Crystal's Memoir



 =__**Overhead**__ =  I plopped down into the seat next to a skinny woman that I don’t know. The rows of seats were so crowded, when you pulled your little table down, you can barely move in your seat. The smell of new furniture mixed with engine exhaust overwhelmed me a little, and is now giving me a mild headache. The rough feeling of the blue fabric scratch my fingers as I walked by. I didn’t bring anything to read, so I waited patiently as the workers loaded luggage. I peered down the endless rows of seat, trying to look for something interesting. People’s voices buzzed in my head as I traced the pattern of the seat in front of me with my eyes. Then, the big metal bird lurched forward and prepared to take off. It gathered momentum as its nose points towards the sky. At first, it was uncomfortable, the big metal bird bounce and stumbled on the ground frequently, like a fledgling about to take flight. Finally, we are truly in the air and I am the master of the sky.    My ears popped and tears build up at the back of my eyes. My head felt like the time when I dived too deep into a pool, but that is another story to tell. We gradually level as we climbed higher into the sky. I can see the houses of scattered colors. They were so tiny, that they looked like delicate flower petals sprinkled across the earth. Then all was gone in a swirl of color and memory. As the pressure eased and the metal hawk level, the seat belt light blinked out and I unbuckled the belt that is biting into my flesh (which left an angry red mark) and tried to walk the stiffness out of my limbs. Because of the tiny, congested space that is my seat, my legs have been pressed tightly against my seat, and my arms pined to my side to avoid touching my fellow and anonymous flight companions. My leg almost gave out as the sensation of being stabbed by millions of pins and needles washed over me. The young attendance standing next to me quickly catches me as I stumbled down the isle. I saw here giving me a warm smile, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes. In fact, she looked worn out. Well, there is nothing that I could do, so I returned a quick and awkward smile and walked away. I walked more cautiously now, not wanting to stumbled into people. I wonder mindlessly, but I ended up at the flight attendance station. I watched and stared at the flight attendances flit in and out of the station, until a flight attendance noticed me, and came over and ask me to help them, if I want to. I saw a playful glint in his eyes, and he asked me to deliver the lunches with the carts! He pulled out an extra hat and handed it to me. I jammed it, eagerly, onto my head and push the cart down the isle. Passengers were surprise to find me, ten years old at the time, as their waiter. The young attendance shadowed me as I deliver the food. When I finished, this event had reached every flight attendance. Soon, I was chatting away with all of them like old friends. I sat back down into the not-so-comfortable seat and looked out the window. The sunlight blanketed the fluffy white clouds with a warm, orange-red color. I tried to look beyond the clouds and see the land, or the deep, blue ocean, below. Nothing. I wondered if I could reach out, scoop a handful of clouds, and bring them to my new home. I’ll show it off to my little sister when I get back to Taiwan…