Kelly Takes A Plane Ride

The house is empty now--just me and two tired puppies, both of whom are out cold on their respective sofas. As I wander about a house that suddenly seems too large, I listen for an expected echo but hear only silence. This morning Marcia boarded an early flight for New York, and I dropped Kelly off at the Sunport an hour later, stopping for breakfast burritos at Flying Star on the way.


As the check-in line snaked toward the counter, I noticed a lot of luggage in our immediate vicinity. In fact, it was more than a lot. A friendly woman on line suggested to Kelly that she leave a few things home next time. Moments after we checked Kelly's three allowable pieces of luggage, her backpack exploded under the strain of its valuable contents: an iBook, a camera, and a plethora of sweet and salty snacks. The fabric didn't rip, but the zipper was shot. We hastily repackaged the snacks in Ziplock bags, disposing of space-taking boxes that challenged the zipper beyond its limits. I hoped the ailing backpack would hold together for 2,000 miles. To be honest, I prayed all of Kelly's less-than-sturdy luggage would survive the two flights back to Florida.

Kelly passed through the initial security checkpoint quickly and disappeared in a sea of people in queues--men, women and children, all waiting to remove their shoes and have their carry-ons scanned.

Driving home in solitude, the morning light seemed especially dramatic. The Albuquerque volcanoes looked majestic and strong, surrounded by endless sand. To the east, the Sandias towered above a city busying itself with routine morning tasks.

I've just refreshed my browser and notice that Kelly has landed. Marcia, however, is still stuck in Minneapolis, where she's been for the past six hours due to an aircraft malfunction. For hours Northwest has reported on its website that the flight is "delayed awaiting inbound aircraft." In the last few minutes, the aircraft has apparently arrived, as the updated status is "delayed awaiting inbound flight crew."

Comings and goings are so strange. One minute here, next minute gone. The dogs seem to take it all in stride, but I find it baffling. I get to spend a week with myself now, and I think that's a very good thing. I enjoy my own company. What more could a person ask? I look forward to a relaxing evening thinking about the past month--my trip to Florida and the past several weeks with a teenager. I might even listen to Bowling For Soup.