"First time flying?" The lady asked with an intonation that indicated she was widely traveled, especially internationally.
"Guilty as charged," I replied with a smile, hoping to get her to reciprocate the gesture. "The name is Paul Eneche." I continued, stretching my hand out for a shake.
"Nice to meet you; I'm Deborah, or Debby for short." She replied, obliging my handshake and sweeping me off my feet with her charming smile. Her luggage was light—just a small peach travel box—which may mean she will not be staying long.
"The pleasure is mine."
"So, where are you headed? Mr. Paul, the first-time flight traveler?". She asked, yet intriguing me with her smile.
"Enugu, and you?"
"Oh wow, same destination. I'll lead you straight to our check-in." Debby said, leading the way to an equally smiling lady across the counter who took our details one after the other and handed over our boarding passes, respectively. Debby led us to a security check, and I was greeted yet again by the young and smartly dressed officer who welcomed and ran a security check on me and my belongings, which were placed in a bin and scanned through an x-ray machine. Thanks to Debby, I didn't look obviously clumsy like a novice since she was very handy to guide me through. The announcements directed us to the terminal, where we waited for about twenty minutes for the announcement to board.
My heartbeat seemed to race faster than usual, beating hard against my chest as we entered the aircraft. I was lucky to have Debby sit next to me, even though we had to do some minor lobbying. I sat next to the window and had the most amazing view as we took off into the air.
"Hope you're not having a flight fright?" Debby asked with her usual smile.
"Perhaps if you were not sitting right beside me, I could have chickened out." I replied to her with a smile, which made her face blush. Our conversation became more lively, ranging from her flight experiences to the scariest stories I have heard about flights. The flight we took was for approximately fifty minutes, but not until the pilot made a discomforting announcement did my heart beat erratically.
"Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. This is your pilot, Captain Philips. Please be informed that we will be having a little stopover at Asaba Airport to top up the aircraft fuel. We regret any inconvenience this may have caused. Please stay calm and enjoy your flight." He announced it to the crew.
"The rumors are true, then. Nowhere is it safe in Nigeria? What if fuel finishes mid-air?" I asked Debby jokingly, even though deep within me, a scare lurked around.
"Come on! It's not as bad as you are painting it. I'm sure it's something minor." She replied, waiving off my concerns.
"Says Angel Debby with the nine lives." I teased, making both of us burst into laughter, ignoring the grumbling around us.
Our aircraft soon touched down at Asaba, and after about forty minutes, we took off into the air for the remainder of the journey, which was estimated to be another twenty-five minutes. Our flight, however, got interrupted yet again by the pilot as we neared landing. The only thing I could decipher as the crew roared in fright was that "we would be engaging in an emergency landing; please fasten your seat belt if you haven't, and if you do not know how to, call on any of the flight attendants close to you." The panic that started out as grumbles hastily graduated to a commotion, and, like in unison, the crew began to make confessions and engage in loud prayers. Just at that instance, the aircraft made a failed attempt to land, which shook the crew, and just then, Debby, who had been the one consoling me, held onto my wrist tightly like her life depended on it. The whole scenario played out like a dream, and images of airplane crashes flashed in multiples through my mind. My head suddenly became heavy, as though the weight of the universe were placed on it. I sat still, yet my heart raced fast.
The pilot yet again made another attempt at landing, and this time around, he shook the crew more violently, which increased the tempo of panic among the crew. My mind went quickly to my widowed mother, and at that point, I wished I had listened to her advice about getting married and giving her grandchildren. "God, this was never the plan!" I sobbed silently as the plane shook continuously.
"It was nice meeting you, Paul; you were fun to talk with while the moment lasted." Debby said to me, This time I could see tears welling up in her eyes.
I held her firmly, but gently, as her thoughts returned to me. I wondered how cruel it could be to snatch a friend I had barely met. My heart raced for several reasons, but I wished life would give me yet another chance.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I'm glad to inform you that we have safely landed, even though it is some distance away from the tarmac. The rescue and medical teams are on standby to attend to you as you alight." The pilot yet announced in his familiar voice, however, with a relaxed tone. Debby grabbed my hand and scrambled to the emergency exit doors.
It's been two years since Debby and I met and had that scary encounter. The phobia to enter a plane remains fresh in my heart, unlike the daring Debby that I have been fortunate to take a flight of marriage with for the remainder of our lives, hoping that our union would be one without such similar fright.