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Planes, Trains and
Rental Automoblies
By LadyHawk
Once upon a time in the land of reality there lived a gal named Ladyhawk. Ladyhawk loved Highlander and her chat friends, and liked the movie "Planes, Trains and Automobiles" never thinking she would live it. Or maybe a better title would have been 'A funny thing happened to me on the way to the Con.' Ladyhawk was very exited to be going to the con in Anaheim, but also terrified, you see she was afraid to death of flying. Her thought on the subject was if God had intended for her to fly, she would have been born with wings, since she wasn't well……was also so afraid she'd miss her plane that she set all the alarm clocks in the house and in her mother's house as well. A ringing telephone would surely wake her up. Ladyhawk packed and unpacked endless times trying to make sure she forgot nothing and hoped the suitcase would still close in the end. Ah, at last she was ready, but sleep never came. How can someone sleep with eagles flying around in ones tummy. Finally off she went to a great big adventure, not knowing how big that adventure that laid ahead of her was to be. If she only knew.
Music was blaring from the car stereo, with a cup of coffee in hand off she went. She had made great time getting to the airport's Park and Ride lot. Her better half told her how great this place was. "Honey," he said "you only have to wait 30 seconds and a yellow van will pick you up by your car." Surely she must not have heard him right , he must have said 30 minutes instead, for that was as long as she stood by her car. Everyone, because she was not alone, was waiting and waiting for this mighty yellow van to appear, for it was getting pretty cold out. They stood and stood there like modern statues, and watched as van after van stop what seemed to be ¼ mile down the parking lot as big as Rhode Island. Hell's bell's, everyone groaned and started walking to the vans.
Great finally in the bloody yellow van, she had 1 ½ hours left to catch her plane. She checked her ticket once, twice, three times in a course of 30 minutes. Yes her flight left at 6:45, still time she thought to herself. Everyone shouted out his or her airline, Northwest, Southwest, AA to the driver, now it was her turn. "Reno Air," she shouted to the driver. "Where is that?" the driver shouted back. What was this, he worked here didn't he know, did she have to do everything. Well hey, Ladyhawk was no dummy and she looked at her ticket, "International," she shouted back proudly.
This was great, she stood in line with 45 minutes to spare. Up to the counter she walked, showed her ticket and was surprised when the counter person told her "your at the wrong terminal, yours is at the other end of the airport". Oh fine and just how was she suppose to get there she asked. Shuttle bus was his reply. Yes, the red and white bus was what he said and she spotted one just driving up, she could not believe her luck. Well she still could not believe her luck when it took 30 minutes to get to the other terminal, stop, go ,stop, go would it never end. After sitting on pins and needles she finally got off that bus and again could not believe her luck, great, no line, Yippee! Proudly she walked towards the check in counter, presented her ticket, what a surprise it was when Mr. Ticket counter man told her, her plane just left. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN JUST LEFT, I still had 15 minutes to run the marathon down to the gate." "Well this is Easter you know" was his reply, "and your flight to Reno just left." Relief filled her as she smiled back, "I'm not going to Reno I'm going to L.A. to the great con." "NO, NO," Mr. T said, "you go to Reno then to L,A., the nonstop was changed and it just left, and there are no other flights, it's Easter remember." How could she forget! Ladyhawks first reaction was disbelief , then shock, then anger. She could feel her eyes filling with tears. No, she thought, I won't show tears, but than again, maybe sad eyes and some tears at this man's counter might just make him realize that yes there was a flight to L.A. Hey it worked in the movies. In movies a guy would do anything to stop a crying female, but alas this was real life. "NO flights out but let me check," he said. Around this time a group of 5 showed up to the counter and got the same little speech from Mr. T that LH got. He told them he would check for them as well but it didn't look good, since another big airline had just canceled 2 flights and needed to find flights for them. Heck, he was having problems just finding a flight for just one.
She must be on "Candid Camera" because this just can't be happening to her. She looked high and low, left and right, and thought man they sure hide their cameras well. In the mean time a Ms. Ticket person was on the scene. She must have had a recording deal with a major record company because she sounded like a broken record. "You should have been here 90 minutes prier to flight time". She said this over and over again till Ladyhawk was getting real queasy. " Lookey here, Ms. T, I was here 90 minutes before", Ladyhawk told her and started to explain what had happened. Again LH and the others heard "You should have been here 90 minutes before flight time, Its Easter." Well at least Ms. T added 2 more words to her recording. While Mr. T was still checking on other flights, another couple entered in the picture with of course the same problem, and had to listen to the same recording. And there they stood 8 people late all because they where waiting on the parking lot and a flight that was to leave at 6:45 left at 6:30.
By this time LH badly needed a smoke and call to her hubby. As she did so, she was thinking of the friends she would miss meeting and the great con itself. Her hubby felt as badly as she did as she poured out her heart to him. When she returned good news and bad news awaited her as well as her fellow "I'm in the same boat, but not the same plane" passengers. "We have a flight out of O'Hare, but no way of getting you there," Mr. T announced. Well first things first, book me Dano. The party of 5 told us they where going to rent a car and drive to O'Hare and that Ladyhawk was welcomed to ride with them. LH thought about it and thanked them but declined due to the fact that 6 people in a car for 5-6 hrs did not really appeal to her. Why didn't she think of renting a car. What she planed to do was drive her own car to O'Hare, not realizing that the return flight would be to Detroit, DUH. She put that moment of stupidity down to stress and the fact of total disbelief that this was even happening to her.
The nice couple where also in a state of disbelief. He was ready to call it a day and go back to bed, as where she had a sense of adventure. Ladyhawk announced that she would also rent a car and drive to O'Hare, then kind of went out in the ozone. She didn't quite realize she was staring in this woman's eyes, till the woman started to laugh. She snapped out of it and some how they both knew they would be in this big adventure together. As they all got new tickets and were waiting for the rental's car pick up bus, LH called her hubby once more. 'God love him,' she thought as he explained that in a short amount of time he had called the park & ride and the airlines. As her hubby was speaking, a great warmth of love for her best friend and her mom was almost overwhelming. They felt as bad as LH herself did.
On the drive to nowhere, LH more or less told the couple her life story, and theirs to her. What else was there to do on a 5-hr ride, plus they got along great. Suprisingly the 5 hr drive went by swiftly till the dumb rent-a-car signs that were so confusing. After twice around the airport, and help of all three pairs of eyes together, they made it. It was a great feeling to begin as strangers and end as friends. And guess who they saw there but the party of 5, small world they said to each other.
As luck would have it LH had a 5 hr lay over in Reno, at this rate she would finally make it to the con in about a month, she could walk faster. But her luck was changing. She asked to be on standby and was told "it does not look good, there are 15 people on the standby list." "Put my name on that list anyway," she replied. Besides, this was Reno after all, maybe she could gamble some. No better not. The plane was filled up fast and they were doing a head count. 3 people were waiting outside holding their breaths to see who would go and who would stay. The suspense was agony. Where the other 15 standbys were Ladyhawk never could figure that one out. Walla, 3 seats left, 3 people left standing, and to be seated in first class to boot, her luck was a changing.
Touchdown, she felt like she'd been in a football game that lost big. After waiting forever again for the rental car, (what was it with the 30 minutes here, 30 minutes there, anyway) and getting lost a few times, she had arrived at the big beautiful hotel, and she was only 10 hrs late. Luckily her whole family as it turned out talked to the gal she was to room with. Ladyhawk opened the door and called out "Honey I'm home," there was not reply. The lights where on but nobody was home. So she left a note for Cait, her roomy, as she was in great need for food, real food, not what airlines call food. On her way back at the elevator a strange woman got out as LH was getting in. "Are you, oh nevermind," this lady asked LH and left. Back at the room LH sensed that someone had been back and left but again. "You know what," she said to herself, she was talking to herself a lot today, or was it yesterday, "that lady by the elevator must have been Cait." Down again she went, LH was starting to feel like a yo-yo, in search for the missing roomie. She'd check the bar first, no she wasn't there, but there was another lady standing by the bar and she asked her "Are you Ladyhawk?" "Yes, I am" LH replied . "I'm AZ," the other gal told her and they hugged each other. AZ brought LH to Cait and it was group hug time. It was so great to finally meet the girls that were like sisters to each other.
The rest is history. They all lived happily ever after, for a whole weekend. When Ladyhawk got home, she thought 'was it really worth it, this great big adventure to get to the con.' Her answer was 'yes, oh yes.' Would she do it again? Well, the jury is still out.