked to date. Since the day he made the announcement, the best I had done was to pack, unpack and pack again. The three days dragged themselves especially owing to the fact that I was out of high school and all my friends had traveled out of state. Eventually, the day came when would leave. Father had purchased the tickets for a journey that would have three stops before we reached Qatar. The first stop would be in Amsterdam and the second in Saudi Arabia. The Arab peninsula is a reserved part of the world but has a rich cultural heritage with some countries such as the Saudi Arabia having interesting cultural and social set ups. The journey would therefore offer an appropriate opportunity to study and compare the cultures of different societies as I went about my joy ridings as father had called it. The morning of the journey was unique. Everything about the day appeared to work against the journey but with the zeal we had, none of us could point out such. It had snowed and the streets of New York right from our apartment door were covered in snow. Getting a taxi to the airport was therefore a problem. Luckily, we had woken early and airplane would depart at eleven in the morning. This implied that we had nearly four hours to get there. The city authorities cleared the roads a few hours later and we finally arrived at the airport a few minutes to our departure. At the airport, another bizarre occurrence took place. I am an American born and raised in the outskirts of New York City. My parents were emigrants from the Middle East but they had stayed in the United States for more than twenty years. In fact, my mother had once worked for the American government. As went through the airport security, the screening machine cleared everyone in front of me including both my mother and I. however, my father was not as luck, the moment he stepped under the machine, and it went off blaring. Apparently, father had not removed his belt. Of all the things, he could not remove his belt while everyone else did. Additionally, he had emptied his pockets. It thus appeared strange that the machine would go off on an Arabic man. The whole place went into a frenzy as police officers filled the place and took him away. He tried pleading with them but the police officers had their jobs clearly cut out. Mother cried and cursed since the treatment was particularly unfair and discriminative. People forget but a second screening without the belt would have readily proven he was not a terrorist. Eventually, father joined us a few minutes later looking pensive and shaken. “I had to produce my identification documents for the police to believe me. They even called my managers in order to substantiate my claims.” He explained. Mother did not know whether to console or rebuke him. The mistake was silly but the treatment was equally inappropriate. We proceeded to the big jet and occupied our seats. I sat next to the large blue windows and the feeling was reassuring. However, the mood had changed. The series of events since the morning were against us and father did not fail to notice that. He cursed fate and said a few means words about the government before he sank into his seat, the means words must have made him feel better. A few minutes later, the jet began taxiing on the runways before he positioned itself for take. I watched the whole experience from my large window as the plane rose to the sky and the city of New York progressively became smaller until it disappeared and all I could see was a shade of green and white coloring. The feeling from the sky was amazing, the engines hummed softly above our heads alongside the air conditioner thereby sending my father immediately to sleep leaving my mother and I to share our experience and expectations of the trip to the Middle East. After a few hours of staring and chatting, mother fell asleep too leaving me alone to continue staring at the blue clear skies. That is when it all happened! A big bang came from below the floor of the jet right below my chair; the jet rocked sharply forward immediately waking both my parents. The hosts heard the sound too and so did everyone else on the plane. I peeped through the window and all I could see was the blue sky and the deep blue sea below. The plane became increasingly unstable as it kept rocking left and right. “Dear ladies and gentlemen,” the shrill voice of the pilot came through on the speakers installed in the cabins. “We are experiencing strong winds and they are affecting the flight. However, the flight is under control and soon we will be in the clear. Please tighten you safety belts but relax because we are in control.” However, before he could finish his statement, a bigger bang came from beneath the floor plunging the plane further as if the jet was hit from below. Additionally, the plane entered a storm. The rain, wind and sharp lightings made the experience horrific. Mother held onto me while father mumbled a prayer. The plane kept rocking unstably for a few more minutes. The entire cabin was silent with everyone mumbling a prayer. The situation got worse as the plane began descending as though it was falling. As the plane began descending speedily through the sky, it became evident that the pilot had lost control and that we were crushing into the sea below. The fall was endless and all I could see was my father’s face. The happiness gone and in its place was a gloomy face with beads of sweat. I saw fear and disappointment in his face. Luckily, as the fall increased, the plane had drifted off the storm and just a few hundred meters to the water surface, that had now became so visible, the jet resumed normal operations and the normal hum of the engine resounded. It was a relief as the jet stabilized and began ascent. Leaving the ocean behind again as though it had taken off from the surface of the ocean, the spectacular look did little to ease my pain. It was a torture and we could not wait to arrive in the nearest airport as the captain had announced. Reference Ellen, M & Joe, C. (2007). Tomasito’s mother comes to school. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard Family Research Project. Read More