I hop over him and fly up the stairs to find Pete lying in bed yelling “you up?” “Of course I’m up,” I exclaim, “and we’re late!” With that we are now both up scrambling to get dressed and get out the door. I struggle for what seems to be 10 minutes or more trying to get the damn TED hose on my legs. TED hose is just a short name for very tight stockings that prevent blood clots while you are lying in a hospital bed all day. My doctor recommends I wear these for my flight to help reduce the risk of high altitude blood clots. I finally get them on and they completely cover my feet with the exception of a small hole at the bottom pads of my feet. “Great,” I think, “this will be fun trying to get the flip flops I picked out for the plane ride on.” Kind of like flip flops with socks, yuck! Evidently, I put on my shoes and have to squeeze my big toe through the small hole to get them on my feet. What a fashion statement!
Downstairs Blackie is patiently waiting to be let outside and fed. Pete lets him out to go to the bathroom but all this cat cares about is getting fed. So we give him a bit of food inside and get his pet carrier ready for travel. The vet said we need to have him on liquid anti-biotic every morning for the next few days due to a gum infection that could be aggravated by traveling. So he gobbles up his food as I prepare 1cc in a syringe for him to ingest before he goes into his carrier.
Pete suggests we do the tranquilizer pills for him at this time as well. I’m a bit reluctant to start them this early because of the excessive amount of time we will be in transition. I tell him I may wait until we get to the airport to sedate him. He laughs at me and says, “yea that will work out real well. I’m sure he’ll sit still for you in the airport! Are you kidding me? He’s gonna freak out if you take him outta that cage! There’s no telling what could happen! Complete mayhem and utter chaos!” I reassure him that I took him to the vet just the other day and he was so terrified I had to drag him out of the carrier. “Besides, Blackie is a big scaredy cat when it comes to people and new places. It would be a piece of cake,” I explain.
4:50am. We are still 20 minutes behind and I decide I mine as well give him the drugs while we are home. Simply for the fact that we were running so short on time. Not because I was worried anything crazy would happen. I mean come on its Blackie. So I give him the pill which I’m not sure he swallowed or spit out but there’s no time to waste now. We grab our little “sleeping beauty,” Nadia from bed, get her on the potty and dressed. Then it’s into the car we all go and we speed down the 5 to the San Diego airport.
Pete pulls the car up curbside so we can check-in and go. All of our luggage, 180lbs of it ,out of the car on the curb along with 1 stroller, 1 car seat, 1 kitty (who still looks wide awake), 1 three year old little girl, and a pregnant momma ready to go. We rush to the counter only to have the attendant tell us it’s too late to check in curbside and we have already missed our 6:15 flight. Panic stricken Nadia and I rush upstairs with the attendant to see what flight we can jump on to get us to Atlanta in enough time to catch our connecting flight. Pete parks the car and is upstairs with us in moments. The Delta guy tells me the next flight out isn’t until 9:00am. I say, “9:00am!!!!!!!!!!!!! That won’t work. What happened to the 6:25 I saw online?” He tells me, “Mam, that flight is going to Atlanta.” “Precisely,” I exclaim suddenly feeling as though I was reliving the skit “Who’s on First?” with Laurel & Hardy. “I don’t know . . . third base!” Anyway, we quickly realize our mistake and he bolts over the ticket counter to try to squeeze us in just in time for our 6:25am flight. Pete walks us over as far as he can go to the security check gate. We kiss several times and say few “I love yous,” 5:50am, no time for teary goodbyes.
We unload what seems to be a million items onto the conveyer belt to get scanned and I am wishing Pete were on the flight coming home with us now. Pete is still standing watching us go and calling out commands to us to help us move along. “Don’t forget the laptop,” he yells “oh, and tell them about the medication, and don’t forget to take off your shoes!” “Gate 42, gate 42, you’re at gate 42!” “Okay, okay I got it,” I’m thinking. The last catch was we need to send the cat carrier through alone while I carry the cat thought the gate. Easy as pie, I think, if I can just get him to come out of that box.
Open wide I flung the door and tried to coax him out. “He’s just a big scaredy,” I explain as I grab him by his scruff. He pops out and makes a b-line down the conveyer belt, his tail as beg as a raccoon! I try to grab him but he’s too quick. He slips though the hands of several security guards as he scrambles to the floor. At this point I hear Pete screaming, “get that cat!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!,” from behind the security check point. I try to call him back with my sweet little “Blackie,” call but it is no use as I see him jump up onto the fountain sculpture. Once he realizes it is water, which as you may know for most, is like liquid kitty acid he freaks even more. His entire body is now the size of a medium pit bull as every hair on his mass stands up. He shoots straight up into the air nearly scraping the at least 15 foot ceilings.
All cats land on their feet. At least that’s what they say. When Blackie came down he may have ended up on his feet if he hadn’t landed smack in the middle of the fountain pool. So now this giant puff ball was reduced to a soaking wet little kitty quite resembling a large rodent. He quickly steamed off and out of the water onto the floor. His instinct was to shake off the nasty “kitty acid” but little did this unsuspecting feline realize that there were about 10 security guards and airport personnel ready to pounce on him upon his slightest hesitation. So when he stopped to preen the pile up ensued. Guard after guard like football players slid in for the tackle. Blackie being a cunning kitty slipped through their fingers like butter. One mighty hand emerged through the carnage sopping up his soaking scruff and placing him back into the cage.
On the end of that hand was an arm covered with a green multicolored fleece. At the end of that arm were broad shoulders and a beautiful beaming bald head with perfect lips and smiling eyes. Through his grin gleam freshly brushed white teeth laced with the clean aroma of Listerine. I am pleased to look up and find Pete, my gallant stallion to the rescue. Amidst all the confusion and chaos Pete had slipped through the security gates to save the day once again. But I’m not surprised at seeing his mild mannered alter ego standing there before us. After all he is Superman!
Back to reality, it’s funny how quickly your mind wanders off into strange fantasies in the blink of an eye. It’s now 6:10 as I carry Blackie through the final check point and a nice airline attendant helps me shove him back into his carrier. We scramble to gather all our things. I can hear Pete calling from behind security lines, “bye, I love you! Have a safe trip!” Nadia and I yell back that we love him too and off we go all the way to gate 42, the very last gate in the airport.
I now break into a sprint with stroller, car seat, Blackie, backpack, rolling cart, Nadia, and baby D2 wobbling around in my belly still with the threat of missing our flight looming over my head. I finally arrive at the end where they are just announcing the final call for our flight. We are the last ones to board and they quickly slam the door shut behind us. The stewardesses help us with our luggage and we take our seats in the middle of the plane. We finally get situated and I realize that sweat beads are forming on my forehead and large drops are now rolling down my back. I have to reach up and blast the air on me as I pant loudly. That was a close one. I am amazed we made it. Now the only obstacle is cooling down before I induce myself into an early labor and have to deliver the baby in the miniscule restroom of a Delta 737.
I sit to regain my composure and collect my thoughts. Everything is placed neatly under the seat and all is in order. Blackie is quiet and looks good. Nadia is happy to be on the plane and playing with her “Wizard of Oz” dolls and I settle in comfortably to my seat. I look down at my feet and notice one big toe sticking out of my TED hose on the right and four small piggy toes sticking out of the left with the big toe covered. Suddenly I burst out into uncontrollable laughter over the sight of it. After a long, hard, and extremely stressful morning of travel it’s the little things that bring me humor in my delirious state.
7:00am. Finally settling in and relaxing I snap a shot of my silly toes.
