Our House

As good as the meetings where with a book agent and leaders in social media for good causes is as bad as the trip home was. A large thunderstorm over Manhattan may as well have dumped glue over the runways because everything got stuck. LaGuardia is a small Delta terminal anyway so it filled and was soon crazy crowded. Long lines at the bars and restaurants made it worse and the delays grew longer too. Soon people started getting upset and it showed. The entire place was this collective fund of bad karma.

I've traveled enough and have spent enough time on islands to know that when things like this happen ... go with the flow. Luckily I'm a Crown Room member so, while it was packed too, it wasn't as bad as the terminal halls. I got a glass of wine and fired up the laptop to instant chat with Esther, Dedra and Chelsea who was watching Goddess for me at the last moment. This is what I would be doing at home anyway.

Then they announced that the Atlanta flights were canceled.

It is hard to go anywhere in Georgia without going through Atlanta so a large groan erupted in the room. At that same moment a large clap of thunder exploded overhead.

"Shit!" several people said at the same time.

The fire alarm went off. Half the room decided this was a good time to rush the bar. The other half stayed put reading their books, sleeping or talking on their cell phones. It reminded me of the fire drills we used to have at Union Mission. Homeless people aren't big on fire drills.

"Come on," I'd say, "this could be a fire."

"Yep," they would say. "It's ok, we're wasted anyway. It's hard to do homeless sober."

"Hmmm ..." I remember thinking, "I'm sure it is."

So I chatted with people who love me and who I love ... pretty content.

The hardest part was keeping up with my delays and gate changes. I'd have to get up and walk to the board listing departures or to the gate only to find that it would another half hour before we'd take off. Of course everybody else was doing this too so we were like lemmings running back and forth.

People continued to get angrier and their voices grew louder. I sat with my chin resting in the palm of my hand watching them. They were sure wasting a lot of energy. Most were on the phone with family members cursing the airlines.

I was pretty laid back about it all. As midnight approached it dawned on me that I may not be home in time for Jenny Orr's birthday boating to Dafuski Island. "Hmmm... that would be a bummer," I thought to myself. I wrote Johnny O a message to inform him of this possibility.

At that moment God intervened and allowed the plane for Savannah to be lifted towards the heavens. Forty of us rushed aboard while the big boy jets heading for Atlanta stayed grounded.

I read the introduction to my book and immediately fell asleep. Two hours later I was in Savannah. I stumbled into a cab, said take me to Tybee, and immediately fell asleep. Forty-five minutes later he woke me up in front of my house. Chelsea had left the lights on for me and Goddess was going nuts barking with excitement. She woke Chelsea up who kissed me and went back to bed.

And I stood in my kitchen ... rubbing my hand on the cheek of my face ... thinking ... I don't remember the last time that I was kissed when I got home ...

Then Goddess slammed her butt into my leg ... reminding me ... that she kisses me every time I come home ... in her own way ...

Then I walked into our house ... and slept soundly.