UNPLANNED MIX IN PARIS

Our weeklong trip was over, and we were back in the sky heading due east to get back across the pond. Strapped in this big mastodon was not where I wanted to be at this time. My mind was on autopilot and in panic mode given the circumstances we left just a day ago. It was a crucial moment in time that we witnessed, in a sense, since a jet airplane flew over on an ominous path as we walked through the gardens of a popular tourist spot. We did not know this was a fatality soon to happen at that time. Fortunately, we were on the ground and not the ones in the air. Our journey began as a planned business trip that we were looking forward to. The places of beautiful history in and around Paris called us on a sightseeing adventure off the clock, taking us to the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, Arc de Triomphe, Notre Dame, and the Palace of Versailles. By the end of our trip, our time of enjoyment ended in a disaster never to have been expected to happen. A flash back of 9/11 hit me, big time.

Once we were seated on our return flight, I could not move out of my middle row seat. As our flight took off, I was glued to what we had left behind, which everyone may or may not have seen on the news yet. The sadness we felt that was soon to happen in every section of this great country of France was horrific. I could only imagine if we were the ones on that flight, the captain locked out of the cockpit struggling to get through the door and the co-pilot on a mission to end it all in the French Alps. Who knows what he was thinking all along as it more than likely was a predetermined planned moment. My husband and I opted to pick a good movie and refocus on something else. It would be almost 6 hours back across the Atlantic. THE LONGEST RIDE was the movie I opted to watch. What the heck made me pick that one? One of Nicholas Sparks best novels was calling me to watch this movie. But I was not thinking clearly, no doubt. Two people connected by fate was the theme. The rodeo cowboy and bull-riding champion with his girl in the movie made me think more about the rides in life we take every day where we are supported or carried by a good friend when the chips are down.

I paused a moment to try to understand this time and place. Here we were in a similar situation where fate took us by the hand, which is the development of events beyond a person’s control, where the situation is determined by a supernatural power. Another definition is about three goddesses of Fate, Atropos, Clotho, and Lachesis, where they are showcased in mythology using thread as their defining item. I believe our thread was tightly woven to guide us home, safely and in peace. I paused for a moment to read more about Fate. Of course, I looked around at everyone else on this flight. Were they not thinking the same thing?

I finished watching the movie, but the flight was still a long way to Boston. Now what do I do?

Well, I had to have something to eat and drink and looked in my bag for the snacks that had gone through customs; Macarons and the cheeses Bleu d’ Auvergne, and Camembert. The flight attendants all seemed calm, but I am sure they were not at all calm given the recent catastrophe. I took some water offered to me and did not open it. I panicked thinking there was no way I would head to the rest room. I put my head down and closed my eyes. Another hour went by, and my husband nudged my arm asking if I was okay. I used a fake smile and said, ‘sure’.

Should I watch another movie? It was the right thing to do since we had the longest hour to go before finally landing and getting off this huge air beast. My mind took a slight turn as I sensed someone sitting next to me was not just an average passenger. Okay, now another panic button flipped on the inside of my head. But the flight attendant began a quiet conversation with him. I secretly listened to the calm manner the two were speaking and I became somewhat relaxed.  The manner in which she addressed this gentleman made me think of the extra reason he might have been on this particular flight from Paris. I knew and was very familiar with security and had a hunch that he was an Air Marshall since his mannerisms were a bit different in what and how he was holding items. Hand in his pocket more times than taking something out to see or use.

This took me thinking back to the last day and evening at our International Hotel. Adjustments were seen happening throughout the foyer and lobby. Why? We, and I am sure many others, had no idea about the air disaster that had taken place just hours before. It made one wonder who, what, where and when was going on. The red carpet we saw placed days before was removed, dinner and a meeting were cancelled with an important guest, and police were seen being bused into the area. It was all a mystery since we were not privy of any of it.

We opted to end our last evening enjoying the Parisian food at the hotel. This was a trip of a lifetime that we were honored to have made with a good group of people. We were also able to get around on our own, which made me, aka nervous Nelly, happy and relaxed. Seeing this city that one might only read about as we took side trips to places on the map was quite amazing. My French worked okay, but gracious people sometimes responded in English, especially the young man at the coffee shop.

We arrived at Logan, landed safely and thanked the captain and his crew.

Looking back brought wonderful moments of our time in Paris. The fateful end for many left a hole in our hearts. More adjustments to the safety of flights have been put into place since that time. We can only prepare for the moment whenever and wherever that takes us. And to say with hope towards the sky, ‘Never Again’.