Maryam kept her eyes on her book for an awkwardly long time before turning her head toward Anna. “Yep. It’s snowing,” she said. “We do tend to get a lot of snow in Colorado.”
“True. Right. But I don’t think I’ve ever seenthismuch.”
“Hmm” was all Maryam said, shooting Anna that polite but distant smile before returning to her book. Anna went backto her own magazine, skimming an article about a potential new trend in see-through furniture, then flipping the page and staring forlornly at the Pantone color for 2001. It was a jaunty and invigorating shade of magenta that should not have made anyone feel as sad as Anna was feeling now. Especially on the heels of the shade from the year before, which had been a drab, dull blue that had perfectly encapsulated Anna’s drab, dull feelings all year. Until she met Nick, she reminded herself. She willed the bright swatch of color on the page before her to help her feel positive.
Anna checked her watch. The plane would leave soon. In just under five hours, she’d be safely in Toronto, with Nick. Perhaps, she thought hopefully, because her bag had been checked in last, that meant it would be unloaded off the plane first.
Anna turned to the window and watched the baggage car now making its way through the snowfall. She could see her suitcase, right there on top of the pile, until—Anna jolted forward, bumping her arm into Maryam’s and nearly knocking her book out of her hands. Her bag had just tumbled off the pile of luggage and into a snowbank! “Sorry, Maryam—it’s just, I think they dropped my bag out there!”
“Oh, that’s too bad. But I’m sure it’s fine,” Maryam said wearily, just as a striking young woman with dark hair flowing in waves down her back approached in the aisle.
“Maryam, did our meals get switched?”
“I don’t think so, Saima, why?”
“I’m sure this is a shrimp burrito. I know I ordered vegetarian. Can you check to see if you have mine?”
Maryam dug through her bag and determined that she didnot have the missing burrito, while Anna pressed her nose against the glass and saw nothing of any use, just swirls of white snow and flashing lights. She reached deep into her own bag, looking for the little enamel pill case containing the Dramamine tablet. Her fingers closed around it just as the flight attendant, the same sandy-haired guy who’d taken her suitcase from her, stepped to the front of the plane and began the always overly cheery explanation of what you were supposed to do if the plane crashed—sorry,emergency landed—and death was imminent—sorry,you needed to exit the plane. Anna always hated this part. It made her heart race and her palms instantly sweat, which was what happened now, causing the pill case to drop out of her hands and roll onto the floor.
“Hi, excuse me,” she said to Maryam, disturbing her again as she leaned over. “But I just dropped something...”
Maryam didn’t budge. She had her eyes tightly shut, Anna realized.
“You can’t be asleep, you were reading ten seconds ago,” Anna said under her breath. Maryam’s eyes flew open.
“Excuse me?”
“Do you mind? I dropped my pill case, and I need—”
“I was notpretending to be asleep. I was praying, okay?”
“Oh! I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to interrupt your praying. But I really need—”
The plane abruptly started to taxi and Anna watched as the pill case wobbled in the aisle, then rolled all the way under Maryam’s seat. Anna undid her seat belt, her pride completely nonexistent now. She needed to fall asleep, damn it, and if she had to dive under a stranger’s legs to get sweet oblivion, so be it.
“Miss?”
Anna looked up into the eyes of Mr. Sandy Hair.
“Seat belts on,” he said in his irritatingly brighteverything is going to be fine if you just do what I sayvoice. “Perhaps you missed what the pilot just announced because you were doing... whatever it is you’re doing there. But air traffic control has just decided that because of the blizzard we need to get going, so we’ll be taking off any minute.”
Anna leaned up and snapped her seat belt around her waist as the attendant moved on. She couldn’t help but notice Maryam wasn’t focused on her book anymore. She had a look of sheer alarm on her face.
“I’m sure it will be fine,” Anna offered, trying to ignore how shaky her own voice sounded. “Pilots fly through blizzards all the time, right?”
Maryam picked up her book from her lap. “Of course it’s going to be fine,” she said, cool as a cucumber once more as the plane gathered speed on the runway. “Who said I thought it wasn’t going to be fine?”
What was that weird noise, though? Were engines supposed to sound like that? The plane’s wheels left the ground and the aircraft began its sharp ascent into the sky. Anna’s palms were now so sweaty they left marks on her dress when she wiped her hands across her thighs.Taking off is the hardest part, she told herself,and it will be over soon.But the ascent seemed to go on for an interminably long time, with all sorts of veers, zigs, zags, and what felt at one point like a half somersault. Or maybe that was just her stomach. If only she had the Dramamine. Anna retrieved her bag from under the seat in front of her, daring the flight attendant to come after her again.She dug through it and found the little bottle of lilac perfume oil from The Body Shop. It was a scent that always relaxed her, and reminded her of the richly scented bush in the backyard of the house she’d grown up in.
“Hope you don’t mind the smell of lilac,” Anna said nonchalantly as she began to screw open the lid.
“Actually, I really do,” Maryam replied.
Seriously? Who hates the smell of lilacs?“Fine,sorry,” Anna said—but just then, and presumably because of the rising air pressure, the lid exploded from the bottle, spraying the oil all over Anna and Maryam, and releasing a scent that even Anna had to admit was aggressively strong rather than gently soothing. She and Maryam both started to cough.
“I’m—” Anna began when she had recovered, but her seatmate shook her head.
“I know, you’resorry. Can we just... can nothing else happen for the rest of this flight, please? I’m just going to read my book and—” She coughed again. “Soon we’ll be in Toronto.”
