Just when we thought Trish’s Imaginary Travel Blog was at an end, she showed us that it ain’t over ‘til it’s over. When we last read about her travels, she had one final flight to catch. It seemed like there wouldn’t be anything else to say. In the theatre when an actor really milks a scene for all it’s worth, people call it “chewing the scenery.” Now, no one could ever accuse Trish of chewing the scenery, but she has definitely added a well-earned post to her imaginary travel blog.
In the last post (which turned out to not be the final post), Trish was about to catch a shuttle bus from the hotel to the airport. Surely nothing exciting could happen doing that. (Cue a Dallas thunderstorm!) She got on the shuttle and it drove through some fairly heavy storms to get to the airport. Those storms caused departure and arrival delays at DFW airport.
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| Dallas Fort Worth International Airport |
Since Trish was using the wheelchair service, she wouldn’t have to worry her pretty little head over the logistics. Right? When she was enroute to her gate, the guy pushing her chair got a notification that her gate had changed. He changed course and delivered her to the new gate. The new gate information wasn’t even showing on the big arrival and departure boards yet. Oh, how great to be in the know! As the guy pushing the chair was leaving, Trish asked, “What happens if they change my gate again? Will someone come for me?” She was assured that she didn’t need to worry about that.
There were other people waiting at the gate. There were even some airline employees doing a survey specifically for people on Trish’s flight. She was in the right place. So, she sat back and relaxed, secure in the knowledge that she didn’t have to worry her pretty little head over gate changes.
However, as the departure time ticked closer, the new gate information still wasn’t showing on the arrival and departure boards. Also, there were no flight attendants or pilots showing up with their little wheeled bags. Hmm… Things were getting curious. Trish pulled out her phone and got on Google. She saw that the flight information had changed. There had been no announcement. It’s a really good thing that Trish’s head isn’t just decorative. She flagged down one of the driven carts used to transport people.
The driver pulled up and assured Trish that she was in the right place. When she explained that Google begged to differ, he checked the info on another source. Cart driving guy said her gate had been changed and told her to hop on. Did you know that those carts can’t go on elevators? Did you further know that those little carts no longer beep to let people know that a little cart would like to pass? It’s true. If you don’t believe me, I suggest you ask Google!
Every time the little cart came to an elevator, Trish had to get off, ride the elevator to the appropriate floor, and then wait for another little cart or a wheelchair pusher to take her to the next place. She had to do this four times! On one of the stops, she met up with two older women from Mexico who were very confused by this entire process. She broke out her Spanish and assured them that all was well. Plus, she learned that they had two hours before their flight. Then they picked up a gentleman who was visually impaired. Trish broke out her English and gave him the same spiel, but with more fluency. She learned that he had three hours before his flight. They were all set. They had everything except a little beepless cart and a driver!
When the chariot finally arrived, Trish was able to tell the driver how much time each passenger had before departure. Let’s see… That was two hours for the women, three hours for the gentleman, and ten minutes for Trish. What? Ten minutes? Yes. Ten minutes! The driver got her to the gate with five minutes to spare before the boarding gate closed! By this point, the adrenaline had kicked in and Trish didn’t need to wait for a wheelchair to take her down the jetway.
She got on the plane and sat down to immediately hear an announcement that the flight was being delayed. It seems there were passengers who never boarded, but their luggage was on the plane. Um, of course they hadn't boarded - they were still waiting at the other gate! The flight attendant said that it usually takes an hour to get all of the bags off the plane and remove the appropriate bags. To save time, they sent someone to the previous gate and collected all the people who were still there, waiting patiently for the flight!
The flight made it to Honduras with no issues, and a couple of guys from the Sowers4Pastors’ crew drove Trish home. Naturally, the drive home was extra-long due to road repairs. They had to drive long distances with one way traffic, because of the construction work, but she got home at about 8:00 that evening. That’s twelve hours after the blog post to tell you there was nothing else to say about her travels was written. Oh, and Trish did develop pneumonia somewhere along the way, but she is now on the mend.
This is probably the last installment of Trish’s Imaginary Travel Blog, but let’s face it. We can’t really say that for sure!
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