The Selfless Act of Breathing

Chapter 1: London Heathrow Airport Terminal 2, 9 a.m. Chapter 1 London Heathrow Airport Terminal 2, 9 a.m.
I quit my job; I am taking my life savings, $9,021, and when it runs out, I am going to kill myself. The flight is in one hour. He left with more than enough time to get there, yet somehow it was lost; hesitation, fear, anxiety. Bodies pass him in every direction. He stands still, looks up to the board, to find the check-in. He sees a young, blonde-haired mother carrying her child. Behind them is a tall man, eyes closed, earphones in, hair tied in locs, carrying a backpack and a guitar, wearing harem pants, looking as though he is going on an adventure to find himself. Two pilots and a quartet of flight attendants glide through in coordinated steps, emanating a glow as if the path beneath them is lit up, and two lovers with matching stonewashed jeans delicately in each other's arms.

He rushes over to the queue. Nine-fifteen a.m. He reaches the front and passes his burgundy-red passport to the lady at the counter. This passport, a thing hoped for, a blessing, a prayer, can save a life, can make a life; can take a life too. This passport, split between red and blue, between land and sea, between hope and despair. This passport, without it I have no place to call...

"Good morning, sir," she says, and flashes her per-hour smile. He mumbles a greeting, tapping his fingers on the desk.

"Michael Kabongo."

"What is your destination, sir?"

"San Francisco."

She types into the keyboard with a blank expression. She calls her colleague, who has already checked in three customers in this time. They both stare at the screen diligently.

"What's going on?" Michael says, with palpable frustration.

"I'm sorry, sir," the other colleague says, her heavily made-up face-contoured nose, lips painted a red wine-distracting him, "we can't seem to find your booking."

"That's wrong! I booked this flight myself. My name is definitely there. I can't

JJ Bola is a writer, poet, and UNHCR Ambassador. He is the author of three poetry collections-Elevate, Daughter of the Sun, and WORD-which were later all published in one definitive collection called Refuge; a novel, No Place Like Home; and Mask Off: Masculinity Redefined, which exposes masculinity as a socially-conditioned performance. He was one of Spread the Word's Flight Associates 2017 and a Kit de Waal Scholar for the Birkbeck University MA in Creative Writing. As a former refugee, JJ Bola was invited to the Davos Economic Forum 2018 and held a discussion with Cate Blanchett. JJ reads, speaks, gives workshops, and performs around the world. He currently resides in London, England.

"[JJ Bola]'s style is highly descriptive, rich in simile and metaphor . . . [his work] is exceedingly timely, speaking to the condition of refugees today." -Booklist