On Monday, I was grumbling about having to pick up Justin and John late Tuesday night (well, late for me) at Newark airport. That trip actually went fine and we were home by 1:00 am. But what I didn’t know when I wrote that post was what Monday night itself would hold.
Easy, right?
Well, the first sign of trouble was a text from Jess in Chicago saying her flight was delayed. Cue hours of updates: more delays, more waiting. Eventually, her flight left three hours late, which meant she landed at Newark at 12:45 am. By then, her friend had bailed on the pickup.
She checked Uber and it would have been about $200 for the ride. Beyond the cost, I couldn’t imagine having to climb into a stranger’s car in the middle of the night. So I did what any mom/aunt/friend with a semi-decent sense of responsibility would do and drove to Newark to pick her up. By 1:00 am, Jess and her luggage were in my car, and by 2:00 am, we were home. She still had a 45-minute drive back to her own house, but I went straight to bed because I had to turn around and go back to Newark the very next night.
The silver lining? I snapped this odd but kind of wonderful photo. I can’t tell exactly what’s happening in it beyond headlights and taillights, I think, but I like it.
You earned some major karma points for all those pickups! It's a good thing you didn't have to be at work after all these late-night airport runs. I hope you took some naps!
ReplyDeleteOof... that's a lot of trips to Newark! But, I would have done the same thing as you did to pick up Jess! Here is to a calm, quiet, weekend with a catch up nap or two!
ReplyDeleteI had been thinking of you picking up the guys...not knowing about having to pick up Jess as well. Definite brownie points for you. Here's hoping your weekend can be very, very relaxing (with no driving involved).
ReplyDeleteOh gad!!!! That is beyond the call of duty. Glad you made it through AND you got a pretty nifty pop-art photo to boot.
ReplyDeleteYou are a Kind and Good person, Bonny. And really thoughtful, too. Because Jess had already been through An Ordeal (it is so dang stressful to travel), and I'm sure she took great comfort in your being there in her time of need. I hope there are no trips to Newark in your near future . . . at least for awhile. (And that is a VERY fun photo!)
ReplyDeleteBonny, you are so thoughtful and sweet. I hope you received lots of affection in return for all that driving and stress, but if you didn't, you should feel good about being such a good friend/family member. I hate driving to airports in the daytime, not to mention the night. I hope you have a lovely weekend, kind soul.
ReplyDeleteI think you've earned a few "noes". But I also think your family must be very grateful. That photo is cool!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Pam! "No" will definitely be my default answer the next few times someone asks for airport transportation.
DeleteWhat a tale of woe! Dealing with airports is a nightmare that happens only occasionally at best but over and over? Wow...I hope you didn't have to deal with a snarly guard. They always seem to set their sights on me.
ReplyDeletePickups for arrivals at Newark are four lanes wide (at least for Terminal A) and there are plenty of cops there. But people stop and park in at least two of the lanes and sometimes three, while the cops talk amongst themselves. It's a poorly designed system that doesn't seem to work well at all.
DeleteYou deserve a medal or chocolate or flowers or yarn or all four! How kind and thoughtful you are to pick up Jess and the men in your family. If the Newark pick up area is anything like LaGuardia I can only imagine what a mess it must be in the dark.
ReplyDeleteAirport Transport can be such a hassle, you were so kind and absolutely did the right thing. Poor Jess must have been exhausted when she went to work the next day!
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