For me, the Tampa Basic started Thursday night, upon arrival at LAX:
Ok, so yes, they do call me Just-In-Time Julie, which used to be far more okay than it is these days, and yes, I was cutting it close, however… I was in time to check in with the skycap, yet right when I thought I was about to receive my boarding pass, he looked up and said, “Ms. Jennings, there seems to be a problem with your reservation.”
My heart began to beat just a little bit faster and I looked around to discover that my loving husband had just left…
He told me he could not check me in and that I would need to go inside, and that cranked the stress up yet another notch… And so I was off — into the terminal, up to the line and to the supervisor, who proceeded to tell me in her not-so-customer-friendly voice that if only I had taken the time to print my boarding pass at home, she could fast-track me. Instead, I would have to go into the "special services” line. By now, my sweetness was beginning to desert me as the age-old bitch within reared her ugly self, yet I shoved her back knowing that this was not the time to cut loose.
And so I waited. And by now, it was only 40 minutes until flight time. And I noticed a couple in front of me with sour expressions and so I rallied my fading friendliness and inquired as to their dilemma… and they told me that they were on the same Tampa flight… after commiserating for what seemed an interminably long time, it was their turn at the counter, and I watched, craning my hearing to its full extent to catch a stray word or two as they began to argue with the clerk — this did not look good nor sound good, not one bit. Defeated, they turned from the counter and as they walked by, they informed me that they were on the next flight out in the morning, wallets lighter by $150 each, scheduled to arrive in Tampa at 5:30pm, the following day.
Did I mention my heart? It began to pound out a staccato beat, as the hammering became nearly deafening… and then it was my turn…
I mustered a confident outlook, knowing that I would make it to Tampa in time to staff the basic come what may, and imagined what it would feel like in the baggage compartment as I smiled and walked up to the counter. And as I walked, an idea began to formulate… and so without pause I asked the clerk whether I could get on the flight without any checked luggage, and as she called the gate, the flame of hope began to burn brighter. And then I had the boarding pass in my hand with just 28 minutes ’til takeoff.
I called my husband and breathlessly asked him to turn around and come get my bag - I didn’t yet know where it would be, though I knew it would work somehow. And he was heading back to the airport as I speed-walked to the skycap, and as he disdainfully shook his head and turned away from my frantic face, I felt a sense of impending defeat, wondering what I was thinking what with homeland security being where it was, and I hurried back the way I had come, toward my departure gate. And then they were there — you know who, right? The couple who were flying to Tampa on the next morning flight, and I knew - I just knew…
As I approached them, I shifted; warrior energy was not what would win this battle, and as recognition washed over them, I began my story… And as I opened my case to extract an outfit, my makeup, jewelry and Galvanic Spa (don’t leave home without it…), all the while I pleaded with them to await my husband, even as I shoved the items into my carry on case. And as they resisted, I persisted and as I zipped my case closed and looked up into their eyes, they reluctantly agreed. Oh, how I thanked them, and as I rushed away toward my gate, I called my husband one more time to explain the details.
And here I am, and that’s the Juice.
God is good!
Trusting,
Julie
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