The Storm That Wasn't

Even though my parents live far away, and Y's work schedule doesn't allow for much spontaneous vacationing, he and I try not to travel apart very often. I have friends and family who will spend weeks away from their spouses, several times a year, but I've never been able to understand how. It's not that Y and me are so mushy and gushy and madly in love that we need to be together every second of every day. We just really don't enjoy splitting up a lot. We've come to function rather efficiently as a team, especially when it comes to handling the kids, and it's tougher when we don't have each other to depend on for help.

Also, Y isn't one of these fathers who see the children as primarily the wife's domain. Even if I am the one to do most of the tush-wiping and feeding, he feels just as much ownership over them as I do, and as much connection to them as well. So for him to spend a few days away from the boys is just as painful as it'd be for me to - if not more so. After all, I'm the one to do most of the tush-wiping, feeding...

When I started to itch for Chicago at the beginning of the summer, I figured I'd have to go without him. Then, miraculously, his company decided to send him to a conference in Chi-town this week, which meant that we could tag along, be with him, and still only pay for two tickets. I decided I'd stay two days and one night longer than him, to give my parents more time with us, and be back in LA with Y before the weekend. It seemed like a foolproof plan. He left Wednesday morning.

Last night, my flight was canceled. There were no flights, on any airline, going to any airport in or near Los Angeles all night long. Everything for today was already re-booked solid. Which means the boys and I are here until Sunday morning. And Y will spend the weekend alone [sob!].

This wouldn't be so unbelievably aggravating - I mean, normally I'd be thrilled at the chance to spend more time with my family - if it were for a good reason. But I'll tell you about the reason: yesterday evening, for about 10 minutes max, a dark cloud settled over Chicago. There was a 10-minute tornado watch. It did not rain. The wind didn't howl. There was no hail, fire, or parting of the Red Sea. The cloud simply passed, just as suddenly as it had appeared.

But OH MY GOD! CANCEL EVERY FLIGHT! THAT'S RIGHT - YOU HEARD ME CORRECTLY - I SAID EVERY FLIGHT! This is weather-related, baby! And with weather-related delays, we don't have to give out any vouchers! Cancel 'em, cancel away, then do a little jig, go home and get drunk because THERE WAS A CLOUD! And we all saw it.

This is kind of what I imagine took place over at O'Hare last night. Actually, that's exactly what I imagine. Because every agent on the phone, for which, by the way, there was a 90-minute estimated wait-time, mentioned the "terrible weather." Yet all I saw was clear skies. How terrible.

We went to the airport last night, because we had been re-booked on another flight, that was, by the time we got there, eventually cancelled as well. Of course, we had to wait in line for two hours to be told as much. With both kids, hitting and kicking each other, way past their bedtime. It was a thing of beauty. Then we were sent home.

Last night, after a hellish day that didn't begin with missing my flight, I didn't sleep a wink. Virgos don't like messes very much, and the whole airport saga was messy. In the middle of night I realized that severe nausea was to blame for my tossing and turning. For the first time ever, a mixture of fatigue, dehydration, and stress took a physical toll on me. I threw up upon waking at 6 AM.

All this, to be with my husband for the weekend. I also have no clothes left here, as I sent all checkable bags back with Y so I wouldn't have to deal with baggage claim on my own.

I'm off to the airport to try standby. I've got nothing else planned for today, other than R&R, so I have little to lose but time. We'll see what happens.

Elan's re-cap of the reason we couldn't fly?

"Because the cu-loud Saba (my dad) showed me was just SO BIG [hands cupped together, like, uh, I'm guessing, a cloud?] that the air-pu-lanes [Russian? Polish?] just couldn't go around it, or through it, and so they just couldn't come pick us up? Because of that big cu-loud? And THAT'S WHY?"

My thoughts exactly, Elan. Wish me luck.