London Calling - 1/28/2018
Months of research, planning and scheduling by Sarah have come down to this; her journey to London, England began today. For my part, it was simply driving her to John Glenn International Airport in Columbus.
Our day began well before dawn as we loaded Sarah’s luggage in the car for the drive to the airport. We stopped at the Waffle House in Canal Winchester for breakfast. I’ve always thought a Waffle House breakfast was the closest thing to a home-cooked breakfast without having to go to Mom’s or Leah’s house. And this was my way of giving Sarah her last true American meal before leaving the country.
The fog was thick on our way to the airport and I wondered if it might delay Sarah‘s departure. The airport traffic was very light as I drove to drop Sarah off outside of the terminal. I stopped the car next to the curb and we began to unload Sarah‘s luggage. Then we stood on the sidewalk and give each other a kiss and a farewell hug and as we did, I felt Sarah‘s head turn away from me. I sensed that she didn’t want to make eye contact, fearing that either of us might begin to cry. So I let the moment pass and we didn’t look each other in the face. I returned to the car for my drive home. Sarah walked ahead of where the car was parked, towards the entrance to the terminal. As I began to pull the car away from the curb I suddenly realized that I hadn’t captured one final mental image of Sarah before she was on her way. Sarah had just disappeared inside the doors of the terminal. I inched the car forward until I was able to see through the glass doors and into the terminal to catch my final glimpse of Sarah as she left on her journey. Walking away in her gray coat, pulling along her two pieces of luggage, one in each hand, walking away to start her grand adventure. That is the memory of Sarah I will remember.
I returned home to simply follow Sarah vicariously by tracking her on her phone and her flights online. I’m so proud of Sarah for her taking the initiative to go on this journey and I can’t wait to meet up with her in three months in London.
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