Episode 14: Mama’s Airplane Trip
When my mother was 28 years old, she came to America from Italy, with her 3-year-old daughter, in steerage class, on a ship named the Vulcania. She had ocean sickness for the entire trip.
Twenty-six years later, at the age of 54, she made her first trip back to Italy. Afraid to fly, she wanted to travel by ocean liner, but Papa, who could not accompany her, and who remembered how sick she had been on that trip many years ago, laid down the rules: either Mama flies via Alitalia Airlines, or she stays home! Mama’s desire to revisit her hometown and to see her two surviving brothers was greater than her fear of flying. And she told the story of her first (and only) flight, like this:
I was afraid to stand up or move too much in my seat, for fear that I would rock the plane, like a row boat; so I sat stiffly upright for almost two hours. Then I began to squirm, because I needed to use the lavatory. Seated next to me was a very nice young man, who realized my discomfort and politely asked me if I was Italian. When I said yes, he began speaking to me in Italian, telling me about the plane we were in, and how nice it was to stroll down the aisle, and even to use the lavatory to refresh your face with cool water. Then he offered to walk with me if I wanted him to. I was a little fearful, but I accepted, and after a few steps down the aisle, I knew it was ok to walk in an airplane.
How astute that young man was to recognize Mama’s need for the bathroom. But being a perfect gentleman (and Italian to boot), he knew exactly how to approach the subject without disrespecting an older, married woman.
