The Flight

I know most of you have some idea of how Kathleen and I met, but I think it’s time to tell the story as it happened. This is a tale of sadness and joy. Fasten your seat belts; it’s a bumpy ride.

Really, this journey starts after the end of another. That’s just how life is. You have to get to here to get to there. Some legs of those trips are smooth, and some have turbulence. I think we can say this story starts after a particularly unpleasant ride in my life.

Let’s just start where it starts: January first, well, New Year’s Eve anyway. Celebrating with friends all night, trying to think of ways or not think of ways to get my life back on track. The influence of the champagne fueled feelings of loss, sure, but also feelings of hope and optimism. High on all of that, a few friends and I made plans to hop a flight to Sin City.

When I got home in the morning, I went online to purchase my tickets to fabulous Las Vegas. I noticed I had an email on my Yahoo personals. Yeah, can you believe that was a thing? I replied quickly to the girl who apparently was not up at 4 in the morning. Whatever, I’ll see to that when I get back, if I come back. I purchased the cheapest tickets on Delta and started getting ready. My flight left early on the fourth. Time to rest and pack. The boys and I are going to Vegas, baby!

So, as I’m sure you figured out by now, in the excitement of the moment, the boys were in for going to Vegas. After the alcohol wore off, their commitment to the trip changed. Turns out I was going to Las Vegas all by myself. I am going to Vegas, baby, yeah? At least they dropped me off at the airport. This was before Uber, in the land before time. Getting out of their car and heading into the airport, into the great unknown, with my hopes high and my self-esteem low. What in the blue velvet was I thinking?

I got myself through security faster than expected. I had some time to find my terminal and some breakfast. Stopping at Leo’s, which (this may upset some folks) is the best Leo’s. They were busy. The only place to sit was at the bar in the window. Eating my rye toast, enjoying some coffee, watching the travelers shuffling about. I’m sure by now you know what’s next. Yeah, that’s when I saw her, oh my. Walking towards Leo’s. Pink roller bag, pink jacket, pink flower in her blonde hair. Hey now!

Thank the breakfast gods that Leo’s was busy. Next to me is where The Girl sat. Heart in my throat, I smiled at her. She smiled back. Yeah, baby! The kid’s got moves. We started talking about how early it was. Turns out she had no love for catching a flight at four in the morning. You know me, Mr. Early Bird, already fully caffeinated. I kept the conversation going on my side, mostly at a million miles a minute. She didn’t seem to mind. There was lots of laughter and flirting. If I stopped talking, would this moment end?

As our plates grew empty and our time grew short, it was time to make our way to our flights. Can you believe I never asked where she was heading? Never asked her number. As we both walked towards our terminals, we kept chatting. Stopping to get some coffee. Well, I got coffee, strawberry lemonade for her. We neared my gate, and I gestured that it was time for me to fly. She smiled big; turns out she was heading to Las Vegas also. I guess she was meeting a few friends there for a wedding.

We sat and chatted for the rest of the time we were right close to the gate. We ended up chatting with the gate agent for a bit also; he was very nice. Juan, I think was his name. He clearly thought we were a couple. Neither of us corrected him. Just before we started boarding, he asked if we would do him a favor. Turns out they oversold the coach section of the plane. Could he please upgrade us to first class? My man, he knew what he was doing. Of course, we obliged his request. First class to Vegas, baby!

Okay, listen, things started getting real now. I mean, The Girl and I sitting in first class on our way to Las Vegas. I mean, we just met. What an exciting chance meeting. Her beautiful brown eyes confessed her enjoyment of this happy coincidence. While the plane boarded, we sat, eyes locked, getting to know each other.

I spent some time telling her all about my New Year’s Eve and how my friends abandoned me, just as I told you above. She seemed pleased with that. I told her of the journey that had ended some time before that night. The awkwardness that I still felt walking through life. She seemed to understand exactly what I was feeling. Whew, that might have been too much for a first… what? Is this a date? Well, too much for a first flight, perhaps. Turns out her life had taken a similar path, and the outcomes were not too different. This was not the only thing we had in common.

Can you believe we lived in the same city most of our lives, worked just a few miles apart on the same road? Knew some of the same people. Somehow our paths never crossed before this morning. It seemed our lives were intertwined before we knew it. I think she was putting this all together faster than me. How can you feel so connected to someone you just met? I think we were both flying high, both emotionally and literally. Thirty thousand some odd miles up, I could feel my life restarting. The awkwardness started to drift. It would seem she too was feeling the sun of a new day. I mean, the sun was finally rising as we flew to our destination.

Four hours in the air. Not with the people I thought I’d be with. Not having the flight I thought I’d have. Not feeling the way I’ve felt for some time. This was a new day. I was excited for Las Vegas and hopeful that The Girl and I would continue this romance that started in a full Coney Island a few hours earlier. Was it silly of me to never want that plane to land? It did, of course. Just as I was telling her of my efforts at online dating. The only response I ever got was not up the morning I tried to connect. Her eyes saddened, then softened as she smiled. “Was her name Pinkfrogs?” “I told you I’m not a fan of the morning. You should have checked your email before this flight.”

At that moment, I realized the connections of our lives. The way God, or the universe, had worked to bring us to this very moment. All paths leading us to be right here. Right now. About to leave this plane for a weekend in Las Vegas. That started the beginning of the rest of our lives together. Leaving this plane holding hands and smiling into the future.

We did not get married in Las Vegas that weekend. Although we might as well have. We did eventually return, and she became my bride. Try as I might, I just can’t imagine all the happy coincidences that happened to allow us to meet, bond, and fall in love on the flight.