It was raining outside. The girl watched the tiny drops trickle down the huge windows in the waiting area, and thought about the tears she's seen in her mother's eyes when they had hugged goodbye. They had touched her and had almost made her cry, too. Saying goodbye to one's baby daughter must be hard, she reflected.
Nevaeh took a deep breath. She was leaving home for four months. No turning back now, for it was too late. They'd already opened the gate, and people had started to step out in the rain. Ugh!, she thought, the rain will probably ruin my hair! She pulled her hood over her head and tried to hide as much hair as possible inside the thick jacket.
The dancers behind her started to push, but Nevaeh couldn't move forward without bumping on the person in front of her, so she turned around and raised an eyebrow at the Dutch dancers, asking for patience with her look. Everyone would board the plane eventually, she thought to herself. No need to worry about that.
The flight attendant started indicating that the way was open, and people ran towards the boarding stairs that went up to the plane. It was still pitch dark, although the hour was near seven in the morning; the flight attendants wore orange reflective vests that could be seen a mile away. Nevaeh wished she had one... she had always liked them. She liked them better than the yellow ones Spanish people usually used.
The stairs were were wet, and slipped under her feet. Nevaeh grabbed at the rail and tried to wait patiently under the rain as the slowly climbed up the stairs into the back of the plane. She didn't succeed in that, so Nevaeh decided to wait impatiently under the rain instead.
This was the second time she flew with that company, the second time she flew on her own, the second time she flew to Holland! Nevaeh felt a thrill at that thought, and for a moment didn't mind the rain spoiling her hair.
After what had seemed like five minutes but had really been... five minutes, Nevaeh was able to show her boarding pass to the flight attendant and step into the security of a roof over her head. Forgetting that she still had her hood on and must look like a ridiculous tiny pixie, Nevaeh anxiously looked down the aisle to spot an empty seat on the right side, and by the window, and not too close to the wing so her view wouldn't be spoiled.
And she found it! Nevaeh barely found time to walk to her seat. Suppose someone in front of her stole it? She squeezed between the line of people in the aisle and the row of seat, and let herself plop on the prized seat with a triumphant air, thumping her bag under the seat opposite her. There, she was ready for the flight.
The engines started and the plane got taxied to the taking off area. Excitement bubbled up inside of her once again as the engines roared and the plane started to run powerfully. Nevaeh watched breathlessly as all of a sudden the plane took off and bit by bit the ground looked more and more distant.
She couldn't take her eyes off of the view outside. Such a thrill rushed inside of her every time she realized that this was real! She was flying, and she was going to Holland. With eyes full of tears Nevaeh gave thanks to God for this dream come true. She did not know what awaited her over there, but she was sure it would all be wonderful.
Nevaeh settled as comfortably as possible in her seat. A two hour flight stretched before her, and she considered the possibility of sleeping a little bit. She'd only slept three hours that night; but sleep avoided her and soon she came to the conclusion that she was too excited to shut her eyes, so out came her MP3. She would listen to music and stare out of the window instead.
The flight proved to be a boring success. Her excitement wouldn't let her concentrate in her reading, nor would let her write. The view outside was an endless prairie of white, shapeless clouds, so she wasn't able to enjoy that, either.
She didn't find her friends either. Nevaeh had hoped that a flight assistant whom she had coincided with and who had complimented her on her English would be there, but obviously wasn't. Plus a fly she had met last winter and had named Tapio wasn't there. Nevertheless, she did meet a friendly ant running on the seat opposite her. Was it a Spanish ant flying to Holland, for free, or was it a Dutch ant returning to its home after a brief visit to its relatives?
The ant, which she decided to name Hilda, wasn't the most interesting conversationalist she had met, so after a few unsuccessful attempts to chat, she gave up altogether and resigned to her fate: her flight would be boring, no matter what.
Two hours of flying that wouldn't fly by. To her, the time seemed to drag by, and Nevaeh became more and more impatient the more she thought about her best friend waiting for her at the airport and the amazing month they would spend together. If only the flight would end...
FINALLY!, and as all other things, the flight found its end. Nevaeh was beside herself with excitement. Even though Holland welcomed her with overcast skies once she stepped outside the cabin door onto the stairs, she was happy to be there. Happiness meant being there, hugging Amice and hopping into the car with her family at that moment. ^^
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