Well it’s finally here; Tuesday the 15th and I’m going home today. Back to New York City, back to my husband who I have missed and back to my two cats who I hope have missed me.
Finley goes off to school and Francesca and I have breakfast and I decide to give this blasted kitchen floor one more washing to see if I can get it really clean. I did and it didn’t. I think Chiara is right, she has to get the floor steam-cleaned or try a scrub brush because the swifter dry-wet combo hasn’t worked and neither has a sponge mop.
Chiara returned and said, let’s get ready to go to the store; We have to return the lamp for the toy room which was broken and I’m sure as we stroll through the aisles of Target, any number of things will jump in the cart. I’m looking forward to Target’s because Starbucks is there and this seems like a Venti morning for sure. I have been packing up my stuff since yesterday and now I’m just about done. It’s been a lugubrious task 😦
It’s really lovely and sunny today as it has been for the last week and I’m sure I will miss the weather. Target was a bit empty but then again how can you really have any idea how many people are in a store the size of a football field? Today it was less than 20 minutes before Frankie moved from buckled to un-buckled and in the basket to out of the basket. She’s getting really good at this! She enjoyed the Bath an dBedding department because we saw Mickey Mouse towels and a Spider Man drinking cup and toothbrush holder. Chiara is a feminist, there are three females and only one male in the house, well two if you count Pasha but he is neutered after all. So what is the first thing Francesca says when she sees the Spider Man stuff? “That’s boy’s”? Yes she did and she often ends her phrases and sentences with a questioning rise in her tone. Very cute!
She managed to try on at least 5 pairs of shoes on her own in the shoe department and pointed out the gender of a lot of toys while she and I waited for Mommy to make a decision about a lamp and a rug. Eventually we filled two carts…oh didn’t I mention that we had two carts today?
It’s time to pack up and head for the airport. Feeling blue is an understatement but I try to make small talk along the way with Chiara and Finley. Timing was perfect because when they dropped me off at the Delta departure terminal, all they had to do was drive over to the Jet Blue arrival terminal and pick up Tia who will stay with them for 2 weeks. Help is never far away…and I learned later that evening that Tia wept tears of joy at seeing Finley and Frankie (and we all know Frankie is her favorite).
I got my suitcases, gathered up my blazer, swung my computer and handbag on my shoulder and kissed Francesca goodbye, hugged and kissed Chiara and went around to the other side of the car to kiss Finley goodbye and tried VERY hard to control my voice which was quivering and say goodbye and I love you very much to her. She looked at me and saw my eyes were brimming so I just kissed her again and closed the door. I decided to go into the airport to check my bag and there were no lines. There was a reservations clerk and another Delta employee alongside of her who seemed to be a greeter. She was all smiles and cheery and asked me how I was. AND that’s when I began to cry. I couldn’t stop myself even though I knew I was making a scene. Thank God the area was almost completely empty. I told her I had to leave the grandchildren and she immediately extended empathy and said she understood as we all love our grandchildren so much. Asked me where I was going and assured me I would be back soon. Valiantly I pulled myself together to get checked in and PAY for the suitcase which I find really ridiculous that you cannot have even ONE piece of luggage stowed! When I got to the gate and sat down I called Peter and of course started crying tears of sorrow again. This was going to be a rough ride home…
Before boarding the attendants asked passengers to surrender their carry-on bags and allow them to go into cargo because the flight was full and overhead space as always limited. Considering that Delta charges to put bags in cargo, gee what a surprise that everyone had a suitcase with them. They also repeated company policy dictating only two pieces per person allowed and your handbag was one and my computer the other one. I did have a bulging carry-on bag with me too. I debated about what to do because I did not want to be embarrassed at the entrance to the jetway so I went up to the desk and asked if they were charging for the bags that they were now storing. “No” – well okay then, here’s my bag. How nice to go down the narrow aisle carrying nothing more than my handbag and my laptop!!
And guess what? It was! NOT because I was teary but because there were two children in the row in front of me. One with her mother and grandfather and the other with the grandmother. At least the one with the grandmother in front of me was well-behaved BUT OMG the one across the aisle was wild. I think she was around two and she would NOT stop screaming. You know that awful loud shriek and make-believe tears because there are no real tears just a long whining whimper and it went on and on. The couple behind them were beside themselves. They tried to change seats, they asked for earplugs. I’m telling you she would not stop and the mother remained calm and did try several things to placate her but nothing worked. I mean REALLY what did she want? If it was to sit with Grandma, couldn’t they have switched seats? Well actually they did pass both kids twice back and forth OVER THE HEAD of the man sitting on the aisle seat in front of me!!! At one point the mother took the crying kid to the back of the plane and managed to get caught behind the food service which meant although I could still hear the crying (we all could), can you imagine what it was like for the people in the rows behind me who now had this kid right next to them?
The best part of the trip was yet to come. Tom had a car service waiting for me at LGA. The nice young man took my luggage which came out almost immediately and had me home in record time.
It’s always nice to come home!
Bill Ding and his band of clowns are the security patrol for this blog site. He is a favorite toy from the 50*s. By the way sometimes a blog is just an ego-maniacal stream of conscience.
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