We had three choices for dinner, none of which sounded all that great since my stomach was full of what I’d eaten in the Delta Clubhouse, but I figured I’d probably be hungry later, so I chose the chicken meal. It had green beans and rice, plus an apple tart. I chose that selection based on the apple tart. I guess I’d worry about dieting once we reached our destination, although I’d heard that most people gained ten pounds or more on their cruises.
As to drinks, I was tempted by the prune juice, which every Star Trek fan knows is the drink of choice for Klingons, but, joking aside, Timothy was right that water seemed the best bet. I’d heard that diet cola is the stewards’ least favorite drink order because it was impossible to pour without waiting for the bubbles to calm down. I’d also read that carbonated beverages were bad for stomachs in flight. All that bobbing around on a plane was equivalent to the “volcano” that kids made for their science project using vinegar and baking soda. That was an explosion I wouldn’t want to have while flying.
After my decisions about my drink and dinner had been made, it was time for lift off. I’d been aware while pondering my choices that we were moving forward (having tried to ignore the fact that we were speeding down the runway with the plane’s motors doing their high volume roar,) so I was about to close my eyes and shut out what was happening, except I couldn’t. I needed to see.
If you removed the worry about airplane crashes at one of the two most dangerous moments of the flight, it was rather interesting to watch a departure. Despite the fact that pressure was securing me more tightly to my seat, the view from the plane’s window actually looked like the ground was leaving us behind and not the opposite.
As we pushed upwards, the airport seemed to run away, the road beneath us fled, and the ocean itself hid under our shadow. I thought about all the whales, dolphins, and seals, not to mention the birds and beneath the waves the fish, who were probably either accustomed to huge objects passing over them or unaware of us. Did they ever look up and wonder about the immensity of the bird flying over them?