That was the second house I’ve seen explode, in my lifetime. Daniel was in awe of the sparks that shot into the air, illuminating the night sky, shining a bright red, orange, and grey. He wondered if he would ever see his family again, or when they would find out he was dead, or what they would do. I’ve always wanted to attend my own funeral, he thought to himself. The thought amused him and he laughed quietly to himself. They wouldn’t have let me go. They would say ‘Naw, them countries aren’t for us folks. We’re more of a down home kind of people, ya know the whole U.S of A’. He hated that. Their ignorance and general aversion of other countries. He started walking slowly down the small grassy knoll he was standing on. Hands in his pockets, he snapped every time he took a step. He was diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder when he was in middle school. Driving all night was the hardest part of his week. He reached the San Francisco International airport in record time, thanking god he was pulled over by a cop. At the gate he waited. An eternity. He began to twitch, which meant he was bored. Fuck. He thought. I need to get this moving.
“Daniel!” His heart stopped. Completely. He thought he was going to have a heart attack right there. He turned slowly, still in cardiac arrest. A man with ragged business clothes and long black hair ran towards him. No heartbeat. He veered slightly, and Daniel breathed. He ran past him and his heart started again. He moved on to embrace another person coming out of his adjacent gate. Fuck. He thought. He calmed himself. And tried to focus on something pleasant, like where he was going…Istanbul. His dream. He wondered what his family was doing. Right about now they would be getting the phone call. Daniel paused and looked at the ground. The grey, purple and blue pattern that resembled that of spilled Lego’s stared back at him. He felt empathy. Imagining them sad. How is it that he hated them, so much and felt so much sorrow when he thought of their suffering? If I didn’t die, then they would find me. Somehow. I needed to completely leave.
“Gate 105 to Istanbul…105 to Istanbul, now leaving.”
The words echoed through his mind a few times. Bouncing against his skull. Then down his spinal chord, and adrenaline flooded his veins. He slowly stood up and walked to the gate. He shouldn’t be so excited. As he walked to the gate, his phone rang and his legs seized up. Refused to move. The number read his mothers. His mind raced and his legs twitched. Time and space stood still and his finger rested on the answer button. He let it ring for a second and pushed reject.
