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I am home. Home home home home home.
I had been dreading the flight back for days. All I could think about was the agonizing pressure between my ears I felt on the flight to New York.
But I guess between the Sudafed, Afrin, Vicks inhaler, Advil and the EarPlanes, I managed to hold off the pain. Other than the hourlong delay at JFK due to the plane having to be de-iced -- it was snowing when I left -- it was a smooth flight home.
I guess the days of stress had gotten to me. In the cab on the way home from MCO, I was a wreck. I needed a shower. My hair was an oil slick. I hadn't worn clean clothes in days. And as I listened to the soothing classical music, sitting in silence in the back of the dark car, I thought, "I'm just going to cry when I see Amber."
And I did.
I paid the cabbie his fare -- he could have charged me $100 and I would have gladly handed it over -- and opened the front door. Little Amber was curled up on the sofa, sitting in the dark. I ran over to her, grabbed her and lost it. I missed her so much.
But at that moment, she was so much more than just my fat, gray, princess. She was home to me. Home is opening the front door after work and seeing her waddle over, greeting me with a MEEEEEOOOWWWWWWW!!! at the top of her voice. Home is hearing Urza the lovebird TWWEEET TWEEET! when I say his name. Home is the BF's textbook and notes on the kitchen table. Home is his ever-shifting pile of Newsweeks, Entertainment Weeklys and remotes spread out on the coffee table like a wind-blown house of cards. Home is the stinky, ugly, yellow and orange comforter on the bed that the cats like to sleep on. Home is Kitty racing down the hallway, chasing imaginary playmates. Home is my laptop. Home is the perpetual trail of cat litter from the laundry room to the kitchen that I hate stepping on.
I'd never been so happy to feel that cat litter between my toes.
Current mood: Peaceful
Replies: 1 shoutout
That happened to me once -- but coming back from a vacation. I think I was flying back from London. Highly hated.
In November I was flying with my three-year-old and he was getting over an ear infection. He was OK taking off, but he started howling upon descent. An awfully resourceful passanger who was a stewardess told the stewardess to get two cardboard coffee cups, wad up a wet paper towel at the bottom and microwave it for a few seconds. The combination of the vacuum caused by the cups and the warm air provided steam from the paper towels did just the trick. I would have just asked for more miniature bottles from the liquor cart.
Posted by har-D-b'woyee @ 03/26/2004 07:15 PM EST