perhaps you have heard about the cypriot airliner that crashed in the mountains of greece on sunday? i saw it on tv while i was eating a chimechanga in charlottesville. i was so caught up in my petty world that i didn't even entertain the notion that i might know anyone on that flight. i was born in cyprus and my mother's side of the family lives there.
yesterday, in lexington, kentucky, i talked to my mom on the phone. the flight attendant found in the cockpit of the plane was my cousin, louiza vouteri. the plane lost air pressure and apparently the pilots passed out. it appears louiza tried to take control of the plane.
the many faces of louiza flash before me in a rainbow. i did not know her well. but i knew her long.
i met her for the first when she was but a tiny girl, four or five. i saw her time and again, a young teenager in nicosia cafes, a blossoming beauty on the beach of aiya napa, a champion equestrian attending a horse at stable.
and five years ago, i saw her on my way to india. five years ago she shared her fresh excitement about becoming a flight attendant. she was vibrant, full of light, beaming. at the brink of a calling.
what i see is her spirit, winged angel, golden, a hero, rising from that airplane.
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