Irony

A phobia is a kind of thing that bounds lives and shatters dreams. It’s a chronic syndrome, one that never seems to go away. A fear of heights could keep you from seeing amazing sights. Whereas a fear of death could keep your life in constant trepidation and paranoia. In the case of John Murdock, a fear of flight kept him from traveling.
At thirty, John finally finds the audacity to face his fear.


Sweat ran down John’s brow as he sat his suitcase down beside him. His black hair was soaked with sweat. He was up the whole night worrying about his trip. The apprehension was overwhelming, but he didn‘t show it. He didn‘t want to scare the kids. “Nothing will go wrong” he silently assured himself.
He turned to his wife. “Josie, are you sure you‘re okay with this?“ His hands were shaking. She took his hands in hers and gently gave them a squeeze. “Don’t worry, we’ll be fine, we can take care of ourselves.” She gave him a hug. The kids joined. He bent down to look his children in the eyes. “Promise me you’ll keep Mom safe.” James and Ally gave their father a big smile and nodded. He gave each of them one more squeeze and a kiss. What if this was the last time he was going to see them. The kids were only 3 and 5. What would they do without a dad? A shudder passed through his body. He shook it off and turned to his wife. Leaning in to her ear, he whispered. “If I don’t get back…” She stopped him with a chuckle and pointed towards the terminal. “See you in three days.” He smiled and gave her a hug and a quick kiss as he heard his flight announced. He reached down and picked up his suitcase. Finally, although diminutive, there was courage. He turned and waved once more.

...John never made it home.