Song: Not So Sure About This Drop

Holding onto the armrest, I leaned forward and peered through the window. Flying over large bodies of water unsettles my nerves, but it was the price to pay to get to my destination.

Tahiti.

French Polynesia was always at the top of my bucket list of places to visit ever since I was young.

This place I've never seen held a special place in my heart. It was where my parents had met and fallen in love.

Before my Mom had passed, she always wanted to come back to this place for one last time. She loved the ocean so much, but she never had the chance to make her wish come true since God had other plans for her.

I made it my goal to visit this place in her honor. Even though I never understand her love for the oceans—my was the mountains—somehow a part of her lives through me as I find myself soon arriving to her destination.

My eyes absorbed the sight below—endless miles and miles of gorgeous glassy blue waters, extending out to the edge of the world. The waves moved dangerously, building on top of one another as if they're moving closer and closer to land.

The ocean can be a beautiful but deadly thing.

There wasn't a whiff of cloud in the sky as the plane descended carefully and smoothly down. The plane suddenly hit an unexpected bump and my heart leaped through my chest. I inhaled a breath of air, telling myself it was almost over. That the grueling eight hour flight from Los Angeles was finally coming to an end.

And what awaited ahead for me was pure heaven of earth. Green mountains. Crystal clear beaches. Amazing cuisines.

I occupied my mind with those good thoughts.

Malea, the old woman who had been sitting to my left the whole entire light, reached
over and placed her hand over mine on the armrest. "Don't be afraid, Mia. We are almost there. Look here," she said with a French accent.

She pointed to the screen in front of her that displayed the flight information and gave me a comforting smile. That smile reminded me of my own grandma who passed away a few years ago, and it made me feel safe.

I smiled back. "Thank you, Malea. Your family must be excited to see you and your husband back home."

"I don't know about that." She chuckled with that grandma tone. "I'm pretty sure it's a circus once Inoke and I left home two weeks ago."

Inoke, her husband, was sitting next to her toward the aisle. He had a health condition that required him to get up every hour to walk around the plane. I had the aisle seat but once I heard of his condition after we got on the plane, I offered to exchange my seat with him. It was the least I could do to make his flight more comfortable even if that means sitting next to the window which scares me.

The captain came on the intercom and addressed the cabin that we will be landing in fifteen minutes.

"Did you guys enjoy your time in the states?" I asked Malea after the captain finished.

"We absolutely did. It's such a lovely time to get to see my daughter and her family." She smiled to herself, remembering the moments. "They've been asking us to visit them for so long but because of Inoke's health, we can over make the trip once in a while. It's probably going to be another year or two before we get to see our grandkids in the USA again."

"You are blessed to have many family members who wants to see you and many waiting back home."

"Thank you, sweetheart. I hope you have a lovely time here in my country."

"I'm been waiting my whole life for it."

"I'm so excited for you. If you have time, please do stop by for dinner with my family. They loved to meet you." She handed me a note with her number.

"Thank you, I'll definitely try to stop by and say 'hi' if I can."

The plane landed a few minutes later at Tahiti Faa'a Airport, and I said goodbye to Malea and Inoke at baggage claim. They were such a cute couple and crossing paths with them made my flight better than it was.

The time was a little after two in the afternoon, still enough sunlight to grab my car and head to my hotel. I couldn't wait to lay down in bed and just relax.

Pulling my luggage behind me, I walked over to the car rental to pick up my car. The thing I liked about small airport was everything was within walking distance since it took me only a few minutes to get to the other side of the street where the car rental was located.

"Good afternoon, miss," the lady behind the countered greeted. She was dark skin and had wavy long hair that fell around her back. I pictured all women in French Polynesia to be as beautiful as her.

"Hello, I'm here to pick up a car," I replied, pulling up my reservation on my iPhone. There was a few messages in my voicemails, but I'd have to check them later. It took a few seconds since the WiFi here wasn't the fastest like back home.

"What's the name on the reservation?" she asked.

"Mia Webb."

"Thank you, Miss Webb, let me check."

She typed away on her keyboard, looking for my reservation. "Is this your first time here?"

"Yes, first time."

"You're going to have a fabulous time. Okay, I found your reservation. It looks like we left a few voicemail on your phone. I do apologize, Miss Web. Unfortunately, it looks like we are overbooked and we do not have a car ready for you."

"What?" My stomach turned sour. It always did this when I feel frustrated. I made this reservation weeks ago and even called yesterday to confirmed.

"I'm really sorry. We don't have the car you booked, but we do have another car. It's one of our luxury cars so the price will be higher but we can give you a discount."

"Okay, how much will that be?"

"With the discount, the total comes out to be $3,524.78."

"I can't afford that."

"It's all we have. We are very busy during the holiday season."

"Are you sure there's nothing else you can do?"

"I'm so sorry."

After coming out annoyed from the car rental without a car, I decided to check into my hotel to think through a solution. Maybe I'll find a moped or a bike. I mean, the whole island isn't that big. I could probably change some of my plans around to accommodate for this unexpected change.

As I walked along the foreign streets, the sight around me was one to behold. The luscious green of houses and buildings everywhere. The breathtaking volcanic mountain. The blue water. It was definitely heaven of earth. It put my mind at ease of not having a car, if just for a second. I soaked it all in, forgetting what just happened for a bit.

I pulled my luggage along as I checked my phone repeatedly to make sure I was heading in the right direction. The Tahiti Airport Motel was just a few minutes away so the walk shouldn't be too rough.

After ten minutes of turning a few corners, I finally found my motel. Tired and jet lagged, I walked inside toward the guest counter.

"Good afternoon, are you Miss Webb?" the lady behind the countered asked me. She was beautiful just like the woman at the car rental. I was beginning to think this was a pattern of how French Polynesian women look like.

Surprised and caught off guard by her request, I immediately nodded. "Yes," I said breathlessly. "Please tell me you have a room for me."

"I'm so sorry, Miss. It looks like we overbooked our rooms and currently don't have any at the moment. We tried to reach you on your phone a few times."

I couldn't my believe my luck today. "I was in the air when you called. Is there anything you guys can do? Please? My car rental fell through, and now this. I don't have anywhere to stay on this island."

"I'm really sorry, Miss Webb. But here are a few hotels you can try calling to see if they have any rooms." She handed me a list of hotel names and phone numbers.

"I don't need that. I need a room. I don't understand, I had the room booked weeks ago."

"I'm very truly sorry. We are very busy around the holidays. There is a disclaimer in your contract that your room is subject to availability."

"Can I please speak with a manager?"

"I am the manager." She smiled.

I exhaled and took the list from the counter, then headed out of the motel with my luggage which seem to get heavier by the second. This day wasn't going to plan at all. First the rental car. And now the room.

I sat down on a bench outside of the motel and fumbled for my water bottle. Gulping down the water, I felt a little bit rejuvenated.

This trip was definitely not going to be one for the books... at least so far.

Suddenly I remembered the note in the pocket of my jean shorts.