Homeward Bound
"I can't believe it," Jess said. She was standing at the check-in counter, watching Marta repack her bags. One bag had come in over the limit for 'free shipping', so to speak. She was going to have to pay extra per pound. So, since the other was several pounds under, Jess was now watching her friend repack her bags so they evened out under the weight limit. "I told you there was too much," she said, feeling strange as Marta moved her clothing around.
"I'll get it..." she said, insisting. Once that was settled, the girl informed them that there was a two hour storm delay.
"Again?" Jess asked. "We have no luck with weather on this trip. We had a three hour delay on the way here." She sighed. "Are we at least going to make the connecting flight in Cleveland?" The last thing they needed was to have to redo their whole flight schedule again.
"Yes, that's already been taken care of," the girl said.
So, after going through an extremely thorough security checkpoint ("You want to put that wand where?"), they sat in the small waiting area past the gate for an hour and half as they waited for the plane to arrive.
"I should call my mom... I'm not sure what kind of ride arrangements my parents figured out for today," Jess said, pulling out her cellphone and calling. Not sure of new arrival times with the delay, Jess told her mom she'd call again once they were in Cleveland.
Back on the small planes, Duo had been stuck with the whole gate check thing again because of his crutches.
"I'm never flying again," he growled. "At least... not until there's some decent sized planes out there." Mia just laughed at him. The group rushed across the terminal in Cleveland just in time to find out they had another hour to wait.
"No wonder they said things were taken care of," Jess said. "Our next flight is delayed, too... she could have told us that." She flipped open her cellphone and called her mom again... but she'd already left work. Slight panicked, Jess called her dad after getting her mother's voicemail on her cell. "She already left work," she said. "I can't reach her."
"Alright... I'll let her know," her dad said. "Stay calm. It'll be fine." Jess nodded.
"Okay."
"We'll get it worked out, kid," he said. "I'll see you when you get home."
Jess's phone chimed after she hung up.
"Who's that?" Quatre asked.
"Voicemail... Strange... I didn't hear it beep while I was on..." Jess listened to the message, which she had received while on the plane to Cleveland. Michelle wasn't feeling well and was asking if she could get her the work for class that night. Jess laughed and called Michelle back, getting her friend's answering machine. "Sorry, Michelle, but I'm stuck in Cleveland at the moment trying to get home from the SIFE competition... we're not due to leave here until a quarter after 5. I doubt they'll get me back to Patchogue by 6, so I'm going to need someone to get the work from, too." She chuckled. "If you can get in touch with Theresa... ask her and then pass word to me if at all possible, okay? Thanks. Talk to you soon." She hung up and then took the gate check ticket from the attendant who was circling through the crowd. She attached it her to bag as she listened to Duo start complaining to the attendant about how they needed to get some bigger damn planes. He yelped slightly as Mia smacked his shoulder hard to shut him up.
Jess yawned as they boarded the plane for their fifth flight in as many days.
"I'm going to take a big nap when I get home," Marta said.
"I'm with you on that one," Jess said. She watched out the window as they disappeared into heavy cloud cover. Long Island was under dense fog. Next to her, Marta had closed her eyes as they felt like it was getting faster and faster in the landing. Jess watched, a solid grey out her window until suddenly they were only about a mile above the ground. Jess gasped.
"Don't do that," Marta said, but she looked nonetheless.
Once down, they came into the building and headed for baggage claim. Jess hugged her dad, glad to be home.
"Oh, here," Marta said, opening her bag. She handed Jess a box of spaghetti. "I had got this for you at job fair." Jess laughed.
"You really didn't have to," she said. Her dad gave her a weird look as Jess laughed and took the box anyway.
"I have so much to tell you," she said with a laugh. "But I think I'm going to take a long nap in my own bed first..." He laughed with her as they headed out, box of low-carb spaghetti in hand.
"I'll get it..." she said, insisting. Once that was settled, the girl informed them that there was a two hour storm delay.
"Again?" Jess asked. "We have no luck with weather on this trip. We had a three hour delay on the way here." She sighed. "Are we at least going to make the connecting flight in Cleveland?" The last thing they needed was to have to redo their whole flight schedule again.
"Yes, that's already been taken care of," the girl said.
So, after going through an extremely thorough security checkpoint ("You want to put that wand where?"), they sat in the small waiting area past the gate for an hour and half as they waited for the plane to arrive.
"I should call my mom... I'm not sure what kind of ride arrangements my parents figured out for today," Jess said, pulling out her cellphone and calling. Not sure of new arrival times with the delay, Jess told her mom she'd call again once they were in Cleveland.
Back on the small planes, Duo had been stuck with the whole gate check thing again because of his crutches.
"I'm never flying again," he growled. "At least... not until there's some decent sized planes out there." Mia just laughed at him. The group rushed across the terminal in Cleveland just in time to find out they had another hour to wait.
"No wonder they said things were taken care of," Jess said. "Our next flight is delayed, too... she could have told us that." She flipped open her cellphone and called her mom again... but she'd already left work. Slight panicked, Jess called her dad after getting her mother's voicemail on her cell. "She already left work," she said. "I can't reach her."
"Alright... I'll let her know," her dad said. "Stay calm. It'll be fine." Jess nodded.
"Okay."
"We'll get it worked out, kid," he said. "I'll see you when you get home."
Jess's phone chimed after she hung up.
"Who's that?" Quatre asked.
"Voicemail... Strange... I didn't hear it beep while I was on..." Jess listened to the message, which she had received while on the plane to Cleveland. Michelle wasn't feeling well and was asking if she could get her the work for class that night. Jess laughed and called Michelle back, getting her friend's answering machine. "Sorry, Michelle, but I'm stuck in Cleveland at the moment trying to get home from the SIFE competition... we're not due to leave here until a quarter after 5. I doubt they'll get me back to Patchogue by 6, so I'm going to need someone to get the work from, too." She chuckled. "If you can get in touch with Theresa... ask her and then pass word to me if at all possible, okay? Thanks. Talk to you soon." She hung up and then took the gate check ticket from the attendant who was circling through the crowd. She attached it her to bag as she listened to Duo start complaining to the attendant about how they needed to get some bigger damn planes. He yelped slightly as Mia smacked his shoulder hard to shut him up.
Jess yawned as they boarded the plane for their fifth flight in as many days.
"I'm going to take a big nap when I get home," Marta said.
"I'm with you on that one," Jess said. She watched out the window as they disappeared into heavy cloud cover. Long Island was under dense fog. Next to her, Marta had closed her eyes as they felt like it was getting faster and faster in the landing. Jess watched, a solid grey out her window until suddenly they were only about a mile above the ground. Jess gasped.
"Don't do that," Marta said, but she looked nonetheless.
Once down, they came into the building and headed for baggage claim. Jess hugged her dad, glad to be home.
"Oh, here," Marta said, opening her bag. She handed Jess a box of spaghetti. "I had got this for you at job fair." Jess laughed.
"You really didn't have to," she said. Her dad gave her a weird look as Jess laughed and took the box anyway.
"I have so much to tell you," she said with a laugh. "But I think I'm going to take a long nap in my own bed first..." He laughed with her as they headed out, box of low-carb spaghetti in hand.
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