I do not like airplanes in the slightest. The idea of the thousands of people whose backsides have shared the same seat. The cramped cabin space that becomes the living area for the duration of the flight. Not to mention the fact that being up way to high in the sky is simply horrifying. I truly cannot wrap my mind around it. The worst part, though, is the when the plane reaches the terminal after landing and everyone surrounding me stands up. I guess you could say I’m a little claustrophobic. All these factors make flying an awful experience for me and all the people on the same flight. I’ve been sick on just about every flight I’ve been on and I could name several trips that included major panic attacks. If you thought the babies that won’t stop crying ruin the flight, just imagine how the people who get to fly with me feel. I am a much louder crying baby.
Clearly, not much puts me at ease in an airplane scenario but little things help. In fact, one specific little thing almost eliminates my fear entirely. I first began reading the book After by Anna Todd in my freshman year of high school. I never read much before this book; if I did it was for school. My friend convinced me that reading this book would change me and I thought to myself, “HA fat chance.” I was sorely mistaken. After was not like anything else to me and every I read page was a new experience. I went on an escape to adventure with the characters every time I opened the book. I left for college with Tessa, the main character, only to be faced with a disaster of a roommate. I fell in love with Harry through Tessa’s experiences with him, even the bad ones. I felt the painful disapproval from Tessa’s mother when she found out what her daughter had been up to in college. I felt all of it. I was completely entwined and attached to all the characters. The book left me completely unconscious to the world around me. That being said, I believed I found my coping mechanism for air travel. Since my first run-in with After, every plane ride I’ve taken has been a quick jaunt back into the world of college-freshman, Tessa Young. I get to fall in love with two people who were never meant to be together, but, with all odds stacked against them, found each other. Now being oblivious to the horror of the plane ride around me, I get to pretend like none of it’s happening.
