Flying Backwards by Jennifer W Smith

A trainee needed to learn about in-flight equipment and evacuation procedures for each of Meade’s aircraft. They would essentially be qualified then to work on that type of plane.
    On Wednesday, boarding, approach, and arrival procedures were explained. Both Nora and Bree were now scoring higher on the exams. Thursday afternoon was the first day they went into the warehouse area that housed the mock aircraft where their aircraft qualifications would begin. Partial planes were cut open in sections for training purposes. Nora breezed through the physical requirements and the service training without problems.
    Nora learned that twenty-three of the one hundred and twenty-eight trainees had gone home by Friday. Whether they failed exams or left on their own she didn’t know. Stress began to settle in on the whole group. If someone did not pass the makeup exam that was given the following morning, that person was immediately taken back to the hotel to pack and driven directly to the airport. He or she was simply gone when the rest of the group made it back to the hotel. No good-byes. It was unsettling.
    One week down. Five more to go.
    Nora was allowed to dress casually for Saturday’s first-aid training. She became certified in CPR and learned how to use an AED, a.k.a. automated external defibrillator. Nora and Miguel were paired during the morning exercises. During Nora’s first impression of Miguel, he’d seemed standoffish. But during the exercises she finally got a chance to talk with him, and although he was quiet at first, he started to open up. He confided that he was trying to overcome his painful shyness. He was proud that within a week’s time he was starting to break out of his shell. He told Nora he was making an effort to be friendly and had made some friends. She realized that most of the people there were overcoming something based on the stories she’d heard so far. The training, and its potential for a new career, was the ultimate fresh start.
    To celebrate the completion of their first week, Nora, Bree, Rebecca, Jackie, Miguel, and Chris, Miguel’s roommate, walked about half a mile to the nearest shopping plaza, to a Chinese restaurant. The night was beautiful, clear but cold.
    The friends sat around a circular table and ordered fancy umbrella drinks. They chatted about how intense the training had been and how strict the compliance rules were. Rebecca commented that she was going to get her hair cut shorter, because it was too long by airline standards to leave down; it just touched her shoulders.
    “I noticed a salon in this strip mall,” Jackie offered.
    “Yes, I saw it too.” Rebecca fiddled with a loose bobby pin. “I’m thinking I’ll walk back tomorrow for a cut.”
    Nora chimed in. “I want to do something new with my hair too. I’ll walk over with you.” Nora liked Rebecca’s southern charm. As she looked around the table at her new friends, she was amazed that these strangers from different states were now gathered together and bonding, forming friendships.
    The next day, Sunday, the stylist at the salon told them they were only open on Sundays when Meade held flight attendant training, which apparently drummed up substantial business. Rebecca looked great with her new bob cut. Nora had six inches cut off her hair, which was still long enough to touch the middle of her back, and the stylist added long layers, which gave it some fullness. It was still too long by airline standards to wear down, so she experimented with a coiled bun at the nape of her neck. She blushed that afternoon when Bree admiringly said the new classic look suited her.
    Nora quickly discovered that Sunday was laundry day. Everyone had waited to do laundry; there were only two machines in the building! It was an important lesson learned. Nora and Bree decided to do their wash during the week around dinnertime, when the trainees were off in search of food. On their weekly laundry night they ordered takeout salads