White Honey

Tacos and Turbulence

T'was a bit of a strange world, lemme tell ya. Wakin' up in some bright white hospital or somethin', 'cause I'd toppled off a taco stand, smacked me head real hard, and got this big ol' bump on me skull. All me memories scattered like feathers in the wind. Can't remember much, and some thievin' bugger's nicked me stuff. Name's Sam.

"Samara Judas, I am warning you. If you go off hugging another stranger, I'll clobber you with my purse." That's me psychologist talkin'. Doctor Judith Holstein. Full-blooded American, I tell ya. She's got this bright orange ponytail, eyes blue as the sky, and peachy skin glowin' like cashews. Always wearin' one of those sharp office suits in some kinda midnight blue color, proper business style.

It's been three days since I got outta the coma, an' I've been stuck with her since. It's been a hectic time, I tell ya—nonstop checkups, jabs, and gross pills. Finally, they sussed out that I'm from Sydney, and me family'd sent me off for my eighteenth birthday to Mexico. Some holiday, right?

Anyway, here I am in some dodgy taxi with her, headin' for the airport. Just barely dodged a deadly straw slipper flung by some fella's missus, which nailed the driver right on the schnoz, leavin' it all red.

"Ay, Dios mio, que voy a hacer con ustedes dos! Estoy harta de siempre tener que estar encima de ustedes, como si fuera la madre!" Some pretty Mexican sheila belts her fella's face good an' proper. He's holdin' his cheek, lookin' like a stunned mullet, an' a few blokes start gatherin' round for a stickybeak. I'm watchin' the whole show till Doc drags me along.

"C'mon, let's go, or we're gonna miss our flight at this rate."

"Right-o, I'm comin'." I rubbed me shoulder where some hunched-over lad rushed by like he was runnin' from his own shadow. He scurries ahead, and I followed after Doc, mind buzzin' about meetin' all the family an' friends I barely remember. Me own room, maybe even a pet. If I don't have one, I'll get one an' name him Taco.

"Sumimasen." Some little Asian lady bows, rushin' past me and Doc, followin' her mum to the other end of the international flights. Looks like everyone's tryin' to get somewhere in a hurry. Wonder if I'll ever get home.

"Which one's ours?" I ask, squintin' at the long list of boardin' planes. Doc points at a little birdie logo, her pink nail standin' out. "That's the one."

"Fair dinkum, it's got wings an' flies. That our ride?"

"That's the one," she muttered more to herself, stridin' through the cryin' babies and wailin' kids. Poor things must be knackered. I wonder if I've got a family like that waitin' for me. If I do, I'd look after 'em proper. I was even jealous of the nurses who looked after me—nice ladies they were, twin sisters. Couldn't tear 'em apart.

"Samara." Doc pulls me into line as we get our tickets checked. Behind me, I spotted that hunched-over bloke again; looks like he's terrified of his own shadow. Poor fella. "Lot of young folks here, eh?" I nod toward some other teens in the line.

"Yeah, that's because of the event hosted by the airline."

"What event?" I ask, finally boardin' the cold plane after those cramped hallways.

Doc walks past the orange seats, checkin' the seat numbers. "Well, this whole thing was sponsored by Irescere."

"Irescere who?"

She gives me this look like I've got kangaroos loose in the top paddock.

"Irescere! They're this global giant. They fund everything from schools to hospitals, and most of the tech around here comes from them—even this plane." She waves her hand and accidentally smacks an angry-lookin' woman. "Oh god, I'm sorry!"

"Pizdets," mutters the woman, struttin' off with a real icy glare. I watch her storm up to the front row. "Ain't she one to spit the dummy."

"Come on." Doc guides me to a comfy seat, and I plop down, gazin' out at the sandy desert. Reminds me a bit of home. But that's a place I belong. I shut me eyes to rest a bit. Guess I didn't realize how knackered I was, 'cause I didn't even hear the alarms when the plane started shakin' like a mad thing. I opened me eyes to see Doc white-knucklin' her armrests, strugglin' not to bite her lip right off. My body was dead heavy, feelin' like pins and needles all over, but I could see her snap the oxygen mask over my face.

Then, everything went dark. I dreamt I was dancin' with kangaroos, napping up in the gum trees with a family of koalas, munchin' leaves. Wondered if maybe this was the afterlife.

No worries.