Chapter 25 - Page 356 - Jim And Rhasha's Big Event

   Rhasha didn't know or care where she was going, but a strange force had guided her. She stopped the jeep, pushed the gearshift into neutral, and pulled the emergency brake. Wiping her eyes, she stepped out of the jeep and looked up at the building in front of her. The hangar at the airport. Jim had always said he felt closer to God when he was flying. She also felt closer to God in the sky.

   Rhasha opened the hangar doors and backed the jeep up to the plane. She towed the plane out of the hangar, climbed aboard, and started the engines. Jim had left the tank full of fuel, but Rhasha didn't even think to check. She didn't do any of the safety checks and she didn't fasten her seat belt. The sound of the engines rose unbearably as she spun the tail of the plane around to line up with the runway. Dust and grass blew all around the plane.

   Rhasha thought about the first time Jim had brought her to the hangar. When Jim had asked her if she still wanted to go flying, she said, "Yes, but I'm really, really, really scared." Rhasha remembered how excited she was when she saw their house from the sky. She knew now that Jim must have seen it before she did. He just let her think she saw it first.

   The plane rolled down the airstrip, bouncing over the rough runway, gaining speed. Thirty more feet, and the thumping sound on the tires ceased. Rhasha was airborne. She ascended upward as she flew toward Angel Town. She could see the village and all the buildings. Rhasha looked to her right and saw the flower garden in the park. Ahead she could see the dining hall. To her left was the hospital, where Rhasha's new life had begun. People were visible all around the village. It was a sad day for Angel Town, so no one was swimming in the pool.