July 31
Tuesday dawned early. We awoke at the Punta Gorda Waterfront Inn after a decent night's sleep. I decided to shower before doing anything else. The water was cold. The bathroom sink had hot water. The jacuzzi tub had hot water but not the shower. I decided to try it anyway. I didn't make it long. Over to the tub. Fill it up. The water was a greenish yellowish not welcoming color. I washed my hair in it anyway.
We went out to breakfast with Eric and Bennett. Sabbatical non-contact again completely blown. Then they drove us to the airport. We arrived about 12:30 for our 2:45 flight. We breezed through security and took our seat next to Sydney. Eric and Bennett decided to wait to go through so they could get their dog, Brody, to the grass before getting through security. Well, Eric's pass through security was eventful to say the least. He has a splint/cast on his right hand. They made him take it off. Then, in front of everyone the TSA folks gave him a patdown that explored every surface of his person. The only thing they didn't examine was body cavities. Yes, I witnessed the search and I can state with certainty, it was a thorough search. Wow.
Then came the storms. The rain. The lightning. The delays. Our plane arrived from Rockford, IL and it and its 170 passengers sat on the ramp while the skies opened up, and we in the terminal fumed.
The ramp is closed. Again. Then, the storm began to dissipate before our radar-watching eyes like a miracle of Moses proportions and the RAMP WAS OPEN! The plane moved to the gate, and its passengers deplaned. We rushed on to the plane like exuberant teenagers headed to a Caribbean beach for the first time in our lives. The doors closed and we headed to Lexington.
Now, I want to pause from my timeline here to talk a bit about Nos. Nos was the gate agent for Allegiant.
I said very early in these sabbatical posts that the sabbatical would be about the people I would meet and the stories they would share, and create. There was Kim at the Waffle House. Becca at the wedding. Len Midden and Blanton at the funeral. My sister's friend Kat during my Oklahoma stay. The gentlemen at the furniture store in Naples. FCC Naples, Pastor Michael and Grace McLaren. Eric and Bennett. Nos adds to the litany of people who have made these five weeks interesting.
Nos had to deliver all the bad news from Allegiant. When she announced on Monday night that the flight was canceled there was a police officer at her side. With good reason. One gentleman made a complete and total ass of himself, yelling and threatening the Allegiant staff. Had the gate agent been a burly man I suspect his reaction would have been tempered, but Nos was a petite African-American woman and he was ready to rumble. Good thing the officer was there. Nos wasn't rattled. She handled herself with grace.
As the tensions rose Monday evening I made my way over to Nos and told her one of my patented, stupid, ridiculous puns. She looked at me incredulously. She was ready for angry people. I told her a joke. After a second she laughed. Then she said, "thank you. Keep them coming."
Wouldn't you know it, Nos was the gate agent on Tuesday as well. And after the first delay, things were getting dicey. I trekked to the desk three times to tell her stupid puns. She smiled. I hope she goes far in her company. She has a tough job in Florida with Allegiant. There's going to be lots of delays on lots of flights. Allegiant is fortunate to have her. I told them so in a tweet.
We arrived in Lexington about 24 hours after our scheduled arrival.
There is so much to unpack from this past week. People. Places. Wealth. Poverty. Restlessness in the middle of restfulness. I am so grateful to the Ecton, Saunier and Rush families. I am so grateful to First Christian Church.
Looking forward to the next encounter.
Peace and Love,
Jerry
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