Epic Travels

I look across the aisle to the man sitting across from me in the plane. His view would have been blocked, but the flight attendant asked if anyone wanted to move up front because there were open seats and the girl sitting next to him volunteered. I look over at him and he is holding my book. My book that I had just bought at The Strand in NYC! (Amazing book store. You must go). I felt like reading more. And I just love The Strand. And I had finished my book from vacation. So I went in looking for a book. A random book. They have thousands of books there. I took some time to read some inside covers and this one looked fascinating. Not like any book I usually pick out. To be honest my favorite books to read are the “Shopaholic” series by Sophie Kinsella. Because she makes me laugh and I love her.  “Lincoln In The Bardo” by George Saunders was one of the books I got. Looked pretty serious. The book was formatted in an un-conventional way. It’s somewhat historical. About a little boy dying. Not quite in the same category as Shopaholic. But you know. Why not? I can be sophisticated. Anyways here I am sitting on this plane… and there is my book across from me. And somehow to me this means I am exactly where I am supposed to be.  I take my book out and try to wait for him to look at me so I can wave it at him and show him that I am reading the same book. So that he will be thrilled and we will be book twins. He does not look at me and instead does a lot of other things in the other direction. Eventually I put my book in the seat-back pocket. And decide to cool it with staring at the man across the aisle from me. 

We take off and the sun is setting over the New York skyline. It is beautiful. Absolutely stunning.  I feel peace that I have not felt in a while. It is incredible that I can buy a ticket and a big machine will pick me up and carry me in the air across the country to another city. It is even more incredible that I bought my ticket less than an hour and a half before the plane took off. …THATS RIGHT. 84 MINUTES AGO. THIS IS THE CRAZIEST THING I HAVE EVER DONE. Which is kind of embarrassing to admit now that I have. …It’s not like I’m skydiving or anything. But wow this is impulsive for me. 

Joe decided two and a half weeks ago- pretty impulsively- that he should go home during the holidays if he at all could. His seasonal work demanded that he stay in the city for Christmas and New Years, but there was a small window where he could make it home for a few days. Christmas for the Veale’s is always a big deal. They just possess a lot of Christmas magic. This year was a particularly big Christmas because one- Jay was retiring, two- Patti was kicking cancer’s butt, and three-all of the family was together. Except Joe. This is very rare for his family because Joe is one of five siblings. Two of which do not even live in this country. So he wasn’t going to make it for Christmas day but he was going to make it. (And as he tells me “Christmas lives on all year long in our hearts” to which I respond by scoffing and rolling my eyes). This was going to be an exciting trip. No one knew he was coming home but his twin brother- Michael. 

Joe felt guilty for leaving me during the holidays (which at the time I thought was silly and he should of course go home). I had just taken a week off to be with my family. The whole reason I didn’t go home for Christmas day was because our Florida vacation was the week before Christmas and I needed to go back to the city and work to make up for it. And now, the day after Christmas, I was walking with Joe home to his apartment so he could gather his things and leave, and I couldn’t believe I wasn’t going with him. It felt terrible. Joe started proposing the crazy idea that we could still get me a ticket. That I could come with him. I wanted to so bad but it sounded crazy. Just to see I tried calling a few people from the restaurant to see if anyone could cover my shifts last minute. I tried calling the restaurant to call my manager but chickened out  the first time because I was crying and well, how embarrassing. I called again and tried talking to my manager but he was busy. I told Joe if I could find a cover in the next ten minutes I would go. But if not I would let it go. Because I didn’t want to be someone who screwed other people over. ….It didn’t work. I didn’t find anyone. I headed back to my apartment after kissing Joe goodbye, breathing in the fresh air and trying not to loose it. Its no big deal! It’s just a few days. I’ll stay here, I’ll make money. It will be fine. But something in my heart kept tugging that I should be with him. 

When I got home I plopped myself down on the couch and resumed watching a terrible terrible Christmas movie I had started a few days before. It was terrible. There was no plot. Nothing happened. Not really even much dialogue. Just a lot of looking at each other and talking very slowly. Maybe the script wasn’t long enough. So they had to talk slow. The movie ended. I thought about starting another movie. But something inside me started pulling again. Why am I not with him? Why am I not going to be with his family?? I pick up my phone and without thinking dial the restaurant again. I get through to my manager. By some grace of God he tells me that it will be okay if I do not come in tonight. And to try to find a cover for tomorrow. And thats it. I can go! I’m going! Wait-need to buy a ticket. Buy a ticket. 

Joe, already at Newark Airport, tries to get me on his flight but the only seats left are $1200 first class seats. I look up other airports and other flights. There is a flight to Charlotte leaving from LaGuardia in an hour and a half. Can I make it? Maybe. I’m doing it. And before I can think any further I am typing in my credit card info and calling an Uber. No time to pack. No thinking. Just going. I would usually spend quite some time agonizing over what to bring. Should I bring my bullet journal (my planner)? Do I want to think about my schedule and real life while I’m gone? What books should I bring? How many outfits? How many nice outfits? Will I want to work out and do yoga? Doesn’t matter. I shove some things in my backpack and purse and run to the door. “Are you traveling somewhere?!” My roommate Josh says to me. “I think so!” I reply and run out the door. 

The Uber driver is amazing. I hop in the car and immediately inform him I’m doing something crazy and I hope I make my flight! We drive a few blocks and something moves me to check my wallet and make sure I have my driver’s license. It is not there. Shoot! I tell the driver. He turns around. The one way roads will take too long to get me all the way back to my door quickly. I tell him I’ll get out and run. He agrees this is a good idea and points to the corner where he will be waiting for me. I leap out of the car and sprint to my door and sprint up the four stories. Grab my passport and turn around. I remember on the run that my driver’s license is in my other coat pocket from my last flight. No time for that. I also think about how I have left all of my belongings in this car with this stranger. And hopefully he does not drive away. I run up the road. He does not. He is amazing and is waiting for me right where he says he’ll be. He thinks I can make it to the airport in time for my 4:30pm flight but thinks it will be tight. He drives expertly as I search the web for my return flight and buy it on my phone as well as email the two restaurant locations I work for in search of subs for the next few days. We make it. He tells me to run when we get there. “Thank you, you’re amazing!” I call to him as I hop out of the car. 

I make it through security. I make it to my gate. They haven’t even started boarding. This would never have been possible at the Denver airport. First of all I live too far away. And security often takes an hour to get through. Especially this time of year. I even have time to go to the bathroom and freshen up. My back is pretty sweaty from all the running all over. I feel a bit nauseous. Maybe because I had eaten about 8 Reese’s before deciding I needed to get off the couch and go to Charlotte. I also feel light without much luggage. I pull out my phone and text my mom to tell her about the crazy thing I am doing. Texts from Joe pop up- he keeps texting me about how epic this whole thing is. My mom replies to me: 

“Ok! Enjoy the time! When do you go?”

 I am relieved at how supportive she is of her wild daughter spontaneously skipping work and hopping across the country. 

“Right Now,” I text her. “Mom it’s literally so crazy. I bought my ticket an hour ago and hopped in an Uber.” 

Her response: “Crazy Good” 

Again I couldn’t believe it. I thank her for being so supportive. 

“Well, there are times when you have to make the best of whatever your day brings you, and then there are other times when you have to do what feels right even if it may not be “sensible”. 

I respond with lots of crying emoji’s. It’s moments like this that remind me that I have the best mom in the world.

She continues, “I was really sad the days before Christmas because you weren’t home, but then decided to enjoy the time. I ended up having a really lovely day…Jackson was particularly sweet. One example – we sat down to watch “Christmas Chronicles” and he asked if he could turn off the tree lights – or did I want them on…. normally I would say he could turn them off – but I really wanted them on, so I said, “I’d like them on” he said “ok” and we started the movie. A little while later I went to get something out of the kitchen and saw that he had wrapped his scarf around his head to block the lights. He found a way to make himself comfortable so I could have the lights on. 🙂 I didn’t say anything – but it warmed my heart. ……I hope you were able to enjoy the day too. We all have so many expectations for holidays – sometimes we miss what is actually happening.”

I start to cry (obviously) right as the guy who needs the seat next to me asks to sit down. Whoops. I let him sit down. My brother is very sensitive to lights due to a brain injury he got a few years back. This whole thing was just so beautiful to me. And my mom hit the nail on the head. I realized I had been living in an imaginary world of expectations for the holidays. And had not spent enough time in the present. I felt such unrest about letting Joe go off by himself. I wanted another chance to stay in the present. To be there with people that truly matter. 

I look out the window at the sparkling sun setting across the Earth. Stunning. I look over at the snoozing man across from me-my book twin. I don’t think he’s going to take notice of me. But that’s okay. Because I know I’m right where I should be. And maybe everything is going to be okay. -My career. My family. Joe. My friends. We’re all going to be okay. 

This is Joe’s family. Pretty awesome group. Not able to get all in a room yet for a photo! But here is many of them! 

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And here is the beautiful Sara Veale sitting across from me at the kitchen table as I prepare this post. She is a real writer so obviously I feel very cool sitting across from her as we both write. Check out her stuff. …Also you can see me in the window reflection.

https://www.fjordreview.com/author/sara-veale/\