Benim Kızım and Other Cures for Airsickness

The general rustling of reading material charges through the airplane. Everyone shifts in their seat, digs through the belongings that should be stowed under the seat. The whole middle section of passengers tries to make noise, if nothing else, to block their own ears from the sounds in aisle 16.

A beautifully made-up woman–pink floral headscarf and narrowly plucked eyebrows–spends the twenty minutes after take-off vomiting.  Flight attendants remain in their seats. Her mother is perched beside her. The old woman wraps her skirt over her once-young legs as she tucks those legs under her in the seat. One’s head fills with names of birds they resemble–pheasant, pigeon, egret–something formless, learned back in elementary school. The mother glares around to see if anyone is disturbed by her daughter’s evident distress, then consoles her embarrassed adult daughter by calling her my child, my darling, my little girl.

–Flight to Istanbul…

orchids, Colorado

Mom’s winter orchid–it makes her so happy!

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About thenicethingaboutstrangers

My blog has stories from four (going on five) years of travel on the lovely, beautiful, awkward, breathtakingly human things one can discover in strangers.
This entry was posted in Blogging, Europe, Happiness, Observed, Travel, Writing and tagged , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

15 Responses to Benim Kızım and Other Cures for Airsickness

  1. longtooth77 says:

    Been in that lady’s predicament. Embarrassing on a civilian flight for sure. And that glaring mom makes me wanna just keep my eyes front!!! ;) The orchids look great.

  2. Ash says:

    Even after seeing people in this predicament I still love flying….wish I could do it more often :) I love the flower!!

  3. marsellaj says:

    I can see why that orchid makes your mom happy!

  4. Thank you so much for sharing blog

  5. I know how the mom feels. I would just DARE anyone to say a word that could hurt my darling child while he was sick or in pain. It’s mama bear time!

  6. SpirAnima says:

    Bellissimo il Tuo spazio ricco di immagini e esperienze di vita!!!!
    Complimenti !!!! :)
    Torno presto a visitarti :)
    Un cordiale saluto
    Claudio

  7. luggagelady says:

    Lovely writing…Sad to read (as a flight attendant) she never would have been unattended for twenty minutes on my flight!! Sorry you had to endure this… xo

    • I bet this mother wouldn’t have even let you help out. She was watching us all for any sudden movements. There can only be one mother. :) My mother was a flight attendant in the 60s–back when there were weigh-ins and they couldn’t be married. I love her stories!

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