A Comedy of Errors. . .Well, Not A Comedy

Kelly calls me last night around 12 from Germany. She had just gotten there and said that she’d be at JFK Airport between 10-12 and that’s she’s flying on Delta but doesn’t know the flight number. I get home from band practice close to one. I go online to JFK Airport’s and Delta’s websites. Neither has a flight from Frankfurt that is coming in in the morning listed.

I call Delta when I get up hoping that maybe a live person would be able to figure things out. After spending what felt like an eternity in automated phone hell, I finally speak with a representative. She says that she doesn’t not have any listing in her system for a flight arriving from Frankfurt. I ask, “Well, what if it is fully of military people? Would it be still be listed?” She replied, “No.” The only flight she has coming from Frankfurt arrives at 3:47PM, which I knew I wouldn’t be able to make.

Furthermore, the representative says that I would not be allowed beyond the security gates and that my sister really may not have much time after she goes through Customs before her connecting flight to Fort Benning. (In my mind I am asking myself, “Why does Kelly need to go through Customs? All she has is an M-16 and a duffle bag!) Now Kelly told me that if I went to Delta’s security desk that they would have given me a pass for military family members. My Mom was able to get one when Kelly came home on leave. She met Kelly at the gate.

So I was faced with a decision at 9:30AM this morning. Do I go to the airport for a flight that my not even be there or do I head into work? I chose the second. I should have taken a leap of faith and chose the first.

Kelly called me at 10:45AM. “Where are you?” I explained what I just wrote to you. She was disappointed and so was I. We talked for awhile and Kelly could hear the upset- ness in my voice. I still am. I mean, I wanted to see her even if for only 2 hours. This morning she was less than 10 miles away but it felt that she was still half a planet away. Part of me does feel happy and satisfied that she back on American soil and not in a war-zone. So I have to be thankful for that and the fact that I’ll see her in 15 days. Darn, I had a New York bagel with cream cheese waiting for her.

Thanks to everyone who has given Kelly, my family and I support this year while she was in Iraq. Thanks to everyone here at my job for helping to cover my work when I was away to visit Kelly while she was on leave. (With special thanks to my boss for letting my take time this morning to go see Kelly without giving me any problems or extra conditions.)

Kelly’s back safe. It’s just the countdown until I get to see her will be a little longer.