What I’m leaving behind (sigh).
Trials are never permanent. They are there to teach you, strengthen you, motivate you and help guide you in life.
-Rubyanne
Travel time has arrived! Waldo and I got up early, I put his stuff together, and dropped him off at the house of the young man who will be watching him. Waldo seemed happy enough, but confused as to what was going on. I reassured him as best I could and said goodbye. Half an hour later, I was back home and doing some last-minute packing. Phyllis has decided to go as well, but she decided to go too late to get a ticket on the same plane. We’ll be leaving Boston within a few hours of each other, then meeting up in Geneva. I have a couple of hours before I have to leave for the airport.
Not an hour passed after that and I got a phone call from Waldo’s sitter. Waldo went outside the sitter’s house and started digging a hole. The guy tried to stop him and Waldo nipped him. He no longer felt comfortable watching Waldo after that, so I jumped back in the car to go pick the dog up. The bite was superficial and the guy was good enough not to make a big deal about it. But now I have to find a place for Waldo, last minute, with only three hours before I have to leave for the airport, one week before the fourth of July.
I panicked! I called Phyllis and both my daughters and we started calling every dog boarding place we could find, veterinarians and anyone else we could think of. If I can’t find a place for Waldo, I can’t go! Finally, after making well over thirty unsuccessful phone calls apiece, we found a place that could take him. It’s not a person’s home, but they do guarantee three to four hours of activity a day. Not ideal, but, I hope, good enough because we could find no other alternatives.
I grab my stuff and Waldo and get in my daughter’s car. The plan is to pick up Phyllis, then drop off Waldo on the way to the airport. Following the GPS, we make it to the “Pooch Hotel.” Phyllis and my daughter stay in the car and I take Waldo inside. I let the people in the “Hotel” know what’s been going on and they indeed do have a spot for him to stay for two weeks. Waldo gives me an uncertain, what’s-going-on? look and seems anxious. They lead him away and I’m back outside in the car. Angst plagues me. Am I doing the right thing? Do I have a choice, other than cancelling the trip and losing a lot of money? People are depending on me too, including Phyllis. Not going is not an option. All things considered, right or wrong, this was the best choice we could come up with on such short notice.
Off we go to the airport. Travelling is always an anxious-producing activity for me because I worry about Waldo. This trip is even worse because I have no experience with the Pooch Hotel. I’m pretty sure he’ll be okay, or I wouldn’t leave him with them. Yet, the unknown leaves me with a sense of doubt and hesitancy. Sigh. It’s only for two weeks, I keep telling myself. Waldo’s going to get a lot of attention and treats when I get back, for sure.
We get to the airport and, as I’m walking in the door, I realize that I don’t have my jacket with me. I usually bring one for the plane, no matter the season, because it can get a little chilly. I put my passport in one of the pockets so I would be sure to have it with me… Damn! No jacket, no passport and I can’t go! I run back out the door and stop my daughter just a she’s pulling away. I know where my coat is, but, unfortunately, it is at least a two hour round trip (probably more given the time of day) and there’s no way she can get to where my jacket is, get the thing, and return before the airline desk closes.
So, we call my son-in-law (her husband). He is going to go by my place, get my jacket and bring it to me (something a little over an hour trip). Unfortunately, he doesn’t have my apartment building key, my daughter does. He can get into the apartment once he’s inside the building because it has an electronic key, but he needs a physical key to get into the building. So, the plan is, he will go to my apartment building and punch buttons on the intercom outside the door until someone lets him in. He will then get in my apartment and get my jacket. This, he succeeds in, and soon, he’s on his way to the airport.
I follow his progress on my phone and go out to the road where he will need to drive up so I can grab the coat and get to the airline desk ASAP. It’s kind of a weird place to stand, so a State Policeman comes up and wants to know what I’m doing. He understands, somehow keeps from laughing, and leaves me to my devices. Eventually, my son-in-law drives up, I grab my coat through the passenger side window and I rush up to the airline desk, with 15 minutes to spare.
Dropping off my checked luggage, I make it to security. I have TSA Precheck, so that’s relatively uneventful and I’m soon on the plane and on my way to Copenhagen, Denmark. After a 5-hour layover there, I will then have a 2-hour flight to Geneva where I will meet Phyllis. After that, we will take the train to Sion and then a bus to where we’re staying in Haute Nendaz. I do my best to relax, although I’m still worried about Waldo. Things seem to finally be on automatic pilot.
Hah! I should have known better.
To be continued…
Who I’m going to see – My brother, sister-in-law, my nephew, his wife, Phyllis and myself.