Barbados - Chapter 1- The Airport

Our journey began on Wednesday morning. We headed to JFK at around 7am for our 950am flight on American Airlines (one jokey airline if you ask me- more to come on that later). We had to stand in a long line to check in because you can only use the automated check in if you have the new passport with the computer chip in it. So there we stood right behind the most lovely family- Dave (dad), Leslie (mom), and Amanda (daughter). Names have been changed to protect the not-so innocent. Dave was a portly, short, balding and unattractive man in his early forties with a mouth like a sailor. Leslie, was a slight, unassuming, awkward woman who, we learned, is a stay at home mom. Obviously, Leslie somehow caused them to leave late for the airport and Dave spent the entire time in line swearing at her (without raising his voice) in front of all of us and his daughter, Amanda, who looked to be about 11 or 12 years old, from her prepubescent awkwardness. They had missed their flight and it was all Leslie's fault. Leslie looked straight ahead of her and for the most part kept her mouth shut tight. The only time she spoke was to agree that she had ruined vacation. Amanda continually switched her allegiance between mother and father. She was an uncomfortable child to behold. She seemed like she wanted to laugh at the way her father was speaking to her mother and then she would occasionally whimper like a baby. Often she would lean her head on her mother's arm only in the next instant to stamp her foot and say you ruined vacation. I told OB later that I couldn't believe that Leslie never once said, "Drop it," (a favorite of my mom's) or "Can we have this conversation in private." You have to understand that this conversation continued pretty much non-stop during our 40 minutes on line. I continually looked Dave in the eye and glared at him. This jokey guy was not deterred. I was amazed at this guy's absolute inability to let things go. He would be silent for a few moments and then start up as if he had never stopped, the F-word of course being his favorite expletive. At one point Dave said, "If we don't get on another flight today you can forget about coming home with us. [Pause for dramatic effect] Well, I guess you'll have to come home because where would you live? But the next F*&^ing vacation I am choosing where we go, when and for how long and you will just have to F&^%ing deal with it. And maybe I should make you get a job so you F&^%ing understand." I know what I would have said, "Honey, you are absolutely right. I have ruined vacation and I deserve to go back home alone. Why don't you and Amanda get on that flight without me." Then I would have taken my bags, hopped in a cab and enjoyed the week in the perfect silence of my own mind.
Lucky for me I won't ever be a Leslie and I was heading far from the craziness of New York to the lovely shores of Barbados to enjoy a fabulous vacation with my wonderful guy!