Big Angels

Well, as you will recall, I was quite anxious on Friday about my adventure in the skies with the little angel. So anxious, in fact, that I forgot some stuff. We arrived at the airport v. early, parking in the sensible miles-away parking lot, and headed to the counter to check All Our Stuff. As we were handing over the pack-n-play, the suitcase for us and the wheelie for the little angel, the ticket counter person commented that we needed to have a birth certificate or shot record for the little angel. Oops. After a few frantic moments, she assured us she would let us on the plane, but that we would have to have such documentation faxed to us in Portland so we could get back on the plane to come home.

Then she asked for my free ticket voucher.

I cradled my head in my hands, realizing that I FORGOT EVERYTHING IMPORTANT. My husband looked pained. He left to try to drive the half-hour home and back in 45 minutes so that we wouldn't miss our plane. Of course we would miss our plane. Of course we had only brought one cell phone between the two of us, because there was no way we would be separated. The ticket agent determined that every flight between Kansas City and Portland, including getting routed through BOSTON, was overbooked. She looked sad for me. "I'm sorry," she said. "You could maybe standby at 8:40 p.m., getting into Portland at 11:30."

I hung my head. She let me use her little counter phone to call my husband and tell him to give it up and come get me. He was about a block from home at the time. She helped me lug all the suitcases off to the side, where I had to change the little angel's diaper on the seats because I couldn't leave ALL OUR STUFF to go change her in private in the bathroom. I fed her. I started to whimper a little. Then I just decided to go ahead and cry.

Then, like some nice bear in a fairy tale, another Southwest ticketing agent came up. "Why are you crying?" he said. I explained the whole story, and he left, only to resurface about fifteen minutes later with boarding passes. He had taken it upon himself to overbook two flights so that we could go to the wedding, restoring my faith in strangers and truly overwhelming me by his kindness.

I called my honey again, but alas, he had NOT gone home to get the ticket, because I told him just to come get me. Now me, I probably would've stopped and gotten it anyway if I were that close, but he's not me. So it turned out that we had to buy the second ticket anyway. But we were going, and that was all I cared about. Three airplanes and one two-hour delay in L.A. later, we arrived in Portland exhausted but relieved. We were there about 30 hours before going through the whole rigamarole again. The little angel woke up every two hours last night. The whole affair cost us about $800. But my cousin B. looked just beautiful in her dress, and the little angel got to meet the entire extended family and all her second cousins. So I guess it was worth it.

I'm going to let my beloved pack next time. And now I believe in big angels.