The First to Leave

Tickets row 5!

    I am still giggling, laughing out loud, and gushing about the “Business Class” (First-Class) Seats in which we are now sitting. We have just left Chicago for Rome and Debbie has surprised me with an 18-year anniversary gift and we are assuming about nine different positions in them. I simply cannot believe the difference between “economy” and “first-class.” Debbie tells me that her father remarked, “I bet you have very little more than we will have in the back of the plane.” Well, I can say that good ‘ole Ray is wrong. I’ve made a list of comforts we have experienced in these luxurious seats on my iPhone and listed them here:

Lets go!

First to board, priority boarding;

juice, water, and drinks in first 4 minutes of sitting down;

our seats have about nine different positions, including the prone position;

I can fully extend my legs and still can’t reach the seat in front of me;

given toothbrush, toothpaste, body lotion, chapstick, socks, slippers, and tissue;

a pillow filled with “down” and a large blanket;

a world-class menu with items and courses that rival any cruise ship specialty restaurant;

unlimited alcohol; geez, I am so grateful that AA has kept me sober for 29 years and counting (I will remember this entire adventure, every moment!);

we have five different TV screens from which to choose, and a Samsung tablet with many movies from which to choose along with a variety of music;

ear phones that completely block out any outside or cabin sound;

So much more room!

easy access to the toilets which are larger than in economy class;

and formal china and glassware.

            To repeat, it is a good thing I have been sober for 29 years and counting. The free drinks in this section of the plane are delivered so frequently I’m sure I would pass out before crossing over New York City. At any rate, it is great to be sober because I can enjoy every minute of this flight and adventure; I’m such a lucky guy. To improve a recent dip into the doldrums, and to get my attitude back in line, I have attended four consecutive AA meetings prior to this day. It is amazing how much it has helped. Working the steps again is a good thing; although I have been through them many times before, I have learned that as a recovering alcoholic I have to keep working the program; a day-at-a-time. It works!

            If I didn’t have terminal cancer I doubt if I would be flying in this comfort; so ironically, I am grateful for the deadline, it has afforded me a good many perks – travel to Europe three times, once with Michael and family and now with Becky, boyfriend, brother and wife, and parents; the Canadian and Colorado Rockies (the latter twice); the West Coast and Seattle; Las Vegas with our girls and Andrew; Alaska and the Arctic; and a Caribbean cruise with my boys and their families – and all this in the past 18 months, wow! Of course I am also almost broke, but after all, you can’t take it with you. The key is to die before the funds run out. Timing is everything.

So many ways to recline

            The flight is approximately nine hours, and the difference in time between Rome and Columbia is seven hours – we will arrive around 9:30am Rome time; 2:30am time in Columbia. The only missing piece is free Wifi so we can watch the Cardinals vs. Red Sox in the first game of the World Series. Go Redbirds!

            We will be the first to arrive in Rome. Debbie’s parents will arrive exactly one day later, and Becky, Justin, Brian, and Angela a bit later, near midnight. This is the beginning of a great adventure. Thru friend Peggy Gray, we are provided a slogan for the trip. She reminds me often of Ralph Waldo Emerson whose famous verse goes something like this: “Take not the trail already travelled, go a different way and make a new path,” and that is exactly what we plan to do.

Slippers!!

Arriving in Rome

            I think I slept in my luxurious seat for four of the nine hours of flight. I was so comfortable compared to the cramped seats in the back of the plane that I was in a state of rest for the remainder of the time. Nevertheless, I am looking forward to a shower and a shave.

            Oh how sweet it is to live in a global village. There were no customs forms to fill out, only a brief stop to show our passports that received but a passing glance. And can you believe it Debbie’s luggage was the first piece to pop out of the luggage carrier followed by mine about 7 suitcases back. We passed through the airport in no time, spotted our driver, Silvio of Roma Cabs, and off we went into Rome to our apartment 242 Gregorio VII, only four blocks from St. Peter’s Basilica. It is just as we remembered it from May 2012 when the 4m’s (Mike, Michelle, Matt, and Megan) joined us for a week in Rome prior to a cruise to the Eastern Mediterranean. Walking out on the balcony was a bit sad knowing they would love to be here with us, and we with them. 

            There was, however, a huge difference this time around. We have Wifi in our apartment! No more walks three blocks away to an Internet Café whose owners only work when they feel like it. We feel connected to the rest of the world here, and more so than when we board the ships to the sea. A shower and nap before making a new trail is in order. The next arrivals will be Debbie’s parents, Ray and Monica, who will join us this same time tomorrow.