RIDDING MYSELF OF BAGGAGE, LITERALLY

I dodged spiders in the dim light of my crawlspace as I retrieved my old 1970’s American Tourister luggage. Memories came surging back. All of my trips were exciting and filled with wonder, the memories remain vivid. Each adventure ended way too soon.

Upon returning, my miserable life with piles of work and the job I hated always awaited me. But it was that job which financed my trips.  Life at home was hardly a joy, either! 

I existed only for those gloriously wonder filled, exotic trips! After the 70’s ended along with the job, no longer could I afford them.  I wanted to stop living!

Beginning in 1971, I worked in our new family business, a Flower Shop & Wedding Chapel down in West Palm Beach. Dad & I commuted an hour’s drive each way.  We both came to loathe that place and people in general for much the same reasons.

More than a few times we caught trusted employees in the act of outright stealing or trying to undermine us. I could state many examples!  My father used to say, “This should be a good lesson in human nature for you, Dianne.”  Despite this, I do have some positive memories.

One of our designers had a son-in-law who worked for the airlines. Thanks to him, I received a big discount on a lady American Tourister & matching tote.  Soon I became a veteran of the escorted tour.

During my trips abroad, I noticed that most of the other single women carried men’s suitcases. “They’re better, not just bigger,” I was told.     

Now I wanted one, too!  Trouble was, my father had FIRED (for valid reasons) the designer whose son-in-law worked at the airport.

Nothing ventured, nothing gained, I figured.  So I phoned the designer’s daughter and asked if her husband could get me another piece of luggage.  She wouldn’t make any promises.

My father was furious. “You’ve got a lot of nerve!” he hollered.

Well I also got a brand new American Tourister!!!  Everything I’d heard about the man’s suitcase was true!  It had more compartments, plus it was layered, clothes stayed more wrinkle-free. It was far better suited to a woman’s needs than a man’s, we just have more stuff!

During this period, I also received lots of free canvas totes from Travel Agencies & Tour Companies. I collected so many that I was giving them away. Everyone I knew at the time owned at least one!

Towards the end of the 1970’s, luggage with wheels began to appear.  However, it was still so rare people would actually point.

Now here I was in 2015 dusting off my old obsolete suitcases. When I opened them, the insides were brown with climate stains. The only piece still in usable condition was the carry-on tote.

Thanks to my great friend Rose, (also my Ecuador travel companion) I was spared the expense of purchasing new.  Rose gave me her previous luggage and it has wheels!  I’ll be taking the larger bag along with that old American Tourister tote. Nothing will match, but so what!

As for my old suitcases, I actually wondered if I’d have to pay the garbage collectors extra to pick them up, or would I have to drive to the landfill. Suddenly I wanted to slap myself! This wasn’t even a problem.  All I had to do was carry them out to the road before I went to bed.

That’s exactly what I did.  As if by magic, the following morning they had vanished!