"LOW-rah Cla-PECK-eh?"

Once in the air to Culiacán, I was just ready to be there.  I've said it before, but it can't be emphasized enough.  The travel from Nashville to Culiacán is just a miserable day.  Even if all flights go well and on schedule, it's still a 12 hour day.  It's awful.  I finally slept a little (hadn't slept much somehow on the other two flights), but not enough considering it's just a 1.5 hour flight.  We were "beginning our final descent" when the pilot comes on and says, "Laura Cla-PECK-eh, please push your flight attendant button."

I wigged out.  I flashed back to being in DF and being asked if I had a suitcase.  I thought my carryon suitcase that had been checked last minute had gone missing.  Or who knows what else.  Who gets called by name by the pilot?!

I rang the bell and began the internal panic.  The flight attendant came up and said, "The pilot needs you to pass by the cockpit."  

What?!

We have been told to fasten our seat belts.  We are in the final descent.  We are literally minutes away from landing.  The Klapheke in me (that doesn't mind flying but doesn't love flying) said, "Stay in your seat, buckled.  The pilot told you to buckle your seat belt and to stow your tray and put your seat in its upright position.  Stay put."  

The flight attendant must've seen my inner-conversation with myself and said, "Would you like to wait until we land?"

"Yes, please!"

The plane starts to empty out.  I get my backpack and march my way up front.  The flight attendant smiles encouraging as if to say, "Yes, you can in fact cross into the forbidden cockpit."

I push through, but don't fit well.  Who knew they were so small?  The "hallway" was tiny and my backpack just made me awkward.

I had tension all across my face.  Pilot one introduces himself, shakes my hand and says, "Are you scared?  Don't be scared."

Okay.  Calm down.

"We should've called you up here sooner, but we didn't know.  Iván Rendón wanted us to welcome you to Culiacán.  He wanted you to see the descent, but he told us too late."

This time, he asked for my flight information for a reason.

They got him on the microphone and I told him he scared me.  He laughed, asked about my flights, and then I got outta there.  It was a very strange experience.  However, I'm already planning on asking him to get me in the cockpit for my next flight!  We'll see how that works...