Ive never been apprehensive about traveling, not even by air. Im not like my sister Nkechi, who once sent a lengthy text to all her siblings, asking us to help her thank God for His Omnipotence and Kindness, and the Mighty works He did in her life; and just when I was wondering if she got a double promotion at work or survived an armed robbery attack, she concluded her text with- we have just landed at PH airport. Sometime last year I watched in absolute amusement as she almost drowned her children in Holy Water and Anointing Oil just before they embarked on an international flight. You see, shes one of those people who dread to travel by air. Her fear of flying no get Part 2. I always thought I was different from her in that regard because I never used to blink twice about entering an aircraft. But things seem to be changing very fast with me. These days, each time I have to leave family and friends to travel anywhere, even for 2 days, I wonder if that will be the last time Id see them. This afternoon while waiting for take-off, I was filled with all kinds of morbid thoughts. I just dont know where they came from. Probably memories of the crashed Malaysian airplane helped trigger them. I kept wondering what would be going through the minds of people sitting in a plane thats about to crash, who know without any doubt that theyd never come out alive. Nobody should have to die that way. My heart and condolences go out once more to all who have lost loved ones in this manner. At a point I even imagined myself saving a text in my phone, or leaving a note in my bag, telling one of my sisters the particular dress Id like to be buried in, in case anything happened. And that I wanted my face to be well made-up. And also how I wanted to be wearing my natural hair instead of braids. And the same note telling her how grateful I am to God for an imperfect but happy life. But before I could finish my terrible thoughts, the pilot announced that descent/landing would commence in 27 minutes. We eventually landed at 3.07pm. It was now my turn to send out texts announcing our arrival. Thank God for His Mercies!!! AERO sure out-did themselves today. I had prepared myself mentally for a 2 hour delay but we started boarding at 1.45pm for a 2.00pm flight. A bit unusual for AERO, but despite the frequent delays I always wonder why Ive stuck to them for so long. Marketing experts may call it Brand Loyalty. Most of us noticed that the plane we were about to board was borrowed. It was painted in green and white colors, with a design of green wings drawn on the tail area; not the usual Orange color synonymous with AERO. I teased one of the baggage handlers about the borrowed plane and said I hoped they were flying us to Lagos and no other place. Even the on-board food service was wearing a new look. The meals [or snacks] were all neatly packaged in small paper boxes complete with small bottles of water and sweets. Only problem is.......theyve stopped selling those tasty club sandwiches I used to look forward to. #sad face#
Posted on: Thu, 27 Mar 2014 22:57:39 +0000