Galway Review 8 - April 2020

Lightning flashed outside, sending streaks of blue
through the dense mass of clouds. Leo didn’t want to
look but he couldn’t tear his eyes away; the sight made
him think of bulging veins. He gripped the armrest and
his diary with such force that his hands hurt. He’d gone
through so much to make it this far; he had to make it to
Tikal. He wasn’t afraid of dying but it couldn’t happen
yet, not after he’d waited so long for his passport to be
returned. As if to ward off harm by cocooning himself in
pleasant thoughts, he tried to conjure up images from
his travels but his mind seemed intent on revisiting
places he hated: the interview room that smelt of
unwashed bodies and fear, his solicitor’s office, the
hospital, the impersonal flat he’d been renting since the
house sale went through.
More lightning transformed the sky beyond his window.
Another bulging vein, just like the one that had throbbed
at Ginnie’s temple when she threw her wedding ring at
him after learning how their adventures had been
funded.
And then it was over. The extreme buffeting stopped
and the light brightened as the clouds thinned out.
Within minutes the stewardess was on her feet. Even
the seatbelt sign went off.
It didn’t take long for a queue to form outside the toilet at
the back of the plane. Leo needed to go but doubted if
his legs would support him if he tried to stand. They’d
given out once before when, during his weekly visit to
the local station to sign on, he heard from a senior
officer that the case against him was being dropped.
Compassionate grounds due to his failing health was
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