A Sibling Adventure Part I: Detroit to Korea
After another evening of no slumber during this crazy and busy year, me and my sister were packed and ready to set off for Manila, Philippines; our first solo adventure together.
My dad being our uber for the morning promptly started the drive from our house to the airport at about 4:05AM- with a 5:30AM departure time for the DFW to Detroit flight with Delta.
Getting through security was a breeze and we were sitting near gate E13 casually waiting for boarding to begin.
Small talk about our day of travel, the counts of seats on the flights, and excitement about the trip in general all kept us company during these few minutes.
The excitement quickly took a 180 when asking her a casual joke. “Do you have your passport?”
You can probably guess that if she had said yes then I would not be writing this right now.
I immediately called my dad and he knew his mission and where the passport was in the house- this was after he realized I was serious in that yes she forgot the only thing you need for an international trip.
It was a race against the clock though as when I called he was still about seven minutes from the house.
While still at the airport I schemed whether I had to leave security or not, the best place to wait for my dad and the passport, and the best strategy of rushing back through security.
The minutes felt like hours as this route to detroit was the only even slightly convenient way to set up our chances for getting to Seoul at a reasonable hour- or else we would have to muster up a way to get to San Francisco by midnight for the United fight- which actually was going to cause quite a few blood vessels to pop in quite a few foreheads.
This was the only flight with seats, almost the only way to do it.
I then waited outside - officially outside of security - at the arrivals, gate E8.
Time seemed to only stand still.
Only breaking my routine of monotonous pacing to tie my shoe laces tighter than I believe any laces have ever been on any pair of shoes that have bestowed upon my feet.
After a few more agonizing minutes I finally notice the slight glimmer of the hood logo of my dad’s Subaru outback swiftly turning the bend in the darkness of an early DFW morning.
Similar to that of a baton-handoff in a 4x4 olympic relay race, me and my father’s execution on the exchange was pretty close to perfect I like to think.
Sprints I haven’t done since highschool were the only option in front of me.
TSA precheck helped a bit but the lines were pretty much equal in length.
After they checked my ID I called my sister to let the gate agent know that I was coming as fast as I could and that it would only take me three more minutes to arrive back at the gate. The gate agent said I only had two minutes left until the doors would be shut.
Of course I only bring my phone through security and I get a “random” search of it.
The instant my phone was swabbed and cleared everything in my peripheral vision became a blur. It was only the steps right in front of me, the passport in my pocket, and the avoidance of anybody in front of me blocking my path to gate E13.
With not even seconds to spare, the gate agents walk up to the podium to scan the last two passengers; me and the passport forgetter.
Times like these just always feel like a new test. And yet one that I would not have been prepared for on a previous trip, only this one. With whatever possible new knowledge or experiences I have gained since the last trip.
Build on past successes, any successes.
And now after sleeping the entirety of the flight to Detroit, the photo at the top captures the midst of a five-hour layover; where we wait to see if we make this leg to Seoul.
Always stay on your toes.
& take a rest when deserved.
