The waiting is the hardest part

July 25, 2010

We had finished up equine-assisted therapy and made a quick stop at Grandma and Grandpa’s to change clothes and freshen up. (Spending an hour in 90+ degree heat in a horse arena doesn’t leave you feeling fresh and smelling good.) The house was empty other than the two of us, and the trip didn’t last 10 minutes. Nathan thought it was exciting to stop, but the real treat was still 14 miles away.

I intentionally didn’t say anything about where we were going or what outcome the night would bring, just in case there was some reason it couldn’t happen. It didn’t mean that everyone else who saw Nathan on Thursday asked him if he was ready for Mom to be home.

The giggles started a quarter mile outside the entrance to the parking garage. No one can convince me that he doesn’t have a memory for places, events and outcomes. Driving down the road, stopping to get the ticket for the garage and heading up the circular ramps, he knew what was going on. This was where we left his mom and now it was time to see her again.

With a big, red bow on his head and a sign on the tray of his stroller that read, Welcome home Mom! I have a present for you, we headed into the terminal and toward the place where we checked-in 18 days earlier. According to my watch, we had 15 minutes before the flight was scheduled to arrive. We got inside and saw several other family members of Annette’s team staring up at the big board of departures and arrivals. Looking up, we saw the inevitable, Flight 4007 ... Delayed.

We didn’t know for how long and with no more outgoing flights for the night, the American Airline desk was unoccupied. A member of the group went down to luggage claim to see if they had any more information, but nothing official could be shared. A few minutes later there was an update, the flight would arrive at 8:59 instead of 7:55.

Nathan was jumpy to say the least. Every new person that came within view made him jump, look, and hope it would be his mom. Having not had dinner myself, I took him to the food court and tried to turn his back to the main aisle, knowing it would be a while, and he may drive himself crazy letting any movement spark his interest. We were able to allow 25 minutes to pass before we were both ready to rejoin the rest of the group. The minutes ticked by, but still not fast enough for everyone. I went back around the corner to check the screens, and there was a new update ... Arrived.

It was only 8:45, but no one was going to complain. We headed as far as security would allow, but still there was minimal movement down the long corridor. Five minutes passed, then 10, and soon we were back to the 8:59 time. We couldn’t make things happen any faster than they would happen on their own, but everyone was counting down the minutes, not just the little guy in front of me. We saw the crowd taking the long walk, but we were still waiting for anyone from our group to appear.

One-by-one, familiar faces appeared and you could see Nathan’s eyes scanning everyone in the group. From Nathan’s lower perspective he was at a disadvantage, but finally he could see what he was looking for, and the waiting was over. He gave some good smiles, but still there was a sense of uncertainty. The flight with the second half of the group arrived shortly after (it was supposed to be an hour after the first, but after the delay they arrived very close together.) Everyone headed down to baggage claim, and collect their treasures. After divvying up everyone’s belongings people started heading their own ways.

This was the true test in Nathan’s mind. It was great to visit Mom in this new place, but as we headed for the car, and Annette was coming with us, things really started to get exciting. We made it from baggage claim to the elevator, then the elevator to the parking lot. From the lot to the car, and when the door opened next to his and Annette got inside, there wasn’t a happier guy on the face of the earth. I started the car, headed to the exit, down the ramp and through the toll booth. It was now official, Mom was coming home.

As we picked up speed and headed toward the highway, the ecstatic giggles and squeals were non-stop. Annette was trying to share stories, but he wasn’t listening. He was in his own world, that just was made whole again. We made it home around 10:30 and he should have been very tired, but he was too happy to worry about anything like that.

As we put Nathan to bed that night, we both went up with him. He reached out and grabbed Annette’s finger with one hand and mine in the other. He had endured the trip and never wanted to let either of us go. For a kid who wasn’t supposed to do anything but smile, tonight we couldn’t get the smile off his face if we tried. When he woke up and saw me he smiled, but seeing Mom made him excited all over again. It wasn’t a dream, everyone was home and safe, life was better than he ever anticipated.

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