Voyage 2002

"Higher," she whispered. May 2002 / Agnetha

WARNING: MATURE CONTENT. IF IT'S NOT FOR YOU, PLEASE DON'T READ IT / ME & I.

She was on a plane, business class, a curtain drawn around where she was sitting. In five minutes they would depart. It was hard to stay calm. That morning she had been picked up by a cab. Björn had arranged everything. Benny, Frida and he were already in London. She would have been there too, but the night before departure there was trouble, suddenly. Linda and Jens both had a fever and were ill. Tilda had gotten sick on vacation and once they were back home, her parents were next in line. That's how it was with children... And so she had postponed her trip. Surely it wasn't necessary to be there so long in advance before the press conference, but it had been pleasant and she would have gone shopping with Frida. Bummer, but they had agreed that they would just stay a little longer. They would figure something out. It sucked that she had to fly alone now, though. She hated it! Björn, unable to postpone, had offered to arrange everything for her. From London he had called her. "Everything is ready. You just need to pack your things. That's it."

"Tickets?"

"No need. Take your clothes, passport and put your well shaped behind in that cab. Period."

Three days later than the rest of the group, she had finally left home. With sweaty hands, of course. What else? Breathing three to six, that too. Praying she wasn't going to crash. Check. Everything was still as it had always been... She sat in the backseat and heard the driver talk over an intercom system, "Project P.F. on schedule. No delays." Fine for Project P.F., as long as she was on schedule and he'd step on it. If she'd miss her flight, she would have to overcome her fear once again. Not that it looked like she would be late, but you never knew.... A dry throat, a sip of water, on the verge of tears. Hooray, what a hero she was! At Arlanda, the door of the cab was opened by a woman, who reached out her hand to her. "Hello Anjetta, my name is Karen. I will take care of you now. Did you have a nice drive to the airport?" 

Huh, who the heck was this?!

Karen then grabbed her suitcase from the trunk and a little later they arrived at some lounge. She was handed a glass of champagne. What was there to celebrate? She truly didn't know.... As she nervously wiggled her leg, Karen struck up a conversation. "You're not very fond of flying, are you?"

She shook her head.

"I know. But I will be with you. Even on the plane. Björn asked me to take good care of you."

"You know him?"

"I certainly do. When his girls were younger, I accompanied them on flights every now and then. Sometimes they flew by themselves and then I took care of them."

"I see," she said, noticing that she had now come down to that level. Special care for Anxious Aggy...

After a second glass of champagne, it was eleven o'clock after all, she and Karen walked to the plane. Three more minutes before take-off... All the passengers were on board. She heard the flight attendants' explanation about how you could inflate the life jacket if you were floating in the sea and you couldn't feel your limbs because of the cold. "Please don't do it inside the aircraft." No, she would remember that. She would calmly grab her life jacket and crawl out, look back. Guys, don't inflate your life jackets inside the aircraft, please. Just give it a sec. She was a true leader! Two minutes to go. Roaring engines. Heart rate through the roof. Trembling hands, the taste of vomit in her mouth.

"Hello, Anjetta, how are you now?"

"Great."

"I have a little something for you."

She looked at Karen, who handed her a card. It probably wouldn't escape the woman that her hands were shaking. She opened the envelope.

"Sweetheart of mine,