The Wake

At last on their way to sunny, cocktail decorated, ‘Some Spanish Island’ bliss, Ruby, Alice, and Veronica had only been on the plane for one hour (out of a twelve hour flight) when Alice got ‘airsick’ and threw up so much that the vomit-bag filled, and she had to ask for another one. Immediately following the ‘unsavory incident,’ the flight attendant had said with tight politeness, Alice had an irritatingly long stint in the bathroom.

Ruby and Veronica were pissed, needless to say. Although Alice insisted that it was just the turbulence making her sick, Veronica knew it was the small rainbow of pills she’d taken before they’d got on the flight, and then again after the fight had taken off. Fear of flights my ass, she thought with disdain, purposefully ignoring her vodka and sprite (the second one) sitting on the little fold down tray next to her little bag of pretzels. There was probably a hydrocodone in Alice’s mix too, because, Veronica remembered, benzodiazepines had never really upset Alice’s stomach, like they did hers. Thankfully Alice had soon retreated into a coma-like sleep, with Ruby dozing like a tired kitten between them. Ruby had an annoyingly remarkable ability to sleep on planes, no matter the circumstances. As soon as the girl sat down and fasted her seat belt she was out like a candle that caught a breeze, while beside her Veronica was ordering drinks and Alice was digging through her ‘medley’ pill bottle.

Veronica sighed and rubbed her eyes and wished for a cigarette. It was obviously very fucking necessary from them to always announce, “This is a non-smoking flight, so please refrain from smoking until you have left the aircraft.” As if there were ‘smoking flights’. Veronica declined to care that she was tip-tapping her fingers on the armrest. Then she paused. Are there smoking flights? Rich people planes, or something… Veronica chewed on her lower lip and wished fervently that (a) soon she would fall asleep for several blissful hours, (b) soon the waitress would bring her another drink or two, after which she would pass out, or (c) soon the plane would crash and she would be able to enjoy a crisp cigarette amongst the smoldering wreckage.