Seat 32B

 Imagine you won the lottery.  What would you do?  Where would you go?  Where would you live?  Would travel become a big part of your life?  I have a feeling you wouldn't be sitting in the economy section on a no frills flight like me when I was returning home to Iowa yesterday. 

I made my way to my seat and discovered I would be sitting between two people in the last row.  The guy at the window seat had no window.  They don't offer windows in the last row.  The girl in the aisle seat was sporting a mask.  She did everything in her power to keep her distance in our cramped space.  The only time she spoke was to ask me to please lower the arm rest bar.  The only way my feet could fit was to tuck them under my personal bag.  I forced myself to do some intermittent leg raises to keep the circulation going.  The miniature tray table was designed to open just enough to allow for a drink.  I wasn't going to pay $3 for a bottle of water so I left the tray table in the upright position for the duration of the flight.  

The driver in charge of fueling our plane ended up going to the wrong gate causing a thirty minute delay.  One of the flight attendants walked by us and commented how much hotter it was in the back of the plane.  Aisle girl was fanning herself with a magazine to stay cool.  I appreciated her free cross breeze she gifted me.   Windowless guy next to me was already asleep.  Maybe he was a Phoenix native like me because the heat didn't seem to bother him.  As for 32B, only my toes were sleeping under the weight of my travel bag.  

I saw a message from my high school tennis coach who commented about how planes aren't allowed to take off when temps reach 120º.  Memories of that dreadful day on the tarmac at sky harbor when temps hit 120º swirled around like a dust devil.  The baby two rows ahead of us made a strange noise while the mom was burping him.  He spewed.  Good thing the flight attendants were so close that they could respond with the speed of Jimmy John's offering to hold the baby and clean up in aisle 30.  Mom got a free bottle of water for her trouble.  Once the mess was cleaned the door was closed and we departed the Valley of the Sun.

My seat belt was tested at 35,000 feet when we hit turbulence.  The captain announced we would climb another 2,000 feet to stop the turbulence and his plan saved the day.  We landed without incident.  Both passengers got chatty once we were on the ground knowing that their nightmare was about to come to a conclusion.  Once outside I found my freedom.  For those of you in the Valley of the Sun who vacation in San Diego, the feeling I had was like reaching the final mountain top coming in to San Diego when your body senses about a thirty degree temperature drop.  I rolled my windows down and let the 70º breeze flow.  It was good to be home.  Seat 34B is now a memory.  I'm thankful to be home.  I'm also thankful for the time I spent with my mother and some special people in my life.  Have a great day.