The Boy Who Made Flowers Sing

6 | Oda

Looking out the window of the plane, Elena saw the illuminating city lights like sparkles in the pitch black. As the plane came lower, she could make out the landscape silhouettes in the city of Cartagena including the luscious palm trees that surrounded the towering buildings. Her heart pounded in both excitement and nervousness. She had never been to South America. She could hear her heart beating to the speed of the engines and smiled in exhilaration.

They were a couple of minutes away from landing and Elena could now see the city with its bustling vehicles and zigzagging roads. The bright city was contrasted by dark mountains that hung over it like ominous, dark guards protecting it. Amid her thoughts, the pilot made an announcement that the plane was going to land soon. The seatbelt sign on the ceiling of the plane turned on and a soft bell sound went off. Elena looked over to the kind lady that had dozed off in her seat beside her. Her name was Oda and she was going back home. She was a traveling nurse and was coming back from her last mission before retirement. Her experiences made for great stories that kept Elena intrigued and entertained throughout the journey. Luckily, Elena and Oda ended up being on the same two connecting flights. This was a relief to Elena since she didn't travel much alone. If she did travel solo, it was usually a road trip. Oda was a wonderful storyteller and loved to highlight the most inspiring moments during her work. She was grateful for her company. Before the stewardess could make a big fuss about Oda's seatbelt, Elena tapped Oda's shoulder.

"Hey, Oda. We're about to land," Elena said softly.

The kind lady opened her almond-shaped, dark eyes slowly and smiled towards Elena. Her forehead wrinkled in confusion as she looked past Elena's shoulder towards the window.

"How long have I been sleeping?" Oda asked as her nimble fingers hastily fastened her seatbelt.

"I believe for two hours."

Oda yawned and peered over Elena's shoulders towards the window again.

"My goodness. I didn't realize I had been sleeping for so long, dear."

Her squinty eyes hurriedly searched her purse for her glasses. Her long, tough hands pulled them out from the case and put them on. Looking out the window, Elena saw the wheels of the plane extend outward and hit the runway. This part made her queasy, but thankfully, it was a smooth landing. She closed her eyes and clutched the armrest as she kept her back pressed into the seat.

As soon as the passengers were allowed to come off the plane, Elena gathered her belongings and helped Oda with hers too. It felt amazing to stretch out her limbs after sitting for so long. Elena grabbed Oda's hand-carry from the compartment above their seats.

"Thank you, child," Oda smiled at her.

As the passengers shuffled through the narrow passageway off the plane and they waited for their turn, Elena searched her bag for the hotel itinerary. "Purple Baron Hotel'' was the name written on the paper. Its address was now in smudged ink due to the humidity her bag had suffered throughout the trip. Oda and Elena finally entered the passageway and made their way off the airplane with their bags awkwardly hitting the seats behind them. The air hostess wearing a blue hat and a big smile at the front bid them goodbye as they stepped off. The plane was directly connected to a ramp that led to the airport. Elena looked out the glass panels of the ramp as she walked with Oda. She saw another airplane landing outside in pitch black. Workers in bright, neon green and orange jackets directed the airplane onto the runway. She saw her stooped, skinny figure in the glass reflection and her slow, sluggish stride. She looked at Oda who confidently walked down the ramp as if she were on a mission.