The Worst Day I've Had in a LONG Time

I had my worst travel experience, thus far, this week.  

I arrived at the Little Rock airport at 2:45pm and did not fly out from there til 7:30pm.  

Remember that big storm in Atlanta on Wednesday?  

Once I landed in Atlanta, we sat on the tarmac for 2 HOURS. 

Once I made my way to my gate to Birmingham, I saw the flight was pushed back to MIDNIGHT.  

I got a yogurt with oreos and sat down on the tile floor.  

There were thousands of displaced people in that airport, just piled up everywhere.  I've never seen anything like it.  I felt the sorriest for the people with small kids and babies.

At midnight, they canceled the flight. 

I went to the rental cars, because I was GOING HOME daggumit *(&*(^&&(.  

Waited in line for 45 minutes at Thrifty and they told me that don't do one ways to Birmingham. &*(&%%$%$  All the other rentals had hellaciously long lines, and they were saying if you don't have a reservation, they weren't giving you a car anyways.  

Defeated at 1:30pm.  

I start to cry at this point.  Wake John up for about the 50th time since he laid down at 9:30p.

**Right here Hadley is about to beat me up for not calling her, but my thinking was, it was SO late, and I was still going to have to figure how to get to BHM in the morning.  Don't worry, Hadley, because I was on the verge of getting you out of bed at 2pm!!

I get on the monorail with the goal of getting to the Marriott at the end of the monorail.  The lines for the taxis were OUT OF CONTROL, and I figured I was better off trying to get one down there regardless.

I'm in the train car with one other man--I'm thinking this is not an SVU episode...  My imagination makes me jump off the rail too early and I'm alone in the next train station.  I am crying again, waiting for a scary person to jump out and grab me.  Thankfully, a group of business men hop off the next train and were walking to the Marriott as well.  I ask if they care if I walk with them, and I start crying to one of them.  They were probably a bit scared of me, but supportive.  

At the Marriott I'm told they don't have any rooms (I knew they wouldn't), the nearest thing they had was the Ritz downtown.  "I'll take it," I say, and my lower lip is quivering, and she's like "Are you OK?" and of course one is ok until someone asks if you are ok, and then I'm crying again, because really I just want to sleep in her lobby.  (ie. I really wanted to get home)  The rotund lady behind the desk has now walked around to me, engulfed me in her bottomless bosom, and is getting me a water and a Snickers.


There are other people like me who figured the best way to get a taxi is down at the Marriott.  A young guy is shuttling us into taxis and he asks me if I would mind sharing with another man is headed to the Ritz.  I say, sure that's fine, because I really didn't want to get in the taxi that is blaring rap music by myself this late at night and the man kinda favored Kim Price.  We are riding along, and he's making small talk with me and I'm still wiping my tear streaked face with my pashmina, and out of the blue he asks-- "Do you like crime novels?"  Yall, I have such a big imagination that it brings me down.  My heart stopped and I said "Sure, they're just fine."  (ie I really do LOVE crime novels) and he tells me "I wrote one called Disappearance, about these murders in Valdosta, GA."  Do not TELL the freaked out girl in the cab that!!

My mind:
"HewroteanovelcalledDisappearanceandit'shisopeninglinetotellmehe'skidnappingmeandhe's
goingtoshredmeupinameetprocessorjustlikeinthatonebookireadandOMGgetmeoutofthiscab
becausethedriverisinonittoojustlikeBONECOLLECTOR" 


Of course, this wasn't the case and everything was fine, but wouldn't you have thought the worse too? 

I even found his book this morning!  (Thank God)

I get safely to my room and zonk out.  Please note I have no luggage, so it's not as though I get to brush my teeth or my hair the next morning.  Wearing the same clothes from Wednesday, I get a ride in the Ritz's fancy Escalade to the nearest rental car place and drive home.

I hate the ATL airport.


THE END.