Fly Away Home

Here’s an interesting travel tip, as COVID fears are easing and we begin to take to flying again. As you travel from Point A to Point B, your itinerary will list the time your flight leaves from Point A and arrives at Point B. Conversely, to get you back home, the itinerary will also list for you the time your flight will leave FROM Point B and arrive back AT Point A and, ta da, you’re home.

Here’s where the gentle reminder comes in: if your flight FROM Point A leaves at 8:00 am and when it’s time to LEAVE Point B, that flight is scheduled to leave at 9:50 am, if you arrive at the airport on the day you’re supposed to depart Point A at 9:50 am (the Point B departure time) you will have missed your plane.

Missed it all together. Ask me how I know this.

Yep, that’s what I did. Looked at the itinerary – looked at it more than once, I might add – saw that our departure time (from Point B) was 9:50 am and arrived at the (Point A) airport accordingly.

Our flight had departed at 8:00 am.

Since that was the only flight United had from that airport that morning, there were NO United personnel to be seen for me to talk to and try to make other arrangements. The airport paged someone and an agent finally showed up – to book us on a flight leaving from another airport an hour and a half away . . . the next day.

Suddenly, M and I had an entire day ahead of us with nothing to do. No one expecting us anywhere and no obligations. It was actually kind of nice.

We went home, picked up the dogs from my dad’s house, got some Chick-fil-A for lunch and had a very relaxing afternoon. Why not?

M did get a little anxious about not going to the memory daycare center. I reminded him that the staff had told him they would see him next week when they told him good-bye the day before, so they weren’t expecting him that day – but he still fretted about it.

Friday was fine. We made the flight – with plenty of time to spare (I made sure of that!) M did just fine going through security and throughout the trip. I was pleasantly surprised! I made sure his shoes were slip-ons, so he didn’t have to worry about tying laces, and we packed his belt, rather than him wearing it, so that was one less bell to answer.

And then we entered wedding central.

M’s older brother got married on Saturday, and it was a lovely day in every way. There was a rumor that M might be called upon to give a toast, so I was standing by to feed him some lines, but I’m happy to report that it never happened. We danced, ate delicious food (including some yummy cupcakes!) and got a chance to catch up with some people we haven’t seen in a long time.

There was only one incident the entire weekend, when I really thought long and hard about how I could leave M there at his brother’s house and how far I could get before anyone could find me and/or make me take him back.

We were getting ready for bed Saturday night and he was, as usual, scratching his head. I don’t know if it’s just a reflex thing, something he does when he’s bored, if he has eczema or dry skin . . . or WHAT is going on, but he has scratched and scratched his head until he has little scabs all over.

And then he scratches those. It drives me insane!

So, Saturday night, I suggested putting some moisturizer on his head. He jerked away from me and said something along the lines of “no, get away.” Or something annoying like that.

Now, let’s face it – it had been a LONG three days. He was tired. I was tired. We had been in each other’s company 24/7 since Thursday morning.

But that flew ALL OVER ME.

I didn’t say a word. But as I was lying in bed in the dark, I was definitely plotting ways that I could get away during the night and leave his unpleasant self sitting there.

I didn’t do it. I sucked it up, put a smile on my face (if not a song in my heart) and drove both of us to the airport Sunday morning to catch the (wait for it) 9:52 am flight home.

And felt much better about life and the world in general after going to bed around 7 pm on Sunday AND Monday nights. I was tired.