I went to the airport this morning to collect my friend Cynthia who’s spending the weekend chez-nous.
I should’ve taken the book I just bought [Julie Orringer’s The Invisible Bridge“] and had a picnic with this woman.
“Reading Woman in the Forest” (1875) by Gyula Benczúr [Public domain].
*
Earlier this week when I realized Cynthia hadn’t sent me her flight information I sent her a text message. She replied:
“Rosie sorry for the delayed response I have been exhausted. My flight is AC 0787 arriving at 10:05 pm on July 8th hopefully on time.”
Last night when I checked the flight online, I saw that there wasn’t a flight 0787 arriving at 10:05. I [rightly] assumed she must’ve made a mistake with the numbers in her text message [easy to do with the tiny keypads] and that the correct information was flight 0789 which arrived at 10:40 am.
a digital billboard at the side of the freeway
I gave myself an hour and 15 minutes to get there. I’ve lived in Los Angeles long enough to know that the rush hour traffic can still be bad at that time in the morning.
It was slow going – I arrived with 15 minutes to spare.
When the flight landed I waited and watched every last person come down the escalator, but no sign of Cynthia. I walked around the luggage carousel a couple of times to confirm I hadn’t missed her.
Perhaps I’d written down the wrong airline? I wrote her a text message, “hey Cin I’m waiting at the baggage carousel. Where are you?” (What did we do before cell phones and text messaging?)
She replied immediately. “Rosie, I arrive at 10 pm tonight.”
What?
Cindy wrote again:”I guess you were so excited to see me. But my text message the other day said PM. I can’t believe you are there!”
I looked at her original text again, and there it was, 10.05 P.M. Oh god silly me! I didn’t see it. I just assumed she was arriving in the morning because I don’t work on Fridays!
I came back home.
Interesting how I assumed she’d made the mistake when I saw that both the flight number and the time didn’t match what she’d sent me.
Yes I am tired and stressed out, but how could I have missed seeing the pm in her original text message?
I’ve never done something like that before. Have you?
Wondering Rose 
No I have not, but I will …
Makes me feel better to read your “but I will…”
“she needs a lot of care…” someone recently said to me, referring to a friend
I swam and laying at the pool read 90 pages of my book this afternoon. Feel much better. Thank you Boris.
No, but I liked “Invisible Bridge” !
Hi snicketsnnstiles94,
I’m glad to hear from someone who read the book and enjoyed it. I’ve read a few hundred pages so far, and am loving it.
Hi,
The confusion seemed to happen when you went to check up on the flight on the internet. I had a stuff up with a going away party once, we were in the middle of a very bad storm, and I rang her up to see if the party was still on and she said of course you do realize it is next week-end, we had a bit of a laugh about it all, but I put it down to everything that had happened that day, total confusion. 🙂
Hey Mags,
I feel so much better after reading your comment, because you reminded me of the party we gave for my daughter’s graduation from Naturopathic College. Maria, one of my friends told me that she and her husband thought the party was the Saturday before, and when they discovered from the front desk person that they’d come on the wrong date they ran out hoping no one had seen them. We had a good laugh.
Lovely artwork!! Having just spent 8 fun-filled HOURS at LaGuardia trying to get back to Atlanta (it’s just a 2 hour flight) … I can attest that it’s almost irrelevant what time the flight is supposed to get in. I’d always assume it’s gonna be way, way late! Have a happy weekend!!!
Good lord Betty, why such a long delay – it’s not a long weekend. Were there thunder storms?
I always fly direct now even if I have to pay a lot extra ever since it once took me 36 hours to fly to Toronto – a trip of 5 hours- because there were floods in Dallas.
I must say that, yes, I have. Or rather, WE have.
A couple of years ago, my husband and I drove to East LA (about 20 miles from home) to attend a friend’s art opening. When we arrived to the gallery/bar that was hosting the show, it was clear there was no art show happening — just the regular early Friday night bar crowd. When I asked my husband whether he was sure the art opening was that night, he checked again. We were a week early.
The way I see it, it must have been karma for all the times we’ve been late.
Thanks for sharing your story e fullstop. I find it very comforting to know I’m not alone in not paying proper attention, especially as you guys are a lot younger than me. I know my problem was that I read the text in one fast skim.
Oh Rosie…I’ll have to confess!
I arrived at the theater. My friend with the tickets was late – so late, in fact, the show was about to begin. I blabbed to the Box Office. She told me to go in and find a vacant seat since I was the last one in. The show started.
Not the show I wanted to see. Not only was I huffed about my friend being horribly late, she bought tickets to the wrong show.
Then it dawned on me. Could I possibly have the wrong night! During applause, I skulked out to the Lobby. Yep…I was a week early. I sheepishly thanked the House Manager for watching for my errant friend. He grinned and said, “You don’t have to confess. You aren’t the first person to get the wrong night!”
I drove home begging my departed mother’s forgiveness for the time she came to visit, transposing the flight time and the flight number!
It’s humbling. It’s necessary apparently. I’d rather it wasn’t!!
I’ve learned to laugh at myself – otherwise there’ll be a line-up of those who’ll do it for me!
Oh my Amy, that is so funny! Thank you for sharing it. Theater house manager’s must have some great stories to share.
I did laugh at myself. I had to tell someone what I’d done, so I shared the story with the woman who took my $3 at the airport parking garage. She thought it was hilarious and as there wasn’t a car in the line behind me we both had a good laugh and when I left I said “see you tonight” which got her giggling again.
Oh yes, Rosie!
Long before cellphones and private cars, a friend took me to a very important meeting at a college quite far away from home. After walking around the deserted and dark place for a long while I looked at the invitation so see the meeting had been at 9a.m. and NOT p.m.In desperation I found a house, knocked on the door and a nice couple let me in….to wait for two hours till my friend returned!
Unforgettable night!
Good lord Lynn that’s very scary to be stranded at night in a strange town far from home. How nice that strangers let you wait for your friend in their house.
I wonder if something like that happened today, whether people would let in a stranger?
Unfortunately, yes, I am constantly doing things like that…
Glad it all ended well, though. 🙂
Something for you here in my current post, Rosie.
It all ended well. Cynthia arrived safely last night. Mr F drove us to the airport.
Many thanks for the award Val. (What a lovely surprise)
It’s heartening to know that folks like you are enjoying my cash register stories.
I must have made such an error at least a dozen times, I am sure. But I have selective memory, Rosie. Can you believe that have I have forgotten the details of the incidents? I do vaguely remember making them, though. It is perhaps because I make such errors, sometimes of little or no consequence, so often that they’re best forgotten. 😛
If you were feeling a little funny after after having made such a one-time error, allow me to tell you that your post has gone and almost ruined my day with a tiny bit of guilt for not feeling funny at all about these absent-minded goof-ups. Should I hate you? No, I don’t, for I forgive you — the lovely paintings cheered me up. 🙂
PS: Hope you had a good time with Cynthia!
I’d hate to ruin your day Priya, so I’m awfully glad to know that the paintings helped cheer you up.
Having a great old time with Cynthia thanks. It’s always great to show my city to friends.
So glad you could go home and read and swim and relax after the airport fiasco! EASY to mis the little pm on a tiny text message! We are all moving way to fast these days…
Hope you both had a good giggle and a wonderful weekend when she finally got there!!
What a pleasure to welcome you here Heather.
You are so right that we’re rushing around, trying to fit in way too much in too few hours in the day, so it’s easy to speed read and make assumptions.
I think Cynthia and I will always be giggling when we’re reminded about this story.
“I’ve never done something like that before. Have you?”
How much time do you have?
I’ve got lots of time and would LOVE to hear your stories Bronx Boy. I look forward to reading them -I guess I’ll see them in your blog?