I blinked twice, not exactly sure I understood his baseball lingo. “Wait, are you telling me he’s going to slide the actual belly of the plane against the cement until we come to a stop?”
“Yeah . . .” He nodded. “Pretty much.”
My heart rate picked up. “What are the risks with the continuous friction of the metal against the tarmac at high speeds?”
“I remember this well because the new anchor was being very dramatic about it. The plane can disintegrate, flip over, or catch on fire. That’s why he’s burning fuel, to try to prevent an explosion.”
I swallowed hard.
He was pretty much saying that there was a chance we all could die.
I stared out the window for a few seconds, then turned back to the man. “And why didn’t the pilot mentionthatpart?”
“He obviously doesn’t want to freak everybody out. I’m sure there are ten fire trucks already waiting down there for us.”
“And why aren’tyoufreaking out?”
“Believe me—I am.” He gestured to his clothes. “It’s all happening inside of me, mentally. Plus, I’m sweating like a pig underneath this suit.”
I nodded, leaned back in my seat, and took a deep breath.
I didn’t want to die.
Not like this.
I never even became managing partner of the firm.
All that work for nothing.
A few seconds later, I pulled my phone out of my purse and quickly sent a text to Dee and then another to my parents, telling them I loved them.
Dee responded almost immediately.
Dee: I love you too, but why are you randomly telling me this now? Is something wrong? Did you land yet?
I opted to not answer, knowing it would worry her.
I turned off my phone, stuck it back in my purse, and slid it underneath the seat in front of me.
Then I leaned back in my seat again, gripping the armrests, thinking of how helpless I felt at the moment. Unlike my business life where I was able to calculate risks and make strategic decisions to minimize the chances of a disaster, this scenario was completely out of my control.
My life was in the pilot’s hands.
There was nothing I could do now.
I sat back and waited to find out if I was going to die.
Chapter Four
RUTH
After what had to be the longest descent in the history of aviation, I held my breath as the pilot finally touched down on the tarmac with the belly of the plane.
The scraping, rumbling, and vibration of the metal against the asphalt got more unbearable with every second that went by. It was almost too much for my ears and mind to handle as thoughts of what the passenger next to me had said earlier.
The plane can disintegrate, flip over, or catch on fire.
I kept my head down as the flight attendants continued to yell, “Brace!”
