Twinkling of stars

Eccentric Pilots Should Be Suspended But Not This One

If it wasn't for mom, I'd never go to New York to see Aunt Neya. After the ridiculous gathering this year, nothing really mattered to me except my work. I still couldn't figure out after all these years why I was the only person in this world to visit people when they are sick when I have my own job to look after. Today I was sure I was going to lose my job for this one week's holiday. 

I woke up in the morning with mom's voice in the alarm,"Get up baby or else I'll switch off the fan". It made the city feel more or less like home. Ever heard the phrase "Home is where Mom is", I believe that.

Surprisingly that day, Google was clueless, GPS failed and my intellect didn't stand a chance. But only Mom from Dublin knew where my plane ticket was. Sometimes my fate knew what the word lucky was or else I would've missed the flight to New York.

Little did I know I was gonna have the longest day in my life.

I was doing quite good till I got myself an extra large hamburger while waiting to board the flight. I munched into my second bite when a kid, who was just above the height of my knee, came running to me. He was clearly searching something and from my experiences of getting lost in places as big as an airport to as small house I was going to ask him if he got detached from his mother. But he was too fast and cut me off mid-sentence.

"Can you tell me a love story?"

"A love story", I asked smiling at the three-four year old.

"Yes haven't heard of it before?", He asked me with a rather perplexed look.

"Well lets see what we've got in store for you.", I said pretending to search my bag and swiftly took out my hand to tickle him and lift him up on my lap.

"Ah well ever heard of a cloud's love story?", I asked him.

"An cloud's love story. Whoa.", he looked at me mouth wide-open.

"Yes",I smiled remembering the first story I had written in my childhood,"The clouds chased the ocean till the end of the world",I whispered in a spooky voice,"In the end, Clouds watched while the Sand and the Ocean kissed."

He stared at me."Was it good, lil fella?",I asked quite unsure about his thoughts on the story. "It was amazing", he said throwing up his arms in joy.My first audience, I thought to myself and smiled. Seconds later the boarding call was announced and his mother came running.

"I hope he didn't bother you", as she pulled him aside to scold him.

"Oh no he was really good", I said winking at him.

I was busy making myself comfortable in my window seat, placing earphones in my ear  with a book open on my chest.It was an hour later that I noticed an old man, who was sitting beside me, staring at me intensely and his mouth moving. I opened my headphones to hear this man.

"Wanna say something sir?", I asked looking at him.

"Me? Ah no son", he said waving his arms," You do",pokingme in the chest.

"Me?"

"Oh no I'm talking to the wind outside", he said smirking," Whats bothering you son?"

I sighed, telling him the whole story was tiring but it was a load off me. But was it? I would have said yes if the announcement on the plane hadn't stopped me. The load came back again.

"My dear travellers its me, your adorable captain, Bruce. Let me tell you something. We all have to die.", all the passengers sat up straight,"One day I mean", we rest in seats again,"We don't know when."

"Yea right", squeeked my fellow partner.

"But it might when we hit his mountain", and just then a child started crying and people started to panic but my fellow passenger put on his headphones and said, "Life's too short to panic, just go with the flow", as he rocked to the song.

The only thing in my head at that moment was I ain't gonna die so easily. I had to something. I made my way through the panics and shrieks that filled the whole aeroplane. As I turned the knob of the controlling room, the pilot with the most tranquil expression on his face turned towards me.

"Brosnan", was all I could say. My heart literally flew out of my mouth.

"You.",he said,"I knew whenever I was in a situation you had to appear."

I found one. I did. Memories came flooding back to my head. I had so many things to tell him, to ask him. I wanted answers. Where was he? Didn't we promise to be each other's best man and stay forever like this?

"Come on sit down. We aren't in school anymore. No punishments remember?", he said motioning me to sit beside him. 

"So brosnan to bruce huh? And a pilot I thought you wanted to be an engineer?", I inquired.

"Guess what man? I had to cut all ties from home.It wasn't easy at first but I got used to it.Reality sucks."

"But why? Why didn't you contact me?", with a sense of pain I asked him.

"I felt small. You guys had big dreams. No matter how bossy you are at school, at the end of the day you need to earn a living of your own. I worked in bars and small jobs until I got all the money to study aviation."

"Aviation wasn't your dream. C'mon"

He chuckled at my comment. "Aviation was my life", he continued, laughing,"but family pressure made my dreams dead.", I looked at him expressionlessly. There was so much going on in him. "On my eighteenth birthday, mom gifted me engineering entrance guide books, dad gave me medical entrance study guides and sister handed me SAT practice books. After all this how can you really stand up to them and say 'I wanna be a pilot'. Its ridiculous."

"So you ran away?"

"Had no other choice. Anyways tell me about you, mate. Where are the others?", he said punching me playfully on my chest.

"I intended to ask you the same question. Got into a hospital right after college. Tried contacting you guys every single day but nothing really worked."

"Great. My heart always used to leap in joy when at nights I used to see 'typing...' under your name but when I tried to write, the gallery reminded me that it was just a screenshot."

"We need to talk. Same place as always?", I asked quite unsure for his answer. The person I had known for so many years, was now unknown to me. At least thats what my heart said.

"If we stay alive, then yes.", he said controlling the plane while he shot me his best smile.

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