The Journey – Creative Writing Essay Final
As the door shut I could immediately feel my lungs gasping for air. I don’t know which made my heart panic most: the intrusive search through my bag, being strapped to my seat by a tight belt, or knowing that I was doing something wrong.For me, an airplane is the one place in the world that evokes every emotion in my body: sadness, happiness, anxiety, relief, fear, anticipation. It is also a vehicle for escape and change in my life.
For the past two years it has aided me in my everlasting battle against space, time and distance. It has allowed me to leave my stressful life behind and be with the one person who makes me feel complete. His ability to turn my sad days into happy ones and make me feel comfortable in my own skin has always been worth the journey.
The forbiddance of being in a long distance, serious relationship has always been an unspoken understanding between my parents and I. I almost feel that sometimes they should just hand-cuff me and throw me behind bars when I walk through that metal detector. But I must say that there is a certain element of excitement within my fear of being caught.
As I glanced out the window over the men throwing luggage around, the bright setting-sun pierced into my eyes. I slowly pulled down the small shade and shut out reality.
As the plane took off, I found myself gripping onto the armrests as if my life depended on it. The turbulence must have woken up the butterflies in my stomach and, all of a sudden, memories of the day we met flashed through my mind. I remembered feeling this exact feeling in my stomach, as if we were on a roller-coaster ride.
The cold, stale air from the air vent began to make me nauseous and chilly. I removed the fuzzy, red fleece blanket from the plastic bag and wrapped it around my body. It felt prickly but warm, like his hugs. I tried to wedge the tiny white pillow somewhere between the armrest and the window and as I put my head down and closed my eyes, I could feel the heartbeat of his chest.
I remembered how I use to crawl underneath my blanket every night only so my roommate would not be disturbed by the giggles and laughs of my nightly conversations. I started to fall asleep with a subtle smile on my face, like every night. I was abruptly woken up when the wheels of the plane hit the runway, much like the way my pounding alarm clock did every morning. Only this time I didn’t have to go through my day alone.
A heavy burden lifted off my shoulders and I felt a sense of relief, almost like getting away with a crime. The door opened up and I could finally breathe again. As I walked off the plane, through the airport and closer to him, I slowly forgot about everything that I left behind. And I didn’t look back.