Late for the airport or how time got away from me.

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So close, but so far away...

I remember a time when you could arrive thirty minutes before a flight boarded and still be able to board.  Granted, that was when airplane travel was much-less complicated and the TSA did not exist to tell me; shoes are not suppose to be worn while walking through the x-ray machine. (Why yes, I do believe they are supposed to be on my feet, thank you very much.)

Today, I was taking someone to the airport, and had a small problem with my time calculations. (Some might not say small..) We needed to leave at 11:15 AM to arrive at the airport at 12:35 PM for a 1:35 PM flight. It takes one hour and ten minutes to get to the airport. (If this sounds like a story problem from your grammar school math book, you might be right.)

Little mistake. Well, maybe a little bit of a big mistake.*

I learned to tell time in 1st grade,
too bad I don't remember how to do it.

We left at 12:10 PM for the airport. I did not realize my error until I saw the numbers on the digital clock the car. I wondered if I had forgotten to "spring ahead" the time on the clock setting...for about 2.5 seconds, when it dawned on me that I had made a terrible mistake. Even the time change, with its one hour advance can be challenging to some us non-number people.

I do believe in full disclosure. Sooo, it was at this point I looked at my friend, and said: "I think I made a mistake. I am not sure we are going to make it there in time for you to make you plane."


Long pause.

Midway is really far away, when you are late...

This is the part where I knew we were really good friends.
She said: "Well, it will be okay. One way or another we will work it out."

I said: "I am so sorry, I am--
She cut me off: "It is okay. I wondered, but I figured you lived here so... it will be okay."

She had never been to Chicago before. She came here from warm, sunny Florida to; stay in ice and snow, and, most likely, miss her flight from the looks of things. All because I am a moron.

It may be spring, but it is still cold here.

I may or may not have gone over the speed limit, as we rolled along the tollway in an effort to make the flight.  We talked about all of the things we were going to do together in the future. Not once did she complain, or seem to be annoyed with  me; both of which she would have been entitled to.

It is when we are under-fire, I think; we either rise to our best self or fall to our worse self.

 This day, I saw someone, under duress, as a direct result of my stupidity, be an exemplary individual.



* Somehow, after arriving at the airport at 1:03 PM, she was able to get to her gate, board her plane, and make it home as planned. There is a God.