Taking to the Skies!!!!

Sameer was all ears when Capt. Mehra of Air India Flight AI 127 announced, "arm all doors; cross check and report". The constant announcements, safety instructions and brisk activities inside the airplane were more of a palaver. The feel and warmth of Simba's clutch at the Hyderabad airport, while bidding him goodbye, was still fresh. The torrent in his eyes would barely let Sameer catch up on the lost sleep of past few days. The calm poise could hardly camouflage the tempest within. He realized that physical toughness had nothing in common with mental grit. As the Boeing 747 taxied to the runway from Terminal 3, Sameer's heart started pounding harder. It was getting increasingly difficult to cope with his agony. With pictures of Simba, Mansi & parents etched in his hearts, Sameer took a deep breath and sat back with eyes closed. The airplane emulated a charging Spanish bull ready to take on the Picador and be let off into the ring. However, the din of high-bypass turbofan engines could hardly stand up to the tremor within him. The excruciating force exerted on his head-rest made him spare a thought for astronauts when their launch vehicle hits escape velocity. For 14 hours that's where he would be, glaringly lonely in the midst of 294 people. With a heavy heart, he also realized that he had taken to the skies, miles away from where his heart and soul were.