The flight back home

“Pick me up at 1.15 am sharp ok? I can’t wait to see you!! Bye!” shouted Ria as she tapped on the flight mode of her phone and boarded the Arabian Airways.

“See you soon darling” said Raghav and kissed the phone in excitement.

Ria settled down in her seat. Her baggage was safe in the cabin above. The seat belt was tightly bound to her waist. As the plane took off from the runway, she looked outside the window. Is that rain in Bahrain? Where were you this past year? Ria thought as she took a picture to record this event.

Rain reminded her of Mumbai and the new beginnings that were awaiting her arrival. She wondered if Raghav had kept his promise of not adding new fixtures to their brand new home. He had an excellent taste no doubt, but this time Ria wanted to take charge of the interior decor. 

2020 was rough on both of them. They had been apart for the entire year. What was meant to be a one- month assignment in Bahrain became a year-long deal after Covid struck the world. First the flights got cancelled, then India made it to the red list of banned countries for travel and then Raghav caught the virus. After 5 months of constantly trying to get together they decided to stay put till the situation became normal. Ria’s company had been more than accommodative to help her with her local needs in Bahrain.

In fact she had made some great friends in the last one year. There was Mehak the Bahraini female from the cycling club on weekends, Jessica and Amanda from work and Kavita aunty and her family from the Indian Club. For a short stay she had had a kind lot to hang out with. I will definitely return with Raghav. He will totally love Bahrain! she thought as she swiped through the photos in her iPhone.

Suddenly the plane rattled causing her phone to fall out of her hand. When she bent down to get it, a stronger jerk slapped her head against the seat in front. Soon every unguarded object began to fall over in the aircraft. People began to squeal in horror. Ria held tightly to her seat and returned to sitting posture. Suddenly frightened, she tried to focus on the pilot’s announcement. “Ladies and gentlemen, we’re experiencing severe turbulence over Maharashtra. As we make an early descent in Mumbai we hope to find some clear air. Please fasten your seat belts.…….” There was an eerie silence on board as everyone felt the weight of the situation.

After a few minutes of severe jolting the plane made a sudden drop. Ria and the other passengers were forcibly thrust forward only to be held by their seat belts. There was howling and screaming and chanting all around. Is this normal? Why are we going down so fast? Oh God! Will I not be able to see Raghav at all? Mummy…Daddy…Renu didi….I wish I could have told you…how much I love you! Please God….I don’t want to die, thought Ria as she closed her eyes in fear. The sounds were becoming more distant now and soon everything blacked out in front of her.

“Ma’am, are you alright? We’re getting a doctor to check your condition. This gentleman here says he’s your husband. Ma’am, can you hear me?” asked the flight attendant.

Ria smiled at Raghav as she nodded and let out a breath of relief. 

She was finally home. 

This 600 word blog post on the theme “Volatile Life” has been written for #StorytellersBlogHop FEB 2022 hosted by Ujjwal (https://mywordsmywisdom.com) & MeenalSonal (www.auraofthoughts.com)

Found this story interesting? You may like these as well

The golden touch of my loving grandmother

How the local supermarket came to my mental rescue

Across the seas on RMS Queen Elizabeth

Living with a vision even without sight- a visual impairment story

Under the Gulmohar tree

Pin and save this post

More from the blog

Don’t settle for anything less than what you deserve

Lallu’s moment of transformation as a special needs mother

My reflections on the Being Habitually Healthy Challenge 2019

Easy and healthy roasted broccoli salad recipe

One year of Being Rubitah + 2019 Reader Survey results

Strawberry and cream cheese french toast sandwich

Hi! My name is Rubitah. I’m a Content Writer certified Life Coach, Counselor, Social Work professional and the Founder of Being Rubitah. Over the years through my professional and personal life, I have realized that prayers and love can do wonders to family life once you come to terms with yourself and surrender to God. Do you relate to me? Then you may like what I post here! Read more about me

Subscribe to receive my monthly digest of the latest blog posts, special offers and announcements!