Travel Days
I am sitting here at the Fort Myers airport waiting for the first leg of my flight back to Buffalo. I love sitting and watch people and the airport gate lounge is always as good as any. This one rates better than usual as the gate is a low number so there are plenty of people passing to watch.
The anxiety of folks seems to show. Mostly its grumpiness or unfriendliness. I am not the chattiest guy usually but given my recent status change I feel the need to speak with folks. Not all want the repartee. I turned and spoke to a fellow while we were waiting at the TSA desk and he did not even acknowledge I was speaking to him! So far today no Karen’s although an old gal just walked by all swaddled up in her mask.
What is funny for me is that I have a solid dose of agoraphobia. Driving over a bridge can really freak me out. But the only time this bothered me on a plane was a flight from Atlanta to Seattle when I had a window seat in the back row of the plane. It gets a bit bouncy there and the window rattled mercilessly. I kept sensing that the window was about to fall out and take me with it. Gratefully we made our landing in Seattle safely.
As most flights do. As a friend of mine says ‘I’m about to retire after 30+ years as an airline pilot and I have as many landing as take-offs!’ Solid comfort that thought is. Today I am flying his airline but he is not the pilot. Two flights, and with luck, two take-offs and two landings!
I have just noticed the woman across from me here in there departure lounge. She keeps taking deep breathes which seems to me to be a signal she is nervous. A kindly looking older white gal, she does not fit the profile of a terrorist so nothing for me to worry about. There is and old what appers like a French hippie. Jeans foreign legion shirt unbuttoned to his navel, a red beret and a very funky styling of a foo-man-choo beard moustache thing. Jesus sandals complete the ensemble. Oh and round glasses. The best though is he is possibly five feet tall and really gives me an impression that his name is Pepe.
We are a couple minutes to boarding so I will pause here for a couple hours and take this scribing up again in Chicago. Chat soon!
That was close, due to a storm in Florida we were held at the gate for 90 minutes which meant it would be real close when I got to Chicago to make my connection. Thankfully the gates were close and the walk was not to far. I arrived at the gate expecting to be late but there is a delay due to some problem with the plane so all is well and I have a moment to type a bit more.
Plenty of tired people around me. Everyone seems a bit grumpy that we have to wait. I’m guessing like me many folks have arranged to be picked up and letting the picker know when to arrive is yet a crap shoot. We will get there when we get there and I am sitting front row first class so I do not really care. Hurry, do not hurry, once the plane starts to taxi away from the gate I can better judge when Julia should be there.
Truthfully I would prefer if I was asleep in my seat on the plane but grateful also that I can still be able to travel. Thank you Dr. Aleksova. The flight up to Chicago was uneventful and with luck this one will be also. Then a brief ride home and my bed! Woo hoo!