The ill-fated flight - 467 words

The ill-fated flight - 467 words
“Hey mister”.
“Mister”.
“Hey you”.
“What do you want?”
“Why is it shakin?”
“It’s a plane, planes shake”.
“I’m scared”.
“Where’s your mama, boy?”
“Ain’t got no mama. No papa neither”.
“How old are you?”
“Seven”.
“What? You’re just a baby. No parents? That ain’t right. Who takes care of you?”
“I ain’t no baby! I can take care of myself”.
“Course you can, you’re on this plane ain’t ya? Where are you heading?“
“To meet my new foster family. The kids at school said them makin me fly by myself means they don’t really want me. Maybe I don’t care if the shaking means we ain’t gonna make it”.
“That’s no way to talk. Got your whole life before ya. Not an old man like me. You got lots to live for”.
“Oh, this is bad. Are we crashing?“
“We ain’t gonna crash.You have that new family to meet. Won’t get there if we crash, now would ya?“
“Why we fallin like this then? Feels like the whole things gonna fall apart”.
“What’s your name boy?“
“Buck”.
“Well Buck, I didn’t ask to sit by no orphan, but here I am. You started this conversation so we are gonna finish it, you hear? “
“I don’t know your name either”.
“You can call me Mister. Now you tell me where you’re from and where is this new family of yours?“
“I’m scared, is that smoke? I really want my dad”.
“Well, now I am sorry that can’t happen, but scoot on over here and we’ll pretend for a minute that I’m your dad. Right here, on my lap. There, let’s buckle you in. Better?“
“Little. Ain’t you scared?“
“Naw, I don’t get scared no more”. “
“How d’ya do that?“
“I had me a little one, ‘lot like you. He wasn’t much older than you when he had to go away”.
“Where’d he go?“
“Went to heaven I suspect. That broke his mom’s heart so bad she decided she’d follow him. Left me all alone. So, I don’t get scared no more. I know if somethin’ bad happens, I’ll finally be with ‘em”.
“But you’d leave all your other folks here. That’s no good”.
“Ain’t no one left to miss me”.
“I’d miss you”.
“What now? You don’t know me enough to miss me!“
“You pretended to be my daddy for a spell, I know that”.
“Boy, you…”.
“Oh, it’s dark, and that shaking is getting worse. It’s loud, I’m scared. I’m really scared!”
…

“We made it. Hey Mister, we made it!“
“Mister. Mister.“
“Wake up, please wake up! Mister”.
“Oh, Mister, you was wrong. I am sad, I will miss you. But I suppose you’re with your own boy and his mama now”.
“I hope my new foster dad is like you”.