My Great Adventure

By Maryann Hyatt
The Red Hat Mamas
Columbia, Mississippi

The day was bright and shining, the birds were singing and the plane was on time leaving Logan Aiport after the Boston Tea Party. In due time, we arrived in Memphis on time. After watching the passing parade and reading for several hours, I moseyed on down to the departure gate for the 7:10 flight to Hattiesburg, Mississippi where the airline agent informed the waiting passengers that not only was our flight cancelled, but ALL flights south were cancelled.

There I stood, an antique woman in a red straw hat with purple silk lilacs holding a 2 ft. by 2 ft. large hexagon hatbox. The agent book the early Tuesday flight for me as I waited.

Then along came my shining knight without amour, but the owner of two fabulous bright blue eyes which hooked me immediately. The fact that he was obviously less than half my age had nothing to do with it.

He asked, "When does the flight to Hattiesburg leave? Is it on time?"

"Sorry sir, that flight and all flights south have been cancelled."

"But I have to get home to my wife and child."

"I'm very sorry, sir. All flights south are cancelled due to the weather. The earliest flight out is Tuesday and we won’t be taking any more bags off the planes tonight either."

"I have to get home. I'm going to drive!"

Aha, the light bulb went off and I sidled up to him and sweetly said in a soft voice, "If you let me go with you, I’ll pay half."

"C'mon on!"

Off we went to rent a car and proceeded to tool down the highway headed south. The traffic headed north was bumper-to-bumper, but the two lanes headed south had very few autos to get in our way.

We had an ongoing conversation for the nearly 300 mile trip. He had driven an 18-wheel truck in Iraq for a year, mostly in the southern part of the country hauling supplies from one place to another. When he came back to the good ole’ USA, he drove trucks up and down the mountains of Wyoming. He recalled reporting for work in short sleeves in the valley one day. By the time the 18-wheel truck reached the top of the mountain it was snowing. It snowed five inches that day and he nearly froze.

Later we discussed families and such. I learned he is 32-years old with a wife and a 2½-year old daughter. Shucks, that means I must go on hunting for a desirable unattached companion!

We reached the Hattiesburg Airport in four hours with only two stops. As we were putting my hexagon hatbox in my trunk, Airport Security stopped for a check. When they realized I was an antique wearing a red hat accompanied by a nice-looking, 32-year old young man who was obviously my grandson, they drove on.

Meanwhile, I had called home to report my flight was cancelled and I would drive home with a man I had never seen before, my daughter who lives in Texas called to check on me. She went into orbit at the thought of her scandalous mother's behavior.

I arrived home at one in the morning. Katrina came to visit and the electricity went off at 7:30 that morning and remained off for eight days. No water or postal service for eight days. No telephone service for two and a half weeks, which meant my frantic daughter called my neighbors with telephones to check on Mama.

The next flight from Memphis to Hattiesburg was two weeks later. If I had not taken a chance with my gallant young man, I would have been stuck in Memphis for two weeks, as was my suitcase. When I got it, nothing was missing, not even my dirty clothes.

Some would call this experience frightening, but I refer to it as my latest adventure.