The Voice

By Isabella Dale

Her fourth flight in 36 hours had finally come to an end. 

The experience was interesting no doubt; Bella learned about airport security and the etiquette of flying, like how you had to remove your shoes before going through the metal detector or politely wait for your turn to order lemonade in an aisle seat. 

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By the time the last flight came around, she probably seemed to those around her like a frequent flyer. 

But she missed home already. She missed her father’s cooking and the sweet smell of her pillow. Sleep was hard to come by. She had never attempted such an upright nap before.

“She’s going to like you,” Bella whispered to herself, hoping nobody heard. 

The strain was unbearable. Never before had a granddaughter ever been so anxious to meet her grandmother, that she was sure of. 

The acid that had built up in her stomach from the initial goodbyes 6,007 miles away now started to grow into a pain in her chest. She could feel her body slowing down from lack of hydration coupled with jet lag. 

The walk to customs seemed like an endless majestic treadmill from one of her worst nightmares. Bella was restless. She wanted to meet her already, the one grandparent she had never had the chance to lay eyes on. 

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She envisioned quickly what these next few years would look like.

Tea on the porch every Saturday? Brisk walks through the park? 

They all seemed too cliché  but she imagined them anyway. It was what she never had, and Bella always wished for things she never had. 

Turning the corner may as well had given her a stroke. Her eyes wanted to scan the waiting area, but at the same time Bella wanted to pluck them out like flower petals. 

She was only worried she wouldn’t be loved.

“Darling, you’re here” spoke a voice so soothing.

Bella turned around, tears instantly welling up in her eyes. She didn’t need to know the voice. She didn’t need the soppy greetings of a young girl meaning to make a good impression. 

That was her grandmother's voice. And all of a sudden she was home again.