Tess, Paul, and Evan have been vacationing in Greece. This is my husband's mother's homeland and he wanted to take the kids there to experience the Angelos family ancestry.
Like chickens coming home to roost, my family is slowly circling, making their way back. Late Monday morning, my husband called and spoke in his usual, calm demeanor. The news was anything but. He had just been pick pocketed and wanted me to call the bank and two credit card companies to report the theft. I am thankful I was home and by the phone to receive his call. He reported that they would be home in two days, and that Ev had his debit/credit card. Could I please transfer $$$ into Ev's account? They could get home on that.
Their fight was to arrive at the Des Moines International Airport Wednesday night. I had their flight numbers, so throughout the day, I followed their journey from around the globe. Early evening, the phone rang. It was Evan reporting that they had arrived in Atlanta and would be home before midnight.
An hour before I was to leave for the airport, another call. Even tho they had these plane reservations for 3 months, the plane was overbooked. Only one of the three of them could get on the plane. Paul stressed that he was putting Tess on the plane because "she needed to get home", i.e. she was having a meltdown! No sleep in 24 hours and being marooned in Atlanta, GA was more than she could handle. I could hear just a bit of the edge in his even tone.
He needed to get her on that plane!
Twenty minutes passed, and the phone rang again. He wanted me to find his itinerary for his Thursday flight to Dallas for a one-day business meeting. The original plan was that he would get home from vacation late Wednesday, fly back out early Thursday morning for the noon meeting, then return on Friday night. Now things were getting jumbled. He was traveling to an important meeting with no credit cards, very little money, and dirty laundry. This was not my husband's style, but what a trooper.
Number 1 is home. I retrieved Tess late last night. She was sound asleep by 1 AM this morning and just got up for some peanut butter toast. She offered that her dad had mentioned he had one clean white shirt, but only dirty khaki shorts to wear to his meeting. Somehow, I know my husband will pull it off.
Paul was able to reroute to Dallas from Atlanta, leaving Ev in Atlanta. This is the son who traveled solo on bike, train, and bus throughout India last semester. With a taxi voucher to and from a hotel, three food vouchers, AND a $400 voucher for any flight within the US, he was in Seventh Heaven! But there was another glitch. Ev was placed on standby for a noon flight. If he could not get on that one, he would have to wait until 3 pm to catch another. His luggage came home with us, so the poor guy did not have any toiletries or clean clothes. He did have his backpack and I know for a fact that it is always loaded with books!
This is turning into quite the little adventure. When I checked the flight status this morning, his standby flight was delayed for 2 hours. But just minutes late, the phone rang and it was my son, sounding wonderful and cheery. He got the last seat, they are on the tarmac, and he is heading home! I leave for the airport in an hour and will gladly welcome home
Number 2.
We said our goodbyes, enjoyed hugs all around, and loaded into the Mini. I asked Ev if he wanted the slow trip home or the fast one on the interstate. He shook his head, "Mom, do you even have to ask?" We headed west, over to the state highway. We made one stop along the way at an old junk shop. We shopped together for awhile, then apart, then together again. Ev found a old picture for his new digs, an old tin box, and a valentine written from Virgil to Lorraine Luppes in 1929. I am sure Ev must have a young woman in mind ;)
