The Eye of a Hurricane

Isabel

I thought I could trust Uncle Lin, but turns out I can't.  Dad had tried to commit suicide in prison and he just wasn't going to tell me.  My own father.  I deserved to know.  I could understand him not telling Luna, but I'm twelve.  I'm old enough to handle the truth.

I stayed in my room the rest of the night, avoiding him.  After he'd gone to bed, I snuck out of my room and went to the closet to find his jacket.  I had a plan. 

I dug around in the jacket pocket and found his wallet.  I grabbed the laptop and opened it up, then did a Google search for flights.  My dad needed me and Uncle Lin was making me wait too long.  What if he tried to commit suicide again?  What if I never saw him again because of Uncle Lin?

I wasn't sure how much flights usually cost, but most of them were around $500.  Since we just had that hurricane, I imagine the flights were more expensive because there were fewer.  I looked for an early morning flight.  I found Uncle Lin's credit card number and entered it.  I was smart and knew that airlines didn't let kids fly alone without an escort.  It was easy though - I just checked a box that said I needed an escort at the airport.

In his wallet I found a little piece of paper that said 'Miguel' and the phone number of what I assumed was the hospital he was at.  I tucked it in my pocket for safe keeping in case I needed it.  My flight was at 7:30, so I would leave around 6:00, before everyone was up.  I went back to bed, trying to get some sleep before I left.

I couldn't sleep, wondering if it would work.  Would I get caught?  Obviously, Uncle Lin would wake up and see I wasn't there, but by that time hopefully I'd be in the air.  I'd have to deal with the consequences later.  This was worth it.

Around 5:45, I quickly packed a bag and slipped out the front door.  I hailed a taxi cab and paid with some cash I'd taken from Uncle Lin's wallet.  I felt bad, but I had to do this.

I tried to act confident; like I belonged.  I strolled into the airport terminal with my carry-on bag.  I had a school ID from school and my passport, though I didn't need it to fly to PR.  The lady at the checkin counter eyed me a bit suspiciously but I confidently told her I needed to check in.

"You need an adult with you to check in, sweetheart," she told me, and my heart dropped.

"Uhhh...you can call my dad.  He had an early meeting and can't be here," I told her, pulling out the piece of paper from my pocket.  She eyed me again but picked up the phone.  I prayed that dad would just go along with what I was doing.  It seemed to work.  He didn't speak great English and probably assumed Uncle Lin was sending me.

She printed out my boarding ticket and I let out a breath of relief.  It had worked.  I found my way to the gate.  I had plenty of time, so I got a blueberry muffin and juice from Starbucks.  I sat down in the waiting area and waited, not making eye contact with anyone.

The lady who was escorting me finally showed up and sat with me.  When it was time to board, I got to go on first since I was a kid.  The lady helped me find my seat, then wished me a good flight.  I couldn't believe I was sitting on a plane, by myself, about to go to Puerto Rico.  I felt proud of myself for figuring this all out.

The flight was over three hours long.  I nodded off at some point.  Soon, we were descending into San Juan, and I got more and more excited. I was going to see my dad!

Another escort met me as I got off the airplane.  I explained to her that I was supposed to take a taxi to go see my dad in the hospital, and she didn't seem to have a problem with it.  She hailed me a cab and I was on my way.  As the cab slowly drove, I took in the ravaged island.  Houses were leveled and there were stray dogs wandering the streets.  Water was still everywhere.