Travel Moments
Normally when Darrel and I travel, we encounter at least one ‘what in the world?!’ moment. We are now back from Memphis and I am happy to report, it was all smooth sailing. Except for my very first encounter with a rude TSA agent. Going through the security check at the Philadelphia airport, she barked orders. Darrel could not help himself and encouraged her to be nicer, but she ignored him. Other than that, we had a very nice time in Darrel’s home town. We spent time with Darrel’s family and his boyhood friend ‘The Bud.’ We attended a fantastic Mother’s Day Paint and Sip at the family church. We enjoyed a birthday bash for my brother-in-law Danny, and had a delicious Mother’s Day dinner. We went on a tour of the city. I saw the house that Darrel and his brother were born in and other significant family sites. We also got a chance to walk Beal Street and visit the Pyramid.
(With my May family: Sisters Gwen, Gayland, Gail and nieces Keesha, Angel, Sandy and Yeka)
Darrel and I have had some travel moments that we will never forget. Some funny and some not so much. Like when we went to the Bahamas for granddaughter, Jamie’s high school graduation. Darrel and I went to a popular restaurant for lunch. Already knowing what he wanted, Darrel ordered a fish platter. The waiter said they were out of fish. You would have thought he was speaking in a different language, for we could not comprehend, and asked for clarification several times. After our back and forth, Darrel made a different selection. About 15 minutes later, someone came to the table saying there was a fish and asked Darrel if he wanted it. Did I mention the name of the restaurant is The Fish Fry? We still laugh about that.
On a different trip, we really had a WITW travel moment. This time it was our grandson, Taylor’s high school graduation in South Carolina. We arrived a few days early vacationing in Myrtle Beach. On the day of the graduation, we made the 2-hour drive to Taylor’s school for the ceremony. We joined the room full of excited family members as the graduates marched in. The principal was on the stage making announcements such as, hold your applause until the end and all the typical things said at graduations. What we failed to realize was just how serious she was. The graduates were finally ready to receive their diplomas. When called, the first student proudly walked across the stage. His excited family cheered with a quick clap and a yeah! What happened next horrified me to no end. A police officer waved them down and took them away. I am not exaggerating these were actual gun-wearing police officers, not school Administrators or security guards. We saw people cheer for their graduate, then rush down to meet the police and get escorted away. Darrel and I watched dumbfounded as this kept happening. After the ceremony, we went outside to find Taylor and take pictures. My daughter Kito was leaning down, talking to a police officer who was sitting in his car. She was red-faced and letting him know how she felt about the matter. We were taking bets on how long it would take before he carted her off to the ‘jail for cheering families.’ Their facilities must have been full because he sat there listening to her vent. You had better believe I did not relax until we got back to Myrtle Beach.
Sitting in the Atlanta airport waiting for our Philadelphia connection reminded me of a travel moment I had at the Atlanta airport in December 2019. We were heading back home from a wonderful vacation in Florida with friends Marshal and Linda. Waiting for my connection, I had my head down reading. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a woman sitting in a wheelchair. At first glance, I thought she had a child on her lap. I looked up again and thought she had a ventriloquist doll. I put on my glasses to get a better look. Good Lord, she was holding toddler baby Jesus! What in the world is going on here? I kid you not. I was at the airport, looking at a middle-aged woman, sitting in a wheelchair, with a porcelain toddler baby Jesus on her lap. I am watching the woman watching me. While I was trying to act as if I was not watching them. You all know I am a little extra, I am sure the strange looks on my face reflected the dialog that was going on inside of my head. I tried to get back to reading my book and leave them be. Then I started messing with my own self, thinking what if toddler baby Jesus slid off her lap and came and stood in front of me. I had to keep my eyes on them so that would not happen. I watched that woman so hard I started to sweat. I snuck and took a picture because I knew nobody would believe me. My lopsided picture did not clearly show what I saw. When it was time to get on the plane, I started getting nervous. I knew if I sat next to the woman and toddler baby Jesus, I would stare at him the whole trip. Thankfully, when I got on the plane, I did not see either one of them. I settled in and was sound asleep before take-off. After all, with toddler baby Jesus on board, I knew it would be a smooth flight!
Amanda☺
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