Anna sighed. Five hours was a long time to sit beside someone who hated you. As her ears popped from the same mounting air pressure that had unleashed her perfume oil, Anna rooted through her bag again until she found the bag of round, white, long-lasting mints she’d packed for the flight. She opened the bag noisily, popped one in her mouth, and tilted them toward Maryam, a peace offering. “Want one?”
After a long pause, Maryam finally looked up from her book again. “No,” she said. “Thank you.”
“Oh, shoot. Right. I’m sorry! Again! I totally forgot. It’sEid! You’re probably fasting, right? I’ve fasted before, for Yom Kippur. It was actually really—”
She had been about to say it had actually been really special, that Beth had told her it was a time to slow down and think about the year that had passed, to set intentions to be and do better, and that this yearly ritual had always stayed with her—but Maryam interrupted.
“It’s notEid,” she said, her tone more irritated than ever. “It’s Ramadan. Eid is the holiday at the end of the month of fasting. Now, if you don’t mind—” She held up her book. “Ireallyjust...”
The plane gave an alarming shudder and Anna nearly choked on her mint. When it was safely out of her windpipe, she started crunching on it to get rid of it, her heart racing at an alarming pace. “Just the fact that I’m eating these mints around you is a problem, though, right?” she said nervously, unable to stop herself from talking even though she knew Maryam wanted to be left alone. “Like, even smelling any kind of food breaks your fast, right? I had a Muslim roommate in college, and her cousin told me that, I’m sure of it. I was eating pizza in front of him. He was so annoyed. He said that particles of food might enter your body through your nostrils.” Anna crunched harder, mortified, determined to get the mint down so Maryam wouldn’t hate her even more than she already did. But the strong mint taste combined with the lilac oil she had just spilled everywhere made her sneeze, which made some more of the mint go down her windpipe, which made her cough again—whichthenmade Mr. Sandy Hair come rushing over to see what drama she was causing now.
“I’m fine, really,” she insisted until he moved along. By now, Maryam was pretending to read again, probably out of self-preservation. “Maryam, I really am...”
Maryam put down her book and looked down at her lap for a moment, her shoulders shaking slightly. Alarmed she had pushed her seatmate to tears of frustration, Anna was about to apologize again, or offer to sit on the floor of the plane, when Maryam looked over and Anna saw that she was laughing. “Let me guess,” she managed. “You’re sorry? It’sreallyokay. I’m notoriously grouchy while fasting—ask anyone in my family. And just so you know, it’s fine if I smell someone eating a breath mint. Your friend’s cousin was probably pulling your leg, maybe because he really wanted to eat pizza. But some things, like smelling food, just can’t be avoided.”
“Okay. Well, that’s a relief. Because I also have a muffin in my bag.”
Maryam smiled. “And I have a burrito, which I will be eating in approximately”—she checked her watch—“two hours and three minutes, at sunset. Listen, we’ve gotten off on the wrong foot. Traveling with my family is a little stressful.”
Just then, her father stood up from his seat in the front of the plane, and called, “Maryam, did you remember to pack the snow boots?” Without missing a beat, Maryam answered, “They’re in the checked luggage, don’t worry!” before turning back to Anna and rolling her eyes. “But I shouldn’t be snapping at you. Please, accept my apology.”
Anna was touched—but something was bugging her, still. She was remembering a bit of information her college roommate Nadia had shared with her one year during Ramadan. “Wait. Isn’t it true you’re not supposed to think negative thoughtsabout people while fasting for Ramadan? Like, you’re actually not allowed? So, really, you’re just being nice to me now because of that, right?”
Maryam rolled her eyes. “Honestly, you’re impossible,” she said—but she laughed again and Anna did, too, relieved that things had thawed between them. Especially since the plane had now hit a patch of turbulence that was becoming increasingly difficult to ignore. What a relief to have someone to talk to.
“Whoa,” Anna said as the plane bumped along. “This is starting to feel more like a bus ride than a plane ride.”
“Yeah. And it’s really snowing hard,” Maryam said, looking with concern out the window at the snow falling in thick white sheets. “You’d think we’d be above the clouds by now.”
Just then, the loudspeaker crackled to life and the pilot’s smooth voice filled the plane. He sounded like Matthew McConaughey, all relaxed Southern charm. “Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. As you can tell, we’ve hit some rough air. We’re just going to be navigating our way through that, so you may notice some bumps and pressure changes. Should be all clear in about ten, fifteen minutes. In the meantime, cabin crew, please ensure the cabin is secure and all passenger seat belts are on. Thanks, y’all.” The loudspeaker clicked off.
“Do they get training for that, do you think?” Anna asked Maryam.
“To fly a plane? I certainly hope so!”
“No, I mean to talk that way, even in a crisis. Like everything is going to be all right. I’ve often thought I’d love a pilot to be the one to deliver bad news. You know? Tell you you’rebeing dumped or losing your job—but don’t worry, just keep your seat belt on, hang tight, it’ll all be fine! They always sound so reassuring.”
Maryam smiled and nodded—but then her smile became an expression of terror as the plane seemed to lose altitude and fall for a few seconds. There went Anna’s pill container, cartwheeling down the aisle. Not that Dramamine would have helped much at this point anyway.
“This is intense,” Anna muttered, rubbing her sweaty palms on her thighs again and looking over at Maryam. “Hey...”
Maryam had her eyes closed and her fists clenched. Her shoulders were rigid, like she was trying not to cry. “Maryam...” Anna’s own fear took a backseat as she touched Maryam’s trembling arm. “I’m sure it’s just what the pilot said, turbulence that will be over in a few minutes.” Anna wasn’t positive she believed this, but she really wanted to help Maryam. She hated seeing someone so scared. “I’ve been through way worse. Last year, when I was flying home from Paris, the turbulence was so bad food was flying all over the place. And look, I’m still here.”
Maryam tentatively opened one eyelid, then the other. “I really don’t wantthisto be the way I go,” she said.
“You mean stuck in a blizzard on a flight to Toronto beside a person who just exploded your least favorite scent all over you? Whowouldn’twant to die that way?” She tried to laugh. Then she heard her dad’s voice.A little help is worth more than a lot of sympathy.“I promise, this is not the end,” she said, fighting back her own fear to reassure her new friend. She glanced at her watch as the plane bumped frantically through the turbulent air. “The pilot said ten, fifteen minutes, and it’s been three now, so we’re... almost halfway to the end of this?”
Maryam nodded. “You’re right,” she said. “We’re going to be fine.”
“You bet we are!I’mgoing to make it to Toronto to meet my boyfriend’s family and have the best Christmas ever, and you and your family are going to your sister’s wedding!”
Suddenly, Maryam looked more dejected than she had the moment before, when she had been fearing death. “My sister’s wedding, in the middle of Ramadan.”
“Doesn’t really sound like you’re looking forward to it much,” Anna said, gripping her armrest against a particularly violent lurch.
Maryam winced and shook her head. “Not really, if I’m being honest. It’s just a lot to deal with at this time of year. And I’m not sure my sister has really thought this through. Marriage is a huge commitment.”
“I totally agree,” Anna said.
