GOOD-BYE DUBAI & HOMEWARD BOUND

I had to pull myself together; people were looking at me strangely. I had not suffered an anxiety attack in years, I was embarrassed to be experiencing one, now. I sat down and took a few deep breaths to calm myself. I could get thru this. But I had to regain control and be alert! I needed to get up and keep moving.

Finally, I came to a place with arrows pointing the way to the gates. I think mine must have been the last! Literally, I walked a mile to get there! Thank goodness my luggage had been checked thru to Orlando.

The seating area was crammed full of people. Lots more were traveling to Orlando than I had encountered flying from there to Dubai. I noticed a bathroom close by; I figured could brush my teeth before the plane left. As I gathered up my stuff, a woman stuck her head out. “The water isn’t working in here!” she hollered.

Soon we were boarding by rows. Half the people tried to cheat, but were stopped. I was seated next to a lovely woman who looked clearly Middle Eastern. I asked if she was going to Orlando to visit Disney World. She smiled, said she lived in Orlando and had been to Disney World many times.

I’d been ordered by a doctor to get up every hour and walk around, but that was unrealistic. The isle was narrow and the staff was constantly walking back and forth, plus people were constantly heading to and returning from the bathroom.

Always, there were long lines to the restroom and no one was carrying a tooth brush. I’d twist my body moving my arms & legs while waiting in line. People offered to let me go ahead of them. I would explain that I was trying to stave off a blood clot!

On every Emirates flight but the first, the people behind me complained when I reclined my seat. To compromise, I reclined partially. That way, we both were uncomfortable rather than one or the other. This was bad enough on a 6 hour flight, but for 16 hours it was almost torture. When the lights went down I tried to recline further back so I could sleep more comfortably, but my seat wouldn’t budge. I wondered if I had broken something. Anyway, I saw no empty seats available, so I was stuck.

Later, a neighbor told me that you can purchase a device online that will prevent the seat in front from reclining. Another told me that you can wedge a book in the back of the seat to get the same results. I don’t know if anyone actually did this, but if they did, it was dirty and despicable. The seats in front of me were fully reclined and it wasn’t an issue. I think the people behind me probably just needed to go on a diet!

Back in the 1970’s before airlines shrank personal space, NEVER did anyone complain when I reclined my seat! It makes me angry that now we’re forced to pay extra just for basic comfort!

In front were 3 seats. A woman with two children who looked about 5 & 7 sat there. The kids were farting and the odor kept wafting back into my face. This was the last thing I wanted to smell while eating my dinner! I kept telling myself that unless I was dead and in Hell this flight would end eventually.

When Orlando International Airport came into view, I felt a tremendous sense of relief. But more misery was waiting. By now, I was ready to drop from fatigue.

After the lengthy check-in process, there was another long wait at the luggage carousel. And the larger of my 2 bags was far back on the conveyor belt under other luggage. I struggled to free it running alongside. In Thailand, men were standing by to assist, but not here! My suitcase kept slipping from my grasp as I ran. A tall, lean woman in her 20’s raced ahead of me and pulled it free!

I thanked her and told her I didn’t work out in a gym. She said she was in the military and used to heavy lifting.

Next, luggage in tow was yet another check-point. The official asked for a paper from an earlier one. I was foggy and unable to find it. The man was annoyed. He ordered me to step off to the side as I searched because I was holding up the line. I refused! I knew it had to be someplace among my belongings. Eventually, I found it at the bottom of my giant purse.

He scrutinized the paper. “Oh no!” he exclaimed. “You and I are the same age!” From his tone of voice, what I really heard was, “This stupid woman who probably has dementia is the same age as me!”

I read later that when you are without sleep for a certain number of hours it has the same effect on the brain as being drunk and I was already well past that point!

After riding the shuttle, I came to another carousel. The official told me I could avoid it if I just carried everything up the escalator with me. I looked at her as if she was crazy. Besides my 2 big pieces of luggage, I had a huge carry-on bag, and my giant purse. Plus I was 65 years old and everything was swollen from the knees on down! I could just picture myself tumbling down that escalator with everything on top of me.

Sans luggage, I rode up the escalator. At the top were men holding signs. I’ve seen some creative spellings of Lininger in my day, but this was a new one. I told the man behind it if he was going to Vero Beach, I was the right person. He walked to the final carousel with me, retrieved my luggage and put it in the limo.

I was so out of it, I couldn’t remember the day of the week. I asked the driver.

 “Tuesday!” he replied.

 I wasn’t sure, I thought Thursday, but perhaps I was just eager for the weekend to start.

“You missed that Arctic blast over the weekend!” he said. “It got really cold, here!”

“I didn’t miss anything,” I told him. “I felt it in Bangkok!”

Suddenly I was glad I’d shelled out for a limo! There were no stops along the way, plus the drivers knew a short-cut to avoid the toll booths.

I arrived home shortly after 2:00 PM. The first thing I did was to brush and floss my teeth. (Oh, I so needed to be rid of that awful scummy feeling inside my mouth!) Afterward, I took a bath and washed my hair. I wanted scrub the airports completely off of me!

After slipping into my robe, I plopped down into my recliner and reclined all the way back. It felt wonderful to have all this space to myself with 2 wide armrests I didn’t have to share! I gazed up at my 30 ft cathedral ceiling, then over at my big stone fireplace.

During my journey, I stayed at many scenic places, some luxurious, but none felt as comfortable or as delightful as right here! I closed my eyes. When I opened them, I found myself sitting in the dark. But the darkness felt peaceful and welcoming.