I'm at Chicago Midway for a two hour layover before completing the last 2 legs of my 7-legged trip to Michigan (car bus bus train plane plane car). Was hoping to spend an hour or so walking, but after a half hour my right knee said NO. This is a first for me. Man oh man, I do hope it is the last. So instead I'm eating popcorn from Nuts on Clark, perhaps the best popcorn anywhere.
I sat down next to a nice older gentleman on the plane in Seattle and, against all of my rules, started a conversation. Nice enough, he's some sort of driver who delivers big trucks across the country and now is flying back after making a delivery from the east coast to Victoria. He spends close to 300 days per year on the road and has been doing this for 30 years, happily married for more than 40. Problem is, then he wouldn't shut up. I was trying to read, and even with all the "leave me alone now please" body language I could muster, he just wouldn't. I realize that if you drive for a living, when you're not driving it's probably nice to have someone to talk to. But, sigh. I'm just not that nice a person! At last someone came and occupied the seat in between us, and he gave up. Back to my rule of never starting conversations until the last half hour of the trip.
The "someone" was the nicest little old spanish speaking lady (is abuela the right word?), about 4'6" and roughly spherical. we really couldn't talk with my non-existent spanish and her limited english, but she was so sweet, offering me various snacks and trading off arm-rest useage with me. She was praying the rosary as we took off, and when we landed she raised her hands in the air and said "Thank you my god! Thank you!"
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