An exciting story...

Category: Family

Published: 10/26/2008 07:26 p.m.

People love exciting stories. It's not so easy to pinpoint what it is that creates that excitement, but I think I have an idea. I think it starts with a vision of what is possible, oh what may come. Then there is conflict, then tension, then an edge-of-the-seat moment. All of this leads to the climax, which we all know is coming, but there is still some uncertainty about it. Let me know if you've heard this one before...

It was going to be a big surprise. Months ahead of time preparations were being made. Accommodations were being reserved, flights were booked. For one participant, this was in his mind a gift. He wasn't pulling down big paychecks yet, so an event of this nature required some savings. A benefactor offered to foot the bill, but that didn't feel right. This was something he wanted to do for himself.

Finally, after the weeks and months of planning and waiting, things were about to begin happening. This, of course, is when things started to go wrong. First it was the weather. Driving two hours to the airport things looked fine. But it was the destination that turned out to be rotten, or rather the connector. Pittsburgh had a surprise snow storm that February afternoon, and there were no flights in or out. From where he was standing in Houston, things seemed fine. But the plane wasn't going anywhere, and neither was he. So he decided to head for shelter for the night, and try his luck again in the morning. This was a bit of a disappointment, as he would miss the big event the next morning that was going on in the Northeast. Then the phone rang. More bad news. "The boat is going to be late. Don't come til tomorrow", he was told. Funny how that worked out. Things were going wrong in just the right way.

The morning finally came, and the weather had cleared. All that was left was distance and time. Houston to Charlotte: 3.5 hours, 1200 miles. Then waiting... Boarding again. Charlotte to Hartford: 2 hours, 700 miles. Not bad, but not great. It was almost dinner time when he was picked up at the airport. Familiar faces in unfamiliar places. Always comforting. The next closest thing to family. The hour drive from the airport was refreshing. Lots of news, lots of catching up. Very little "Hi, how are you", which in this crowd is a waste. There are more important things to discuss, like eternity and the future of industry. Dinner at a favorite spot, and then time slows down again. Anticipation builds. All the while there is crisis back home. But it is only a digital crisis, and it is easy to ignore. Sleep is hard to get in times like these. You know exactly what is coming, but you can't speed it up. There is only waiting.

Morning comes without breakfast (yet) and it is off to the races. Cross town they go. Here is this, there is that. A tour of oddities and things most residents don't know. Finally they arrive. It's only hours away now. You can feel it. There is a tent with donuts and coffee. Everyone is fed. There is only a single problem left. He is from Texas, but is stuck in New England in the dead of winter. It is cold, and he is wearing a Texas jacket. This means he is cold. Head is cold. Feet are cold. Hands are too frozen to be cold. In an effort to keep his mind off things they go for a walk. The talk of the things that men concern themselves with. More is learned in these 30 minutes about his next five years than all of freshman year. Finally it is time.

The crowd begins to assemble itself. Everyone here is friends, so they are just polite enough not to trample one another. Cameras are out and ready. He's got one on his hand, but is having trouble pushing buttons. Not because they are bad buttons. He just can't move his fingers. Then, the pointing begins. "That's it, over there!" But it is really too far to see. People are guessing. They are correct, but that isn't known for another five minutes. Again someone points and says "There he is, that is him!" He can't really tell. He tries the zoom on the camera to no avail. But the one thing he knows for sure is that the moment that has been planned for months is about to happen. He can't wait.

The boat finally docks, and things begin. First the brass come off. The big-wigs. The crowd moves closer. Then one by one, they come out. Back from a six month trip to the country they protect and serve. For some, back from their last trip. Then, out of complete expectation and complete surprise, it happens. The man comes out, salutes, and walks off for the last time. It is a moment that is captured in time. (one of my favorite moments ever) Then the man sees the surprise waiting for him. A surprise indeed! Brothers back together. The shock of it all takes them both over and lasts through lunch.

In the end, he extends his stay for a great price (free) and they catch up as if they had never been apart. Stories are shared on both sides, and they both experience something that they may never have without one another. An experience neither is likely to forget.

This was certainly an exciting story for me, and Jason as well. Good times were had by all. And the good times will continue and there will be many more exciting stories to come...