Page 29 of You've Got a Place Here, Too
I sat in the pilot seat. And the view from there, the open runway,
the cloudless sky, made my mouth water like it sensed
something delicious that was close enough to bite into.
Melody must have noticed, because she let me take it all in.
“Beautiful right? An open runway from this view?”
I nodded and said, “The sky seems like a haven of possibilities.”
Her smile faded. “Exactly that. That might be one of the most
beautiful ways I’ve ever heard it said.”
“Is it weird I want to call my moms?” I said it before I could think better.
Maybe I should have been showing off everything I learned, or saying
something that would make Melody think I’m dope. But all I had was the
truth. “Nah. I completely understand that. You’ve always wanted
to go into aeronautics?” she asked. And when I nodded she told me,
“Take a picture and send it to your momma.
Let her know today you’re one step closer than yesterday.”
I snapped a photo. Sent it in the family group chat. I dropped my phone
back into my pocket, and immediately felt buzzing. The group chat going wild.
“Let’s buckle this right. Okay if I touch you?”
She tugged on my helmet’s chin strap so it was snug. I felt
the ghost print of her fingers long after she’d taken her hands away.
We walked through the safety, what each knob does, how
to turn on the automatic navigation, how to cross-
reference it with manual. Melody asked a question,
I answered. I checked pressure, she confirmed weather.
Then she looked at me, dimpled cheek. “You ready?
We are up.” She pointed to the runway. It was my turn to taxi.
I nodded. “I’m ready, Captain.”
Mami had been sick for a long time.
It’s why we worked so hard to get here.
My aunt insisted that U.S. doctors
