LYRIC
"How could I leave you far away from the nightmare?"
I sit low in my seat, as low as I can. My legs are reaching below the seat in front of me, pushing at the bags the other passenger has stowed below it. It's not very comfortable sitting like this, it had been, but now my back is sore from being bent sharply so near the top of my spine. Yet, because it had once been comfortable I remain in this position, waiting for it to become again what it once had been. I tap my feet idly on the baggage that blocks my body from sinking lower. I don't even get a window seat.
I look at Matthew sitting on my right. He stares out the window, watching as the ocean goes by below us. I suppose the window seat wouldn't be any better, seeing as the Pacific Ocean hardly varies, but it would be nice to get a better view when landing. Matthew stares out the window, he looks totally out of it, listening to his iPod with a blank expression. He closes his eyes and breathes deeply once before settling a bit in his seat. I hope he doesn't try to sleep.
He reaches into his pocket, switching off his iPod and gently pulls the buds from his ears before putting them in his pocket too. He looks over at me and smiles wanly when he sees that I'm watching him. He looks so melancholic: pale blond hair and cream skin lacking any flush of emotion, his eyes blue and tired look back at me from behind his cold glasses frames. I think something has been troubling him lately, but I can't possibly imagine what. For the first time it finally seems as if everything is working out, as if everything were alright.
I sit up and force myself to speak and break this stretching quiet that has only been disturbed by the snores of sleeping passengers and occasionally Alfred's raucous laugh reaching for us from behind. "What do you think he's doing back there?" I ask.
Matthew shrugs. "I dunno, probably flirting with some girl."
"Oh. Yeah, probably." Maybe it's something I've done. I don't want him to be angry with me, but there's no reason for him to be so he isn't, right? "Pretty nice of him to buy the tickets, huh? I mean, it's nice to have a vacation and I've never been to Australia."
"Yeah. Really nice." He gives me another watery smile and looks back out the window wistfully.
I bite my lip. He doesn't seem angry, just sad. So sad.
Maybe getting away for a while will do him some good. It was a wonderful surprise to arrive back home at our apartment not only to find Alfred actually waiting for our return but having bought us plane tickets to Australia as well. It was the perfect thing to do for the semester we were all taking off from school.
I sigh as he puts his ear-buds back in and turns on his iPod. I slouch back down in my seat, but not as low and uncomfortable as before and look sullenly around the cabin of the plane. Most of the people are asleep or watching the in-flight movie on the screen far ahead and obscured by rows of seating. I can't help but remember the first time I took a plain ride with Mattie.
