Airplane by J Hope (watch if you want)

For BtstrashNeha

You looked up at the sky where you could see a trail of white following the movement of the airplane that was soaring across the clear blue sky. You followed the airplane’s movement until it became no more than a spec and then completely disappeared from your vision only leaving the trail of smoke in its wake as evidence of its humble ascent into the atmosphere. Sighing you looked back at the chips of wood beneath your shoes that covered the playground. Swaying slightly in the swing, you kicked at the ground wondering when your mom would come to pick you up.

All your friends had already left, so it was just you waiting to be picked up after soccer practice. You hated being alone but you also knew your mom was trying her best to pick you up on time. She’d always apologize when she was late and you had gotten used to her being late. You couldn’t really blame her anyway; she worked so hard just for you. Both your parents did. Your dad worked day in and day out, working himself to the bone to make sure your family had enough to get their basic necessities and your mom worked so she could help out and buy you nice things every once in a while. They both did everything and would do anything for you, you knew this, but sometimes you couldn’t help but wish they could stop working and spend some time with you instead.

You pulled out your phone and looked at the time. It was already five in the afternoon, this was the latest your mom had ever been. You hoped she was ok and nothing bad had happened. You opened your phone wondering if maybe you should call her, but you didn’t want her to answer the phone while she was driving. You decided to wait a bit longer before calling her, maybe she’d call you instead.

A few minutes later you received a phone call, and not from your mom.

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“We’re sorry, it was a terrible accident. We don’t know if she’ll wake up,” The doctor said.

You stared at your mother who was lying on the hospital bed tubes running from each arm and machines providing a steady hum of noise. Your father was by her side crying silently as he gazed upon her beautiful yet tired features. You just stood by emotionlessly. You couldn’t move, you felt like your chest was being compressed and that it was hard to breathe. Looking at your mother like this… it was unbearable. You couldn’t take it. You rushed out of the room and down the hallway rushing to the stairs not caring about the people you bumped into on the way. You ran the flight of stairs to the rooftop and slammed the door closed behind you. You screamed at the sky as tears began streaming down your face.

Why was life so cruel to you? Your mother was a kind-hearted woman who loved you and your father to bits. She believed in a fair and just world, she believed hard work was the key to success, and she always went out of her way to be a source of comfort for others. With so much good in her, why was she the one to get hurt?! Why did she have to be the victim of someone else’s mistake? It wasn’t fair. Nothing ever was, not with you.

You felt someone lightly touch your shoulder and turn you around. You ended up in your father’s embrace as he held you tightly and let you cry on his shoulder. He made promises that your mom would be ok that things would get better. All you could do was listen and cry, wondering if any of what he was saying was true.  

Through your blurry vision, you saw another airplane soaring into the sky.

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Your mother did end up waking up much to your relief. But things weren’t the same. She could no longer walk and had suffered from brain damage which limited her upper body movements and made her seem like a vegetable rather than a living person. With your mother in this state, she needed more attention and help just to go on living. She couldn’t be left alone for long since there was always the risk of some sort of an accident happening. The best course of action was getting a life in nurse to take care of her. Your father got one but it was a lot of money and with her no longer being able to work, your family was struggling even more than before. Your father picked up more hours at work to make ends meet. You hardly ever sa