?I?m pregnant.?
The young man with clear blue eyes and slightly tussled hair looked up sharply at his shapely wife sitting next to him. She wore a slightly mischievous smile.
?What?? he said in a voice barely above a whisper.
Her eyes glistened slightly. ?You heard me Kevin.?
Kevin?s eyes widened. His mouth fell open as the news washed over him. They had been trying to conceive for several years without success. Disappointment had led to frustration and then doubt, which finally morphed into resignation. But now, in an instant, all of that was gone.
The mischievous smile turned into a wide happy grin as she leaned on the armrest between them, reached over and with delicate fingers gently closed his mouth, and softly kissed him.
?Well?? she said as she leaned back in her leather seat, ?Aren?t you going to say anything??
?Jean, are you sure??
Jean looked down at his hand, and interlocked her fingers with his. She had always found people?s hands interesting to look at, so often they told so much about a person. Just now she noticed Kevin?s hand trembled slightly. She reassuringly caressed his index finger with her own.
?I found out yesterday,? she said, still looking down.
Then she lifted her head and smiled with genuine happiness.
?There is no doubt. We?re going to have a baby.?
Kevin half smiled, and then gave a chuckle that sounded more like a snort. His eyes met hers, and in that instant he knew he was going to be a father.
He leaned over, kissed her tenderly and then touched his forehead to hers.
?We?re having a baby. We?re really going to have a baby,? he whispered.
Jean nodded her head slowly.
Stunned, Kevin leaned back in his seat and looked around the first class cabin of the airplane and noticed the elderly couple across the aisle.
?We?re having a baby,? he blurted in an overly loud voice.
Before there was a reply, he reached out to a passing flight attendant and grabbed her arm.
?We?re having a baby,? he said.
Kevin stood up and saw one of the pilots sitting just a few feet away in the cockpit turn around and grin at him. He repeated again to no one in particular, ?We?re having a baby!?
As the other passengers offered hugs and handshakes to them both, Kevin realized he was behaving like the stereotypical goofy new father. He knew he was making a total ass of himself. But he didn?t care.
This was what they had both been waiting for and working towards. This was a chance to create a family, something neither of them really had growing up. This was a chance to see life through new eyes, fresh as when the world was young.
Gradually the passengers settled back into their seats as the plane prepared for take off. Kevin sat down and looked over at his wife. He reached out and gently held her hand in his. With his other hand he took a glass of champagne that had been sitting untouched on a tray in front of him.
He lifted it slowly toward Jean and said, ?Here?s to a whole new world.?
Jean smiled and her eyes shone. She laid her head on his shoulder, and Kevin sat back and closed his eyes in contentment. He felt the engines rumble and then heard a faint high pitched whine as the plane accelerated and took off. His stomach dipped and he felt a faint queasiness momentarily, but it passed quickly.
He opened his eyes and looked out at the clear bright stars on this cold winter night. Christmas in London had seemed like something out of Dickens, and Kevin had hoped getting away would help them both clear their heads and ease some frustration. He had paid quite a lot for first class tickets, and the hotel, but he had felt they both needed something special. This trip which had felt more like an escape just a few minutes ago, now felt light and joyous, even blissful. He had never felt more in control of his life, or closer to Jean than right now.
Just then, he heard a faint noise towards the back of the plane that sounded like something had fallen. He lifted his head up, opened his eyes and cocked his head. A couple of seconds passed. Then there was another louder noise closer to the front of the plane, where they sat. Jean lifted her head now and looked quizzically at Kevin. Jean started to ask what he thought it might be.
She never got the chance.
The explosion ripped the jumbo jet apart. Kevin felt himself thrown forward, and then slammed back into his seat. G-force pushed him harder and harder back into the leather seat. He felt himself slipping into unconsciousness, but he fought hard to keep his eyes open and stay awake. And then suddenly, gravity stopped pushing him. The lights flickered around him. He quickly looked over at Jean and saw her breathing. She was alive.
?Thank God.?
The cabin was spinning crazily now, so much so he thought he would be airsick. A flight attendant had been knocked to the floor just to his left. She lay on her back and screamed in absolute terror. He turned around to see what she was pointing at, but nothing in his life had prepared him for what he saw.
The back of the plane was gone.
?SHIT!?
Where there should have been dozens of rows of seats, hundreds of people and four engines, Kevin saw only stars.
?SHIT!!?
Kevin?s head snapped around. He was breathing heavily. His mind worked fast. No engines meant they were no longer flying. No engines meant they were now falling.
?SHIT!!!?
And then the lights went out.
As the plane fell, it jerked violently and Kevin was thrown from his seat. His body slammed into the wall that separated the cockpit from first class. He heard a sickening snap in his spine as he fell to the floor. He tried to move, but could not move his legs. In the darkness, he heard a couple of people still screaming and the unmistakable sound of another person becoming sick as the damaged cabin began to spin. His eyes began to adjust to the darkness and he tried to look for Jean.
And then something strange happened. Those around him began moving slower and slower. The cabin itself began to spin slower until it nearly stopped. Except for Kevin, everyone and everything came nearly to a standstill. To his left, a bright spark flew out as a passenger reading light exploded. Kevin watched the spark shoot out from the panel in slow motion and illuminated the passenger sitting underneath.
It was Jean.
She sat buckled in her seat, unconscious and unaware. Her head was tilted slightly to the left. Her lips parted slightly. Kevin thought she never looked more peaceful or more beautiful. His eyes looked up toward the electrical spark arcing out in slow motion, and saw in that brightness one moment in time when a man and a woman had a little baby. They lived their life. And they were happy.
Pray God you come I stand outside this life Outside this world No stars, but the Father
?It?s a girl.? A tiny hand wrapped around an adult finger ?Let?s name her Beth.? Beautiful clear blue eyes ?How do you put the diaper on?? Splashing water in the bath ?Ma-ma.? First steps ?She doesn?t like the creamed corn.? Potty training ?I wuv you Dad-dee.? Bedtime stories ?But I?m not tired.? The wonder of the first trip to an amusement park ?He doesn?t want you to grab there, it?s not his tail.? Nothing is safer than Daddy?s lap ?Why is the sky blue?? First day of school
I know there?s a little spark in you yet I know there?s a lot of strength left I know there?s a little spark in you yet I know there?s a lot of strength left
?Are we there yet?? Open house at school ?They?ve asked me to be a reporter for the school newspaper.? Recess, cartoons and the joy of play ?Daddy, I think I used salt instead of sugar.? Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year?s ?Can I have my own phone?? School dance ?Can I get my ears pierced?? First date ?Don?t talk back to me.? Learning to drive ?He?s so cute.? College ?I?m getting married.? A summer wedding
Everything I needed from you Everything I wanted for you
An old man, and an old woman, in an empty house now brought to life by their children and grandchildren. The house is warm and cozy. The old man smiles at the noise. He turns and puts his arms around his wife and smiles tenderly at her. Her head was tilted slightly to the left. Her lips parted slightly. The old man thought his wife never looked more peaceful or more beautiful.
And so it goes Watch it go away
The moment had passed. Their time was over.
Everyone and everything now moved as they had before, as if a pause button had been pressed and reset. They were approaching the ground at a deadly speed, only seconds in fact from impact. The light from the electrical spark faded and Kevin?s eyes slowly readjusted to the darkness. It felt like years since he had been here last. He looked around the demolished cabin from another life so long ago and groped for understanding. Those who were still conscious had stopped screaming, perhaps realizing their fate and giving in to inevitably.
He looked back to the left side of the cabin. Somewhere back there in the darkness sat Jean and his unborn child. His family-to-be. He thought of that life he had just seen, a life that now would never be. All the little triumphs and tragedies of everyday life, the glorious victories, and the glorious defeats of a stillborn life.
?Goodbye.? he whispered.
It had all happened quickly, too quickly, Kevin thought ruefully. Now that that life was gone, his only regret was that he could not go back and enjoy the time and savor the moment. A moment in time when a man and a woman had a little baby, lived a life and were happy.