Yesterday my sweet friend, Jill, asked me to take her to the airport. As it was my day off-I was more than happy to give her a lift. I arrived at her house at 12:01pm sharp. Jill and I loaded her sister and her darling baby into my car. After cramming my trunk full of suitcases and strollers (and one more trip back to the house to get nursing pads) we set off to the glorious Rick Husband Airport.
Upon approaching the drop-off point, Jill quietly said, "Ummmm. I think I forgot my phone."
At that moment I'm having flashbacks. You see, Jill and I were roomies for a year and a half. She is one of my very best friends but on several occasions she would leave the garage wide open all night, leave her keys in the door, and rarely ever remember to take her phone with her to work.
I'm thinking to myself, 'Oh well, she's going to California with her sisters. She won't need her phone.' She interrupted my thought with, "Will you run to my house to get it?"
Keep in mind that it is now 12:27pm. Her flight leaves at 1:10pm.
"Sure?!" I reply.
They jump out of my car and I fasten my safety belt and race off. Zooming down the highway, I make sure to go no faster that 71mph. I'm a rule follower even in the middle of crisis.
I pull up to her house and run inside to find her Otter-boxed beauty right on the dining table. Back down the highway I go. I'm right at the entrance when she calls from her sister's phone, "It's too late. The gate is closing in minutes and I can't miss the plane. Sorry you had to drive back."
"NO! I can make it. I have to try!" I exclaim.
After almost bulldozing a few slow pokes leaving the baggage claim area with my Avalon, I pulled up to the outdoor parking. As I try to take my ticket to park, MY phone drops out of the car. So I jump out and crawl under my car to retrieve it.
Back in the car I find a spot and burn rubber as I peel into the space. Some guy thought I was trying to impress him so he starts waving and winking at me-whatever dude! I take off in a dead sprint through the parking lot, past the check-in, bob-n-weave through some more slow-pokes on the escalator and halt at security.
I try to regain composure and get a deep breath before I ask the guard, " Can.... You.... get... this... to .....Jill.....please?!" Then I spot her way down the line walking through the X-ray machine. "Jill!" I try to say but no sound comes out because I'm so out of breath. The security lady is giving me the evil eye but somehow believed my plead for help and takes Jill her keys and phone.
As I'm walking off, Jill yells, "Molly! You gave me your keys!"
By this time, I have 5 security guys standing around me like I have something explosive in my possession. The first security lady returns with my keys and I hand her Jill's keys.
"Excuse me, Ma'am. You can NOT carry mace on an airplane!" she says with a look like she's about to eat me. I look down. Of course Jill carries mace on her keys-she doesn't lock her own doors but she carries mace. Of course she does. Of course. I quickly take off the mace and keep it with me promising to take it to my car.
Third security guy says he will take Jill her keys because at this point she's already on the plane. He returns shaking his head saying how lucky I was that he has the power to open the doors because it had been sealed off already. Way to go, Mr. Mustache.
I say to first security guard, "Thanks for your help. I didn't want to look like a crazy person running in here."
She responds, "Well, you did. But we see folks like you everyday"
I walked away completely humiliated and exhausted from my frantic haul across the entire airport. But oh well, I saved the day.
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