04/14/2022

Lynn Murphy Mark

Next week I will board an airplane and travel to someplace I have never seen before. Since I grew up overseas, this will be one more trip in a long series that started when I was six weeks old. The year was 1949 and we flew to Mexico City for my dad to start a new job with General Motors Overseas Operations. 

Of course I don’t remember that flight, but I can think back long enough to remember what it was like to fly “in the day”. The seats were wider. Food was served on real china with silverware on most flights. Drinks were served in real glasses. People could smoke. Little kids were often escorted to the cockpit to meet the pilots and get a wings pin to wear. Stewardesses were svelte and wore uniforms that were really tailored suits. In the beginning, they were registered nurses. The airlines felt that passengers would feel more secure with a trained attendant. 

Getting on the plane was effortless. Bags were checked for free. No TSA. No x-ray machines. No need to remove shoes. People who were not going to be on the flight could walk to the gate to say goodbye. Getting off the plane was always a treat to see who might be waiting at the gate to greet the arriving passengers. It usually felt like a friendly endeavor to fly anywhere. 

So next week I will squeeze into a narrow seat after I have been x-rayed and wanded because I have two metal knees. Chances are I will have quite a trek to my gate. I fly Southwest whenever I can so I will have waited for the exact moment when I can check in and get a seat. And even though I check in at exactly the right time, I will invariable end up in B or C group. I want to know what the secret is for A group boarding – besides paying extra for the privilege. 

It will all be worth it. I am meeting Jackie in San Juan, Puerto Rico, for a three day, fully unplugged, experience. We haven’t had that much time together just the two of us for I don’t know how long!  I’m not taking a computer. I am taking my Kindle and a deck of cards. I plan to try a lot of Puerto Rican coffee and rum, not necessarily at the same time. And maybe not a whole lot of rum, either, unless it’s in a drink where I can’t really taste it. I am a lightweight drinker…

Jackie is one busy woman, so the prospect of a few quiet days must feel pretty good. The boys and their dad will be on their own. I’m sure they will manage, and we don’t need to know the details of how that happens. I expect that she will sleep soundly and long – a luxury not available to her these days. We may sightsee, but probably not, other than the local pool and the beach and the restaurants in the neighborhood.

I can’t emphasize what a gift this is. To be able to spend quiet time with my daughter is precious to me. We live quite a distance apart, so in-person time is rare. I am grateful.

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