Page 6 of Saltwater Cowboy

The plane bobbled, pulling me out of my self-wallowing. This is it. This is how I die. The plane is going down.

I gripped the armrests for dear life, my breath hitched in my throat.

The plane dipped again and I thought this was it for little old me. Maybe Thad would feel bad if he found out I died alone on this plane.

“Sorry, folks! Just a little bit of turbulence. We should be out of it soon. Please be sure your seatbelts are fastened.” The pilot tried to ease the nerves of the passengers—well, passenger. Everyone else on this plane was acting like nothing had happened. We nearly plummeted to our deaths. Twice!

Am I being a little overdramatic? Maybe. But flying alone is my biggest fear. Thad would remind me that having him with me would do absolutely nothing if the plane went down. I always countered that it just made me feel better.

Maybe I was being silly.

“Are ya gonna make it?” The thick southern drawl sitting next to me asked.

My eyes met his.

“Unsure.” That was all I could muster up.

“Do ya wanna hold my hand until we land?” He extended what I would classify as a goddamn tiger paw. His hand was massive.

I shook my head, unable to find more words. My anxiety shot through the roof. My heart raced. Deep breaths weren’t working. My ears started to ring. The walls felt like they were closing in on me. My life was crumbling around me.

My head pressed up against the back of the seat. My chest rose and fell at a rapid rate.

“Ma’am?” Mr. Orange piped up again.

I rolled my head to the right and looked at him. Maybe focusing on something else would help me come out of this anxiety attack. “Are ya alright?”

I swallowed hard before nodding my head. I could lie to a perfect stranger without consequence.

“I only ask ‘cause your eyes are redder than a strawberry in the middle of June.”

Reflexively, my hand brushed away a tear. In the midst of my panic attack, I hadn’t realized I started crying. The tears I had expertly held in all afternoon had started flowing, and I wasn’t sure they would turn off. My mom always teased me that once the waterworks turned on, I couldn’t stop until I heard a joke.

“Can I do anything to help you?”

I offered up a pathetic smile. “I’ll be fine.”

My stomach sank as we started the descent into Wippowa airport. I hadn’t even admitted it to myself that my boyfriend… ex-boyfriend…didn’t want me anymore. Now I have to tell my two closest friends that I’m single and unlovable.

That cuts deep.

“It sure doesn’t look like it.”

I snapped back to the present. I wiped my eyes and straightened up, pushing the clouds in my head away for the moment.

“A joke might help.” I capitulated, wringing my hands.

“A joke?” He confirmed.

I nodded. “Anything will do.”

“Challenge accepted.” A wide grin spread across his face. “Why was the whale sad?”

I raised a shoulder, not sure where on earth this joke was going to go.

“It lost its porpoise.”

A corner of my mouth lifted.