Regardless of the hardcore travel experience I’ve accrued over the years it still seems its necessary to have those last minute dashes for last minute necessities. This time it was dashing out the night before the flight for socks. New socks you see, would prevent the fellow travelers from staring at my heels and toes when the TSA man demanded the removal of my shoes . Well this time I dashed right past Walmart to purchase a higher quality product with appropriately higher price at one of the upper crustier men’s departments at the mall.
Next morning the socks were seperated from their packaging and I learned that socks are now made in the same style as young girls jeans….you know…..made with wear holes and torn knees right out of the factory. Sitting on the edge of the bed I found myself looking down at the big toe toe nail fungal smile learing up at me. “Shit”…. The simple answer was to swap feet….the small toe minus the toe nail fungus on the other foot being by far, less noticeable was my thoughts.
Travel experiences often include both joy and sadness and this was no exception. The real journey began long before the sun and after boarding the shuttle from the long term parking to the terminal. I found myself sitting across from a cowboy hat so large that the guy sitting next to it had to rest his left ear lobe on his left shoulder to keep out of its way. The pin head beneath it was loudly proclaiming to all his travel itinerary to Boston…..I needed to start the day with humor and so tossed the query…
” Providing the airline would actually permit something so large as carry on luggage….you really gonna wear that hat in Boston??” The laughter must of been contagious as even the pinhead ultimately joined in .
Once inside the terminal I snuck through security with an undetected exposed toe to find myself at the boarding gate sitting across from a family of four. The mother and teenage daughter were sad and teary eyed with occasional outbursts of crying. Once in a while mom would say…
” It won’t be for long Honey” and they’d both burst out again. I have say I was confused as it appeared they were going to be saying goodbye…..but if you made it to this point of the airport you had a boarding pass. The young 11 year old boy/brother with a tall 1970s style female haircut simply sat staring at the fake eyebrowed gay guy with matching leather cheese cutter hat and pants while Dad simply sat reading the newspaper, only speaking when spoken to until we all heard.
” Rows 25 through 35 please board the aircraft now “……and so mom , daughter and the little 11 year old girl wannabe trudged over to the boarding gate and Dad simply dropped his newspaper in the next seat, stood up and wordlessly walked out boarding pass in hand never to board the aircraft……. creating another unsolved travel mystery to add to the list
