We embarked on a week long family vacation following nearly two years of pandemic restrictions and activities centered pretty much at home. Our hopes were high, but our expectations were grounded in reality. After all, it was the merging of several households under one roof for one week. You have to start somewhere though.
The plane was a first for the grands. They sat separately with their mom and thoroughly enjoy the experience. Danny and April sat further back in the plane in order to find more leg room for him. The three hours went by quickly, as they often do on the trip to your vacation destination. Once safely back on the ground, the kids gathered their belongings and departed. We waited to allow more agile passengers to exit before we worked our way out. Danny, of course, had some smart comment to share as he passed us.
Soon after Danny passed, two women about 60 years old stopped at our seat and were bursting with this news, "your son is sooo much fun. We had the best flight we have ever had as he entertained us." Now, this was not the first time we have been engaged in a conversation such as this, but it was the first time in a long time that it has happened. Thank the lord for covid face masks because we had the same reaction - we looked at other and braced ourselves for the "BUT" or the indication he had gone too far. I guess that is a hold-over from his youth when many conversations took that path and then took a sharp turn; we braced ourselves for whatever came next. And so it was that we were left sitting there, confusion covered by our masks, when they finished with, "he is a delight. You raised him well." The two women went on their way, never ever to be seen again.
Our family, too, went about the business of going to the restrooms, getting bags, picking up rental cars, mapping a course to the vacation home, only to determine that everyone is hungry and the time to eat is NOW. We chose the closest restaurant promising to provide beer, a kids menu, and everything in between. We're halfway through the meal when I remember our plane encounter. I ask Danny about the women.
April gets very animated and lets us know Danny shared his life story and the women shared their story for the three hour trip to Florida. She said it was non-stop, and as the stories drifted to her seat in the row in front of them all, she laughed, she shook her head in disbelief, and tried to distance herself as much as possible. She laughed at the thought of introducing herself with a raise of the hand mid-flight as he talked about the upcoming addition of their first child.
Of course, Danny was confused by all of this as it was just a typical afternoon in his life. He looked at us all in disbelief and began his story.
Those were the "Sues," - that's right they are both named Sue. Crazy Sue is named Crazy Sue because she is crazy. Yesterday Sue wants everything done yesterday. They are friends traveling to Crazy Sue's house in Florida for a winter break. They warned Danny not to expect any good Italian food in Florida. They just don't know how to prepare it down there. They stated that Chicken French is unheard of in Florida. That led to a lengthy discussion between Yesterday Sue and Danny agreeing that it is a Rochester thing, and ultimately to the debate of who has the best recipe for Chicken French. Only one way to find out - exchange the recipes! (April sits, shaking her head.) What 30 year old guy travels with easy access to his Chicken French recipe??
Next up, a brief history of Danny's participation in pond hockey tournaments with his long-running hockey team named "The Ice Holes." Each winter they enroll in a few NY and New England/Canada pond hockey tournaments. These men and women are good at hockey, no doubt, but it is really more about the flexing of the right forearm as they make their team mark on various pub-crawls and other activities in the tournament towns. Members of the Ice Holes often stay together at an AirBnB or VRBO home. I don't know who rents to Ice Holes (would scare me to death), but they always get a nice home away from home when in the tournaments. So it makes total sense (I guess?) that one of the Sues has a lovely cabin nestled in the woods of Prattsburg NY just screaming the name of the Ice Holes for a future tournament. Yes, numbers were exchanged.
The next time you find yourself cruising above the clouds at 36,000 feet on a Saturday afternoon, stay alert. While you enjoy a quiet time with a book or a movie, there may be new friendships, new business deals, the sharing of the love of life, and laughter - lots of laughter, taking place somewhere on that plane. It's always good to remember that it is different strokes for different folks. April is still marveling at how Danny and the Sues found each other on that particular flight, and I marvel at how he reminds us, all of these years later - life is what you make it. He will always keep it fun and fresh by being open to new experiences. And when it seems like you may have some extra time on your hands - go find yourself a couple of Sues. They will, most likely, give you pause to appreciate your life and those you love.
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