Hearing your name announced over the intercom in the airport usually means one of two things. And neither is good.
So when I heard our names on the loudspeaker at the Las Vegas McCarron airport, my heart did a flipturn. Although I had a good idea of the message, I couldn’t make it out exactly due to my heavy breathing (heavy breathing in the airport usually means one of two things. And neither is good).
You see, when we arrived at the check-in gate, the lady at the counter looked up and said rather drolly: “Your plane leaves in six minutes. Are you sure you want to try to make it?”
“Of course!” I sang enthusiastically with my St. George airport mentality.
The lady at the ticket counter just shook her head and stared at us like we were Neanderthals. We didn’t know what she knew: that our departure gate was as far away as the next town.
We were quite a sight, my mom and I. Two middle-aged women in flip flops and birks, zigzagging our luggage behind us, purses bobbing against our backs, in a dead run. People parted as we approached, which usually means one of two things. And in this case, it wasn’t good.
Since our flight was at 7 am the airport was fairly barren. We breezed through security, timed the tram perfectly, and despite great opposition from our bladders (remember, middle-age), we continued to move as briskly as we could in our “condition.”
Boarding the plane chockablock full of people, we concentrated on maneuvering our luggage down the aisle barely big enough for a bowling ball. We sensed a palpable annoyance by the glaring passengers. Finally turning to one man, I blurted, “what’s the matter? Haven’t you seen anyone topless before?”
Just kidding. I didn't say that. And as far as I remember, we weren't topless.
Literally seconds after we boarded, the plane door clunked shut behind us and within minutes we were taxiing on the runway. Whew! We made our flight. In pure movie drama fashion. I plopped down into the seat and took a deep breath. My lips upturned into a parabola and I imagined God winking at us.
My mom and I were on our way to Virginia. That could only mean one thing. And it was good.
2 comments:
OH!!! You did this to me with the puppy slash college professor story. It's like reading a chapter in a really good book and then laying it down and not being able to find it for a few days! I look forward to reading about the rest of your adventures.... And oh-so-very-glad that you and your mom weren't really running through the airport without shirts on. Phew.
Ha! Great description. Glad you made the flight and looks like you had a great trip.
Post a Comment