Long Day’s Journey Into Night

I took a half day off of work so we could leave before noon and beat the snow that was predicted to descend on the state later that afternoon. “These weather guys are as full of shit as those hurricane chasers are in Florida”, Vic opined as we drove north in sunny 50 degree weather. The clouds were darker in Castle Rock, the blue sky now gray.
The first snow flakes swirled across 470 just west of the airport. I had never seen so many birds flying in formation before. They blackened the already dark sky. “Canadian”, Vic observed with the same one word assessment he’d made about pale tourists waddling St. Pete Beach.
The 3:45 flight to Tampa was rescheduled to 4:15 then to 4:30. The plane was full, no room for standbys unless at least 2 passengers had signed in online and then decided not to show. 4:35 p.m.: no plane at either gate C49 or C43 where another flight with room for two “non-revs” was scheduled to leave for Orlando at 4:35. Both planes arrived and began boarding at the same time. Decisions, decisions, deal or no deal – two guaranteed seats to Orlando, rent a car, get to Gulfport after midnight – OR take a chance on two no shows to get to Tampa by 10.
Time for me to walk the 200 yards to the Orlando gate that was out of sight of Vic at Tampa gate 49 - but not out of cell phone range. Cold wind blew in through the doors at gates 47 and 45. The line at gate 43 dwindled as the paid passengers boarded the plane. “Last call for Allen and Miller for Orlando flight 706.” This could be the last chance for FL tonight. Grab the cell phone. “Babe, get down here now. They’re closing the doors.”
Vic let me go ahead of him to take the last aisle seat. A few minutes later I saw the back of his gray head 5 rows in front of me in a middle seat. I had scored the better spot, I thought, unaware at that time that the kid sitting next to me would fart most of the way to Orlando. We sat hostage on the tarmac for an hour waiting for our turn to be de-iced. We got into Orlando late then waited a half hour in line for a rental car (that had already been arranged by our “ground crew”: a last minute call to Steph just before takeoff). We got home to Gulfport at 1:30 a.m., and we slept with the bedroom windows open. 