The Angel Seated Next to You

A fictional short story

by Ej (Ted) Lister

The Angel Seated Next to You Ej Lister (akaboreese@hotmail.com)

They say the most dangerous part of flying is the drive to the airport. The odds are, however, the
more you fly, the greater the probability that something will not go as planned, as it did the day
we tried to land in Taipei during tropical storm Lionrock; the day my life changed forever.
From that day forward I learned to live my life in an almost constant state of joy; free of fear. Id
had an awakening, so to speak. One that made me look at life in a different light. Id discovered
that what makes life worth living wasnt what I used to value: money, status, possessions; to
name a few. Id come to realize that if I were to live my life in a state of one of 5 modalities
creating, loving, giving, playing or learningin each waking moment, Id be living in constant
joy, free from past regrets and future anxieties; free from attachment to transient things; free
from the perception of judging good or bad, negative or positive.
Today I was heading to India and the weather was clear all the way. A minor departure delay at
the Vancouver airport did not concern me since my connecting flight in Hong Kong was also
delayed. Besides, Id learned to accept each circumstance as positive, since only my Angel knew
its true purpose in my life. I looked over at the empty seat next to me and smiled, then turned my
attention back to the book I was reading (playing and learning). It wasnt long, however, before I
was interrupted. I looked up from my book and fell captive to a woman of intense beauty. She
glanced at me with a warm smile, her eyelids shuttering fervently. She gesturing to the seat next
to mine. This is my seat, she said, almost apologetically. I looked over at my Angel seated next
to me, then back to the women whose eyes were now locked onto mine. I stuttered, NoI
meanyes. The cabin air, which only seconds earlier felt cool and refreshing, now pricked my
skin. The woman smiled, stupefying me. I removed my belongings from her seat and gestured
for her to sit, offering to place her carry-on case in the overhead compartment (giving). She

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The Angel Seated Next to You Ej Lister (akaboreese@hotmail.com)

accepted and graciously sat down. She buckled-up and promptly immersed herself in a book,
seemingly unaware shed just encountered my Angels aura.
Ive flown many long-haul flights during my career, most of them chasing the sun, cruising at
35,000 feet on a sliver of tangerine and purple light, somewhere between night and day. I know
from experience that sleep is best, that is if you want to adjust easily to the time-lag after landing.
Alcohol is not recommended, but when the flight attendants brought our meals my seat
companion and I each ordered red wine, poured into plastic glasses to go with our defrosted TVstyle dinner, although neither of us had yet tuned into the airlines entertainment center. After
takeoff, Id powered up my laptop and settled into writing (creating) and Priya, as she called
herself, had settled back into reading.
Priya closed her book and placed it in the seat pocket in front of her, raised her glass, said,
Cheers!
I responded in kind, captivated again by the specs of white light in her nocturnal eyes. Her smile
contrasted the color of her skin, the midnight in her hair. I gulped my wine.
Its easy to express yourself in the absence of fear and I felt totally connected to this wondrous
woman whose appearance penetrated my soul. I asked her about her book.
Its new, she said. From a local publisher. She reached for the book, then hesitated. The
author claims you can create your own reality; whatever you desire you can experience with
joy. She turned to me, But why do I get the feeling you already know that? she raised her fork
to her lips.
It sounds interesting, I said, smiling inwardly. I asked, So, what do you desire?
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The Angel Seated Next to You Ej Lister (akaboreese@hotmail.com)

A moment passed as if her answers origin reached back to the big-bang. She sipped her wine,
wrinkled her nose, and then replied simply, Love.
I laughed. Love is a conscious state of mind, I said. The opposite of unconscious fear.
Priya combed her hair back with her fingers, tilted her head toward me. Her eyelids shuttered
again as if the scars on my face were too difficult for her lenses to focus upon. Whatever she was
thinking she didnt express it verbally. I let my thoughts fade until there was nothing but silent
awareness of the dream I was now living, which at one time had been a hell of an existence at the
end of a Taipei runway. When Priya commented on the contents of our meals, comparing it to
the food shed once enjoyed in a camp somewhere in Eastern Europe, I suddenly became quite
hungry.
We dined in what silence there is on a triple-7 crowded with passengers, all of whom appeared
completely unaware of their artificial surroundingsa mass of aluminum, cables, plastic and
fabric hurtling through thin air at Mach 0.83, where the temperature outside is unimaginably
freezingso impressively elegant and awe-inspiring when its not engulfed in flames at the end
of a runway in Taipei. I know youre here, Angel, I said to myself. She said nothing. She didnt
need to; wed been flying together for many years, although before the crash I never knew she
existed. I think its some kind of Angel code that they cant let us know theyre there. We have
to become consciously aware of them on our own (when I awaken fully from lifes dream I
intend to get my wings. In the meantime, Ill practice here on Earth). I offered Priya my ice
cream (giving) which made her laugh (loving).
The constant drone of the airplanes turbines is reassuring when youre in the air, halfway across
the Pacific Ocean. Its rare for a plane to experience difficulty in-flight, although there have been
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The Angel Seated Next to You Ej Lister (akaboreese@hotmail.com)

occasions where fuel starvation shut down all systems and the pilots had to crash land with their
Angel seated next to them. I would have preferred that. Instead, wed crash landed in Taipei with
fuel still in the wings. The emotional scars were gone, but the physical ones are mine to keep
until my mission on Earth is done. I am blessed.
Priya enjoyed every morsel of food on her tray while I ate only the salad and rice. With so many
hungry people in the world I am thankful for the abundance, but in my condition, its not
possible to eat everything. The cabin lights dimmed, and after another glass of wine, Priya
reclined her seat and settled in with a blanket and pillow for a sleep, offering to share her book if
I desired to read. I accepted.
After Taipei, Id been confined to a hospital bed for months, unable to do much other than to
contemplate. Although Id never read muchmy work as a Driller in the South China Sea had
been physical, requiring limited educationlying in that hospital bed I had experienced an
epiphany. I reached over and pulled Priya's book from the seat pocket, turned on my reading
light, took out my pen, and signed the inside cover: The Angel seated next to you.

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