Prompt: Free Theme
Preetha Daadi threw on a bright tunic and a floral-print dress in the airport lounge bathroom. She was late. She hurried through the concourse with her small suitcase tumbling behind her. When she reached the gate, she flashed the pass at the attendant, opened the door, and, not slowing her pace, continued down the jetway. Stepping on the plane and heading to the galley, she avoided the disapproving looks of the other flight attendants. As she was storing her bag in the closet, Musa approached her.
“Where have you been?” His Malaysian accent was thick. “We’re boarding now and three more batches of hot towels need to be…” He stopped. Preetha was sobbing silently. Musa softened his tone. “It’s…um…okay, just straighten your badge. And…stop…crying.”
Singapore Airlines Flight 21 redefines long haul. Newark to Singapore nonstop, an all-business class Airbus A340 and an attractive, accommodating flight crew provide its moneyed passengers with every possible convenience. Competition for the positions on the flight is intense; it is an unsaid rule that bone structure matters as much as one’s emergency response competence. Selection of the flight crew is conducted by committee; pilots, executives, and human resource managers all have a say.
Preetha gathered herself in the airplane’s restroom. She would have rinsed her face with water had makeup not been so oppressively applied, as per airline specification, all over her face. She exited, took the basket with the hot towels, and doled them out to passengers with tongs as they began to take their seats. As she approached the front of the plane, Captain Lionel Henry emerged from behind the cockpit door. Preetha tried to avert her eyes but was not quick enough to avoid his predatory glare.
He whispered in her ear. “That was great, babe. Let’s do it again in Singapore.”
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