phone was still inside, she tucked the silver clutch beneath her legs since she did not want to put it under the seat in front of her. She had taken only half a pill because she did not want to get too loopy since she had to plan the rest of the journey home. After what she’d been through, she told herself, she deserved a bit of medically induced calm.
Once they reached thirty thousand feet, she closed her eyes, hoping she’d remember what had happened. She dozed off and on, then was jarred awake when they hit a bit of turbulence. Trying to relax, as her flight didn’t land for another half hour, she did her best to focus on her future, the busy fall schedule, Christina’s prep for high school, then Thanksgiving and Christmas.
The captain’s voice came across the intercom with the usual spiel, saying they were about to begin their descent into Houston International and would land in approximately fifteen minutes. Anna almost stood and cheered as she could not wait to put as much distance between her and the Cayman Islands as humanly possible.
Having sat through the longest fifteen minutes of her life, Anna stood up as soon as the seat belt light was off. Thankful she only had a carry-on, she stepped out into the aisle as soon as she could.
“Thank you for flying with United today,” said a cheery flight attendant.
Anna nodded, then heard whispering behind her. She’d been recognized. She hurried to escape before someone spoke to her because just the thought of having to put on her vlogging face made her feel sick.
Familiar with the Houston airport, she found the airline that flew into Lubbock. She’d lucked out because the flight was preparing to board, and she was able to purchase a ticket before the cutoff time. Racing to her gate, which thankfully wasn’t all that far, she breathed a sigh of relief when she saw people still waiting in line. Glancing at her seat assignment, she grinned. First class.
Once she was on the plane, it only took a few minutes for the flight attendants to make sure all passengers were secure in their seat belts and prepare for takeoff.
Anna wanted to scream, cuss, and stomp her feet in frustration. This must be what a two-year-old felt like when they tried to express their frustration and didn’t know the correct way to do it. She would be much more understanding the next time she heard a child throwing a temper tantrum in public. Just go already, she thought. Surely, everyone on this plane has heard the flight instructions at least once in their lifetime.
When the plane was finally off the ground, the passengers were almost immediately served drinks since the flight was less than an hour. Anna asked for a ginger ale, then froze.
“Ma’am, are you all right?”
She suddenly remembered that she had ordered ginger ale at dinner last night and so had he.
“Ma’am?” the flight attendant persisted. “Are you ill?”
“Uh, no. I’m . . . my stomach,” she said hoping the woman would get her the drink and leave her alone.
“Yes, the ginger ale. Right away.”
The flight attendant handed her a small plastic cup of ice, along with a can of ginger ale. “Thanks,” Anna said, then filled the cup, drinking the soda slowly. Her stomach knotted with anxiety; she prayed that she wasn’t about to have another panic attack. Deep breath in and deep breath out.
The man sitting beside her in the aisle seat hadn’t spoken a word since boarding, yet chose to now. “A panic attack?” he asked.
She nodded. “Yes, sorry.” She took another sip of her drink.
“My wife has them. I recognized your breathing technique.”
Anna turned away from the window to look at the man. He had light brown hair, graying at the sides, with friendly-looking, clear blue eyes. She guessed him to be in his early fifties. “I don’t like flying,” she told him, knowing this was a common reason for panic in a lot of people.
“It’s a natural fear,” he said. “I see it in a lot of my patients.”
“You’re a doctor?” she asked.
“Yes, a general practitioner.”
“I was on a cruise in the Cayman Islands. I left because I was sick.”
“Not uncommon. Were any other passengers ill? It could be norovirus.”
Anna had heard of it. “I don’t know. What are the symptoms?”
“Gastrointestinal upset, headache, fatigue, muscle aches.”
She was unsure if she should tell him she’d had these specific symptoms because she knew if she did, it was