My propensity to become separated from possessions looks like it's here to stay. Either I lose something forever, or, my conviction is that the missing item is in the general vicinity.
Last month I had a visit from my oldest daughter, Nicole, who lives in Montana. She is a 911 operator and having a relaxing and fun vacation was paramount.
On the day of her arrival I could hardly wait to greet her smiling face and give her a really big hug. I had a beautiful bouquet of spring flowers tied up with a pink bow to add to her welcome.
Her flight was landing late afternoon at Newark Liberty International Airport. I didn’t have time to check for any arrival time discrepancies before leaving home to pick her up. But, once Madame Merlot II (my Jeep) and I were on the New Jersey Turnpike, I called the airlines on my cell phone. The recorded information said her plane was arriving early! Not good. It was really important to me to be standing ready at attention at the arrival gate when Nicole came off the plane . With traffic down to two lanes, the likelihood of fulfilling my, from a mother's heart, airport scenario began to fade.
Once I arrived at Newark, found the right terminal, and pulled into the parking lot, I decided I needed guidance. I wanted to know where to park to lessen my steps to the entrance to the terminal.
An airport security vehicle was parked on the outskirts of the parking lot. I drove his way and hurriedly hoped out of Madame Merlot leaving my Jeep door wide open to seek input. “Louie” directed me, and off I went.
There must have been a recording glitch because I arrived in perfect time to enjoy a wonderful greeting with my daughter. She had received a personal escort off the plane by her pilot, David. After thanking him for safely getting her to New Jesey, it didn’t take us long to retrieve her luggage and make the trek through the airport back to my Jeep.
Once we were settled inside, I began searching for the parking ticket to get out of the parking lot. It was nowhere to be found. I even schlepped back into the airport. I had thrown a piece of paper away on my way inside. Had I inadvertently threw away the ticket? “Mom, you didn’t go through the trash, did you?” Nicole said incredulously. “Well, dear”, I offered, with a confident, “I wanted to find that ticket”.
We continued searching between the seats, behind the seats, through my handbag, and still no ticket. By now, our patience was waning and we were getting anxious to be on our way. Nicole, kindly offered to pay the full price which was $30. I wasn’t about to let her pop for that when I knew that ticket was somewhere in the vacinity. I could feel it. I just knew it was right under my nose but for some reason, it wasn't showing itself.
Then, along came Louie in his shiny, white, security Jeep. After hailing him down, I explained the situation. Louie said to drive over to the ticket booth, and he’d meet us there to see what he could do. Just then, a light went off in my head.
“Louie”, I said excitedly, “Maybe the ticket fell on the ground when I jumped out to ask you where to park.” He motioned us to stay parked and went to check. Shortly, Louie came back with the illusive ticket in hand.
Sometimes, you just have to trust your heart and belive beyond all doubt. Nicole and I were quite happy we didn't waste our money. We later put it to good use for dinner in Nyack!
Until next time…Top Blonde ... taking the day...
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