Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
“Come on, sweetie. We better hurry. Sometimes flights board early, you know.” Hannah's
excitement was turning into anxiety. They had plenty of time, but Mark had requested a
private security screening, giving Hannah a few extra moments to imagine catastrophes
.
“Sweetheart, we can relax and walk at a normal pace. We've got thirty minutes before
boarding, and even then, the flight doesn't leave right away.”
Hannah sighed and relaxed a bit. “Okay, fine,” she said. “I'm just excited. I can't believe
that we're finally going to Holland.” And it was true: the big day was finally here. Months
of preparation and study were all coming together, with their direct flight to Amsterdam
leaving that evening. They had used airline miles Mark had accumulated from work to up-
grade to business class, and Hannah had found a wealth of inflatable pillows online that
they hoped would help them sleep on the plane
.
As they arrived at their gate, Hannah looked at Mark, who was wearing a backpack and
had been pulling both of their carry-on suitcases. She suddenly felt a surge of love for her
husband, and she started to tear up. “What's the matter, baby?” Mark asked. “We're going
to catch the flight. They haven't even opened the door for boarding yet.”
“It's just that looking at you and thinking about all we've been through to get ready for this
trip, it's just a little overwhelming. I've never prepared for anything like this before. And I
feel closer to you than I ever have. Maybe I'm sad because I know this trip is going to end,
and I want it to go on forever.”
Mark listened as he took off his backpack and put it on top of the suitcases. “I know what you
mean, sweetie. Getting ready for this trip has opened a whole new world to me, and we're
not even there yet. But let's try to stay in the moment, because the trip hasn't even started.”
But as Mark said those words, he knew he was wrong. The trip had begun the night that
Hannah came home and made them both
stamppot.
“Well, maybe that's not right,” Mark
corrected himself. “We've been on this trip for a long time now, and it's not going to end
when our plane returns in a week. In fact, this trip is going to be with us for a long time.
But for now we've got a lot of fun ahead of us, so let's just enjoy it. What do you say, sweet-
heart?” And with that, Mark held out both of his hands toward Hannah
.
