Years, Tears, and Tides... Part One
Years, Tears, and Tides… Part One Inevitability. Go ahead, sound it out, then say it aloud. Okay? Now ponder the meaning. Everything is eventual, time passes by, and there ain't a damned thing a person can do about it. There is no pause button. Blink, and the world has moved on. I boarded my plane Saturday morning with a smile on my face. Not only was I getting away for the weekend, but I would be hanging out with my oldest daughter, Junebug, whom I haven't seen since last year. Every time I planned to go see her, something else came up. I needed to see her, hug her, and reassure myself that she's going to be alright. Daddy duty never ends, the role just undergoes different changes.
I found an aisle seat and settled in without buckling the seatbelt. There was an empty seat next to me and I crossed my fingers in hopes that it would remain unoccupied or at the very least, the person would be of a smaller stature. Don't laugh. I was on Southwest airlines, which does not have assigned seating. I watched the passengers boarding and I gave the “evil eye” to every person that glanced at the empty seat next to me. They kept moving.
A big guy came towards me, and I held my breath until he sat down across the aisle. He grinned at me and nodded, understanding exactly what was happening. A larger woman started walking towards me, and I looked away, telling myself not to be judgmental or biased, but I hoped she'd keep walking. A soft voice interrupted my reverie.
“Is that seat taken?”
Crap. I turned and the voice belonged to a right-sized young woman. There would be no elbow tucking, breath holding, or thoughts of life as a sardine. I stood up to let her sit down in the middle, and the big guy across the aisle gave me a thumbs up. I'd won.
By the time the plane reached cruising altitude, the three of us were chatting and laughing together. The big guy's name was Josh, and he was on his way to see his teenaged daughter in a play. The right-sized young woman's name was Bird, who was on a trip with girlfriends to get away and reconnect. Me? I was on a getaway to hang out with my twenty-five year old daughter Amari, who I hadn't seen in nearly a year.
I talked to this young, attractive woman, and as we talked, something changed in my psyche. I'd viewed her as pretty and all of that, but as we conversed, she reminded me so much of my own daughters that I found myself giving advice on dating, finances, credit, and being a good parent. There was no flirting, no double entendres, just real conversation between a young woman and an older man.
Whiskey, laughter, and the hope that this young woman would stick to her path as a person and a mother, living, learning, and loving. By the time the plane landed, the three of us had exchanged business cards and phone numbers, because one never knows how a brief interchange can change someone's life.
Thirty minutes after landing, I was navigating the airport in Atlanta, trying to get to the rental cars, where my daughter was waiting for me. I was single-minded in my purpose, so much that I didn't pay any attention when someone fell into step beside me. Finally, they broke the silence. “Daddy, are you going to look around?” It was my baby, Amari, known forever in my heart as Junebug. I hugged her and my allergies kicked in, because my eyes got watery. We picked up our rental and started our weekend in Atlanta. The conversation in the car became serious and I had a déjà vu moment.
Didn't we just have this conversation on the plane?
To be continued...
