T’was the night before Christmas…well,
not really, but it sure felt like it this past Thursday. Lyle and I had plans
to go to B.C.’s Okanagan Valley. Lyle was to drive and I had decided to fly.
The snow was falling.
I was a little anxious
about the flight because it has been some time since I have flown alone. Still,
my friend Shirley was driving me to the airport and basically handing me over
to the Air Canada staff at the desk. I should have no worries. In fact, in Edmonton
everything went very smoothly. This year we had purchased Maple Leaf Lounge
passes, so that was my first stop after security. A huge thank you to Edna,
Marie and Linda who looked after me there. The flight to Vancouver was
uneventful and again I was ensconced in the Maple Leaf Lounge where Fanny and
Monica made sure that I had everything I needed.
It was all fine until the
time for me to board my next flight to Penticton. Lo and behold, winter had
come early to BC’s interior. The snow was heavy, the visibility was near nil
and the flight had been cancelled. Not only that, there were no more flights
that night.
I managed to remain fairly
calm, although not especially happy. The Air Canada staff who took charge of me
were excellent. Somehow or other, a hotel room was arranged and a guide came to
take me to the shuttle bus. As the woman who arranged this for me said, “You
will just have to look on this as a new adventure!”
Getting to the hotel went
smoothly, and the night manager showed me to my room and explained the buttons
on the elevator. I slept reasonably well but retained some anxiety about the
next morning.
Actually, as it turned
out, the only mishap of the next day was mixing up the buttons in the elevator
at the hotel. I think I pressed the alarm button instead of the lobby and I
rode all the way up before someone else got on to press the right key.
The shuttle was good, but
when we neared the airport, I remembered the confusion of the previous night.
Vancouver Airport is big and I knew that where the shuttle dropped me off I
would never be able to find my way to the check in counter. Instead, I spoke up in the bus - “Is anyone here going to Air
Canada?”
I was in luck. One kind
passenger answered my call for help. I don’t know this gentleman’s name, but he
was tall and had on white running shoes. Also, he was an Aussie! Well, he was
born in Australia but had been here for twenty years.
I am most grateful to this
stranger. He led me to the Air Canada desk, and although we were separated at that
point, we met again at security and again at the boarding gate. Each time, this
man acknowledged me to make sure I was okay. Again, when we landed in Penticton,
my new friend made sure I had someone there to meet me. Possibly he doesn’t
know just how grateful I was for the few words we exchanged, but he definitely
did his good deed for the day.
So, if you do see someone
with a white cane who looks as if they might be struggling, do please offer to
help. Again, I am very grateful to everyone who made my unexpected flight
delays into just a good feeling flight adventure.
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