December 31, 2009 – “Superfriends”

Standing there in the freezing cold weather, I paused to consider why Chicago really SHOULD be called the Windy City (that whole “urban legend” about their politicians is a crock) and went to grab my jacket, but alas it was stowed in this story’s central character, my carry-on bag.

But here’s where it gets rather interesting, because just when you think you have people figured out to the point where it justifies your cynical approach to life, someone will go and do something that will shock the shit out of you. The pilot of the plane, a woman no less (a point I make not to be sexist, yet again, but because deep down I am just not sure a man would have done what was to follow. See that ladies, I just threw my whole gender under the bus. The guys are going to “pull” my man card for this…)

This wonderful pilot, let’s call her Captain Shara, spent the next 45 minutes on her personal cell phone tracking down my carry-on. She called back to the Indy airport only to discover my bag had been left right where I put it, at the end of the jet way At one point in the conversation, she had to power down the commuter plane and then physically push up the jet’s door stairs. (I helped her with that, and boy is that door heavy to lift over your head!)

She walked into the terminal with me and stayed with me until they completely remedied the solution, all the while giving the baggage handlers back in Indy a real earful. My carry-on would be flying American Airlines to Chicago and catch up with me in Frankfurt, Germany. Sounded like a plan for sure, but as any frequent (or even non-frequent) flier knows, a promise made by an airline isn’t always a promise kept.

But United made me a believer that day, because while my bag didn’t quite catch up with me in Frankfurt as planned, it was there on the carousel at my final destination in the Middle East. It was truly remarkable. What I thought was sure to be a negative turned into quite the positive, and along the way renewed my faith in humanity-that people at their core are inherently good.
Oh there are villains out their wanting and needing to do evil, (you know Justice League versus the Legion of Doom type stuff). But today was not their day, this time Aquaman got into Wonder Woman’s invisible jet and helped return a precious carry-on bag back to its rightful owner-me. At least that’s my story and I am sticking to it.