Ignorance is bliss, yet there are occasions when one has to speak out to get direction. On several occasions, I avoided transportation by flight in an attempt to conserve money and perhaps due to the fear of a limited chance of survival if there was a problem in the air. Hence, I had never boarded an airplane, and that was fine by me.
The narrative, however, took an unusual turn when I had an impromptu interview to physically attend at a distant place, Kemanji, which was a 10-hour drive from my place of residence, Abaji. It was a job interview. I had looked forward to the job with the prospect of a better living condition, and I was not ready to jeopardize my chance of getting the job. Perhaps one way to limit those that would participate in the final lap of the interview was to disseminate notification for the interview at a late hour.
My friend Samuel was kind enough to help me book a flight for 8:30 a.m. the following day to Kemanji, which was scheduled to last for 45 minutes. Since I was booking the flight late, the cost was exorbitant, but I did not mind, knowing I had a high chance of securing the job as my uncle, through whom I wrote the series of interviews, presented me as his candidate, being a friend to a top management official.
I have always been a light traveler, and fitting a few clothes and credentials into my medium-sized travel bag was easy. I woke up quite early the following day, ready for my morning flight, having dreamed of traveling in an airplane that crashed, leaving me as the sole survivor. My mood was not particularly excited; rather, my heart raced like adrenaline was gushing through my veins.
The airport frenzy was strange to me, even though everyone seemed to know what to do and where to head except me. I checked in for my flight about thirty minutes before the expected takeoff time, and my luggage was handed over to staff at the airport, where a tag was attached. I was intrigued by their diction; the lady that attended sounded as though she had traveled to numerous countries around the world. There were numerous announcements, and everyone seemed to be busy doing one thing or another. I left for the boarding gate after a successful pass at airport security and boarded the plane. It was my first time boarding a plane, and I could almost feel my heart pound against my chest.
With the assistance of an air hostess, I located my seat after wandering through the aisle for a minute. Lucky for me, I got to sit by the window, which gave me a good view of the outside surroundings.
"Good morning, ladies and gentlemen, Air Nigeria welcomes you, and your Pilot is Captain Maxwell with co-pilot Andrews. Kindly ensure you are seated and your seatbelts are fastened as we pilot you to Kemanji. I ask you to keep calm and enjoy your flight. Thank you." The pilot announced himself; his voice was soothing, and I could tell he was Caucasian. In an unusual way, my mind was at ease.
The airplane took off, and I felt my body get a bit lighter as we ascended into the sky, making the ground, houses, and people look quite tiny. Soon enough, the clouds became our next-door neighbors. I tried to relax my erratic heartbeat shortly after we stabilized in the sky. My next-seat neighbor noticed my uneasiness and tried to engage in some conversations.
"Is this your first time flying?" He asked with a broad and knowing smile.
"Yes, my very first." I replied with a nod, forcing out a smile. He was in his mid-forties and a bit chubby with a clean shave. He looked like a frequent traveler by air, and this calmed my tensed state.
"Interesting; there is always a first time. Just relax; I’m certain you’ll get used to the feeling. By the way, I’m Philip, and you are? He assured her, stretching his hand for a shake.
"Tobi, pleasure meeting you." I replied, accepting his handshake.
Philip sounded vast in different spheres of life from his conversation, and I was glad for his company, even though it would be for a while. After about 30 minutes of flight, the conversation I was enjoying with Philip was suddenly interrupted by an uncoordinated shake of the plane. At this instance, all my senses were on alert, and my adrenaline gush peaked.
"This is unusual." Philip spoke out after the plane gained stability. Unknown to Philip, his words pierced my heart like a knife, causing my head to become heavy with floods of fearful thoughts.
"Attention crew, this is your Captain. Mayday Mayday! I am duty-bound to inform you that there is a slight fault in the plane’s engine, which we are working to resolve. Kindly remain calm while the air hostesses will attend to you if you are having difficulty locating your life jacket and oxygen masks." The captain announced it, immediately causing commotion among the passengers.
I was still trying to catch my breath and understand the gravity of the captain’s announcement. I was, however, convinced there was a need to panic when I saw other passengers, including my new friend Philip, praying loudly while others screamed in apprehension. I wished I could just disappear, but reality dawned on me: there was a limited chance of survival, if at all.
"Is there not meant to be a parachute for each passenger?" I asked ignorantly.
"No parachutes on commercial airplanes. Pray to whoever you believe in; this is a matter of life and death!" Philip yelled back in the middle of the chaos created by the crew.
Despite the chilled temperature in the airplane, my sweat fell heavily from my face. My head ached, and my heart raced. "This was never in my plan." I thought soberly. The thoughts of my loved ones crying over my demise flashed before my eyes in a split second, and I did not realize tears had begun to flow.
"Attention passengers, please remain calm. The engine is good to fly now, and danger has been averted. Kindly remain seated as we prepare to land at Kemanji in a few minutes." The captain announced again, calming the tension among the crew even though there were occasional murmurs and whispers. "Ladies and gentlemen, Air Nigeria welcomes you to Kemanji. The time is 9:27 a.m. Please remain in your seats and fasten your seat belts. Thank you."
This was the moment I realized time flew by quickly. I was glad we eventually landed safely and cared less about what may have caused the panic from the engine fault. Philip was visibly shaken despite his composure and history of several travels.
My legs hastily distanced me from the giant airplane that landed on the runway. I chartered a taxi that led me to the interview venue, having the fright incident replay in my memory. My interview went fine as I tried to hide the panic I had just been exposed to. My journey back to my place of residence, Abaji, the following day was by road. I felt more comfortable taking the risk of traveling by road rather than by air, which had slim chances of survival.
Two weeks after the interview, my letter of resumption was ready for pickup. My only option for travel for resumption and relocation to Kemanji was to go by road.