My Year with Grandma

Time to Bail

"This way, Miss Gabbard. There's a separate line for unaccompanied minors." Her voice was calm and soft; nothing at all like her appearance. I swallowed my nerves and followed the giant woman to the far lane. "Take your shoes off and put them in the tray. Any and all electronics are to be out and in their own tray. Are you wearing anything metal? If so, take it off and put it in a tray as well."

"Maybe I should just walk through naked." I quipped.

"Your choice." She replied seemingly undisturbed at my snarkiness. I did as she said, removing my shoes, steel piercings, studded belt, metal wrist bands, rings and neck chains and walked through the metal detectors. The woman laughed as the alarms went off. "Missed one!" She laughed. One of the guards ran his wand over me, stopping at my navel when it beeped. I had forgotten my belly ring. How embarrassing.

She walked with me to my gate and sat with me until the it was time to load. I had no desire to talk to her, or anyone else for that matter, so I stared out the window over the tarmac, silently stewing over my situation. I hated being too young to do what I wanted. I hated living with my mom, but I also hated having to leave her. I hated not knowing when I was going to see Jude again. I hate not knowing my dad or the woman I was going to be living with for the next year. I hated school. I hated life. I hate how long the loading line was. I hated how little the seats were on this plane. I especially hated the fact that gargantuwoman had boarded the plane with me. I thought she was to make sure I get on the plane, not fly with me! I huffed my displeasure and put my focus out the window.

Noticing my angry huff, the woman snickered a bit and said. "Buck up buttercup. You're stuck with me all the way to Grandma's house."

"What?! No way!"

"Oh, yes way."

"I thought the airline only had to make sure I got the plane."

"I don't work for the airline, sweetness. I'm your auntie May."

"I don't have any aunts." I snipped.

"Oh, you have aunts. You have uncles too. You just haven't been fortunate enough to meet any of them yet. But you will." She smirked.

I eyed the woman with doubt. "So you're my dad's sister?"

She smiled with sort of sadness in her gaze. "No. I'm your mom's."

"Mom doesn't have any siblings." Seriously, she always said she was an only child. How can she all of a sudden have a sister?

"She told you that?" She paused for a moment. Sighing, she added. "I suppose in way it's true. We have the same father but different mothers. So, I guess from that standpoint she is an only child on her mom's side."

That made sense. "Oh." I tuned back towards the window trying to display disinterest. I wasn't sure I wanted to know the story. Clearly there was a reason my mother had never mentioned having siblings. Neither did she mention the fact that I had another living grandmother. In my entire life with her, I believed it was just her and me. I mean, there was her mom, but I only ever met her once. Dad was dead and there was no one else. Mom never remarried and Dad's family never came around. Now here I am, sitting next to a stranger who claims to be my aunt while I am on my way to live with a grandmother who is also a stranger. I have never been more lonely or freaked out before this moment. I wiped a tear off my cheek before She-Ra could notice.

"You know," she began making small talk. "You can ask me anything you want to know about the family."

I wasn't ready for that yet, so I just looked bored before asking the one question that has been looming around my brain since the moment I laid eyes on her. "I do have a question for you, actually." I said turning to face her. "Did you used to be a man? I mean, is that why you are so huge?"

She tossed her head back and guffawed at the question. "I'm all woman, honeychild." She flexed her biceps in a mock pose, kissing her arms as she wagged her eyebrows at me. "Women's world weightlifting champion, baby. Three years running."

"Why would any woman want to do that?"

"I am six feet six inches. What else would a woman this tall do?"

"You really are a giant. Kind of a scary one at that."

"Ha ha. Nonsense. I'm as gentle as a lamb."

Oh, so maybe I could escape from her and run away. "Hmmm."

"And before you think of running away on me, you should know that I also hold world records in track and field, archery, shooting and mixed martial arts."

Okay, now I am officially scared to death. I am going to die. This woman will murder me before I ever make it to Grandma's. "What don't you do?" I grunted trying to hide my rising panic.

"Cook. I can't cook to save my life. I can't even boil water without burning the pan."

This just proves she's related to my mom. I grew up on microwave dinners and take out because she was a disaster in the kitchen. Her one attempt to make a Thanksgiving turkey involved the local fire department. As a result, I couldn't cook either. "I guess that's one thing we have in common." I yawned.  I was exhausted from the day's events and the flight was supposed to several hours long. I leaned my head against the window to ignore any further unwanted conversation.  Maybe sleep could let me escape for a little while.

"I'm sure there's more than that, dearie." She smiled again then turned her attention to the front of the plane. She pursed her lips and took a sharp intake of air. I tried to see what she was looking at but couldn't see anything through my seat. I also hate being so short. "I was afraid of that," she said sharply. "Is there anything of value in your bag?"

"What? Why?"

"Anything irreplaceable?"

"Again, why?"

"Just, answer?"

"No. It's just the basics. Clothes and a toothbrush. What does it matter?"

"Good, because we don't have time to retrieve it." She reached under the seat in front of her and pulled out a couple of packs. She handed one to me, "Here, put this on. Our stop is coming up sooner than expected."

"What??!" I whisper screamed. The plane hit some turbulence and I scrambled to put the parachute on correctly. Seeing my panic, she helped me get it fastened up. "What are you talking about?? What is going on?"

She looked as if she were about to answer when the plane lurched left. "Time to go," she said grabbing my hand. She pulled me behind her to the rear of the plane. The stewardesses were in the front of the plane strapped in their seats so there wasn't anyone to stop her from opening the back door.

"No! You can't be serious!! We'll die!" No way was I jumping out of a plane at thirty thousand feet. I panicked but couldn't get away from her grip on my wrist. I dug my heels into the floor to no avail.  I scratched her, tried to bite her, slapped her as hard as I could but she was unmoving, relentless.  She was not letting me go.  Mom should've chosen jail school for me. Oh my god, please!!!

"Don't worry, you're safe with me." She pulled me into her embrace as we got sucked out the door into the clear blue sky. I knew I was going to die.