Brace Yourself

"Ma'am. I'm going to have to ask you to accompany me to the interrogation room?" The female guard says, in a tone that told me it was an order and not a request.

"This way please Ma'am." she directs me to the end of the aisle, where three other guards were waiting for me.

Each assuming their positions, the first guard up the front, one on either side of me and one up the back, ensuring I can't escape. Not that there was any risk of that, I had already started to hyperventilate.

The passengers within the security area, stop what they're doing and watch as I am marched the two hundred metres from one end of JFK baggage check, to the other end where the interrogation rooms are.

My heart starts to race, I rub my clammy palms on my super skinny jeans, jeans I really regret wearing at this point. I have never regretted anything more.

When we reach the interrogation room, the guard opens the door, stepping aside, to let me through, directing me into the middle of the room. Turning to face them, as they follow me into the room the last guard closing the door behind her. My mouth instantly becomes dry, sweat starts to bead on my upper lip.

"Ma'am." The guard who's in charge speaks, "Please take off your pants." I stand silently staring at her, my mouth fallen open in an O "Ma'am."

"Sorry what?" I wasn't sure I heard her correctly.

"Please, take off your pants." Nope, I had. I stand there looking at all four guards who were staring back at me waiting for me to remove my pants, trying to remember how this all happened, what bought on this crazy turn of events. It was day three on our six weeks around the world trip.

Before we get to day three, you need to know the background, on how we ended up in New York. Three months ago, on one rainy May morning, my luck looked like it was going to change. I sat in my car, in bumper-to-bumper traffic, which was going nowhere, not having the best start to my morning, after missing my train, the theme song for Five in Five came on. You have to guess all five celebrity voices in the correct order in under five seconds, to win $20000. I'd called every morning, but never got through. Until that rainy morning in May, not only did I get through, but I won.

I remember the moment when I spewed out the five celebrity names, "Justin Timberlake, Jennifer Anniston, Ed Sheeran, Anne-Marie and Chris Hemsworth." I'd said them so fast; I was surprised that they understood. The sound of firecrackers and whistles told me I'd won. The rest of the call was a blur.

I'd called Hannah my sister on the way to the office, telling her what had happened, she couldn't believe it, because I'm walking disaster, things seem to happen to me, my sister calls them Casident, Cassidy and Accidents combined- she thinks it's hilarious. I told her we were going around the world and to meet me at my apartment after work to plan the trip.

As soon as I got home, I pulled out my black leather notebook from my bedside draw, a gift from my grandmother when I was in high school. Dreams written in her handwriting in pink pen across the front cover.

She'd say, "Cassidy do you know the difference between a dream and a goal?" I'd shake my head. "The difference is a plan. This book is for you to write down every dream you have, to make a plan. Make it a goal my sweet, not only a dream." I wrote every dream I ever wanted. My biggest dream, I'd had since I was five, after seeing Aladdin, was to travel.

Hannah and I planned our trip all night, getting super cheap flights, $1599. There were several conditions though, the first, we had to go in August, just over three months away. After the airfares, for five adults and a half fair for each of the girls, left about $5000 from the $20000 for spending money it'd be tight, but we'd make it work.

As I was saying it was day three of our around the world holiday, our last day in Hong Kong, we were flying to New York later that night. We all wanted to go to a temple, we'd agreed on one on the city limits. We all piled into two separate taxis.

We're dropped at the temple, the humidity was high, my hair stuck to the back of my neck. We made our way to the gates, paying the gold coin donation, we all walked toward the temple, the closer we got the more intense the smell of the incense became. I'd had a headache for days, so Alex and I decide to explore the grounds instead.

After thirty minutes we found an incredible courtyard, with bridges, huge goldfish in ponds and a waterfall. I walked a head of Alex, which he hates. Walking over a bridge, onto a covered path, the largest and most amazing bonsai tree I've ever seen, catches my attention. Immediately I whip out my phone, pointing it at the tree, taking a photo. Click! I examine the photo, no good, there is a wire right across the centre of the photo.

Snap after snap the wire still in the centre of the photo. I became more frustrated by the second, picking up my pace, walking towards the tree, still looking at the screen of my phone as I snap each image. After the tenth shot I was determined to take the perfect shot, I'm so focused on the tree, I miss the several steps in front of me, leading down to the sunken section of the courtyard.

The path disappears from under my feet, and I'm flying through the air like a human missile, heading straight for the bonsai tree, my arms and legs going everywhere, trying and failing to stop myself from falling. I hit the ground hard on my stomach sliding several feet before coming to a complete stop.

"Yep, that's going to leave a mark." I say to myself.

The crowd in the previously quiet courtyard, gasp in horror. Lying flat on my stomach, wishing that the ground would open up and swallow me whole, I bury my face between my arms.

"Shit wife." The sound of Alex muffled voice is beside me, "Are you alright?"

Keeping my head down, I look to the side, Alex's feet are next to my body. Squinting up at him still holding my phone in the air.

"Cassidy are you alive?" Squatting down beside me.

"Yes, I'm fine." He helps me to my feet. "At least I saved my phone."

"I really don't care about your phone right now. Are you okay?" I nod.

Every set of eyes in the courtyard are glued on me. Their expressions are a mix of shock and awe. Not that I can blame them, they probably would've never seen a human cannon ball in Minnie mouse ears, flying through the air towards a tree at maximum speed, while trying to take a photo.

"You need to slow down and look where you're going."

"I was looking where I was going. I just didn't see the stairs." I wipe down my new pants. "Oh no!"

"What?" he looks me up and down trying to assess the damage.

"I ripped my new pants." The material around the rip was becoming damp from my blood.

The flight from Hong Kong to New York was long, we were ready for bed by the time we got to the hotel. My left knee was throbbing and three times its size and about fifty different shades of purple. I lay on my bed, Alex lift my leg, putting pillows under it, to prop it up. I'm amazed at where we were, truly unbelievable. I reach for my notebook; the black leather cover had started to crack with age. I open to a blank page.

August 6th, 2018,

Well not the best start to the holiday. Though it has been amazing in spite of almost killing myself.

Note to self, DO NOT taking photos while walking!!!

The next morning I could hardly walk, my knee was in bad shape, I needed something to stop my knee from moving. Alex and I found a pharmacy across the road, from our hotel, we head off early in search for something to keep my knee in place. We find a brace for $100 US dollars, we hadn't budgeted for it, but have some extra cash left from the $20000, our budget would stretch.

Over the next five days, we did everything I'd only ever read and dreamt about, it was a dream come true. On the fifth day we were flying to Italy on the first flight out, we had to be up at 2am. Barely awake I dress, putting on my knee brace, pulling my super skinny jeans over the top.

I was so tired I can't remember how exactly we got to JFK or through check in, I only remember standing waiting in line behind Darrel and Emily to go through the metal detector. The female guard on the other side calls me forward, I follow her instructions stepping through the scanner. Beep, Beep, Beep.

"Ma'am?" She approaches me, "Do you have any metal on?" I shake my head, "Okay, go back through, try again." She directs me back through. Beep, Beep, Beep. "Ma'am are you sure that you have no metal on?"

I shake my head; she sends me back. I step through one last time. Beep, Beep, Beep. SHIT! I remembered my knee. "I have a knee brace."

She looks at me, surprise over her face, looking me up and down taking in my super skinny jeans. "A knee braces?"

"Yeah. Right here." I say pulling it.

"Come over here." She directs me to the mat which has an image of two feet, "Stand with your feet here, and your arms a part." She waves the wand over my body; the wand goes off when she reaches my left knee. "Can you remove it?"

"I can try." I pull at the Velcro straps trying for the next minute with no success.

Darrel's voice is behind me. "What's up Cass?" I explain what had happened, "Hmmm. Do you want me to try?" I glance over to the security guard she nods. He walks to me, kneeling in front of me, he tries pulling the Velcro straps, from the outside, after a minute, he says the words I never thought that he would say to me. "I'm going to have to put my hands up your pants." before I know, his hands are inside the leg of my pants, pinching me as he tries s to grip the Velcro. Unable to grip the material he decides to try something else "I'm going to try and pulling it." Grabbing both sides of the brace he pulls down, after two minutes he removes his hands from inside my pant leg and stands. "Sorry Cass. It's on there good and tight."

"Ma'am." The voice of the guard brings be back to the room.

"Sorry, what?" I try focusing on her face.

"Please remove your pants."

"Ah yes, my pants. Sorry." I gulp down the bile, which was rising up the back of my throat, unbuttoning the top button, sliding the zipper down, I hook my thumbs under either side of the waist band, wriggling my hips as I slide my jeans down, until the pool around my feet on the ground, immediately regret my choice of knickers. They start to giggle at the sight of my Pink and Turquoise Wonder Woman knickers,

POWH printed across the front, and WHAM across my ass.

Yep, New York won't forget me in hurry!