Flight of Fancy

Bee getting pneumonia and being hospitalised was a shock, it's amazing how quickly these events happen, one minute everything is fine and the next, you're using SatNav to find a hospital.  I visited most nights straight from work, leaving home at 5.05am and returning at 7.50pm, I was exhausted but not visiting wasn't an option that I would choose.

Thank God, after just over a week, Bee was allowed to return home, she has a good few weeks of taking it easy ahead of her but at least she's over the worst.

A few days later and I'm flying down to Southampton, there was a flight sale on which Jan alerted me to and so having leave to use up before March, I booked to go away for the weekend and visit my friends down there.

I'm lucky with the weather, it's been bitterly cold for a good week now and I've been fogged in before now at the airport waiting to fly down but everything is fine today and I'm on board and we depart on schedule.

As I board and make my way to 20D, I approach my row and politely say to 20C, Hello, excuse me but I'm there, (and point to highlight my window seat.)  My flying partner for today is a very statuesque elderly lady.  She gets up out of her seat and stands aside, by about 2 inches.  Thank you, but I'm not that thin.  Co-passenger shuffles a little further into the aisle to allow me to slide in to my seat.  From there, I have to belt myself up and then belt up my co-passenger as she was sitting on her belt initially.

Lovely lady barely drawers breath for the entire flight.  Well travelled, no children, widow, husband was Tom, one step-child, doesn't live near-by.  Step daughter-in-law dresses inappropriately for age.  Has three trips planned so far this year, the next being The Little Trains of the Pyrenees.  She will be 86 on Sunday, same day as eldest Sister and her Mother, who she talked extensively about, was named Dorothy, the same as mine.

Having cried through most of yesterday evening over work, to now find myself next to this lady who, for the entire flight I am unable to think of anything that is worrying me because I'm engaged in conversation, and now to find that her Mum's name is Dorothy.  Do we think this is a coincidence?

Elderly lady is a VIP in that she needs assistance, the thing with this is that people needing assistance are first on, brilliant, but last off.  And so I am trapped on the plane after landing, until everyone, bar my lady next to me moves.  (I'm marooned next to the window.)  "Are you in a hurry?"
"No, I'm not in any hurry," I lied.

What seemed like an eternity later, my co-passenger stood up and made her way to the door and I swiftly followed.

Air steward at the door piped up; "Well that was an interesting flight for you!"  It absolutely was and I wouldn't swap it for a boring one if you paid me, thanks very much.

JR meets me at the airport and Helen meets us at Wagamama's, this is becoming tradition since I started landing at lunch time.  I spill my guts about work and the odd salty tear escapes but Helen is as positive as always and decides new manager is in some way threatened.  How, God only knows but my Mum always used to say if someone was being a bitch or a bully, it's because they were jealous or threatened in some way.  I never understood what anyone would have to be jealous of me about but I've doled this advice out myself to youngsters and in the absence of any other excuse, maybe she is?  God only knows why.