A Walking Talking Romance Novel

I was obviously too excited to gab about grub, so let me rewind and put my Italy trip in context for you. Long story short, my hometown pastor and his wife and my mom's neighbors invited her to join them on a Rick Steves' Village Italy Tour. Without Dugee around, my mom decided I was a worthy traveling sidekick and extended the invitation to me. I had approximately two seconds to make a decision, so of course I said yes. And volià! I spent September in Italy with my momma.

Departure day, September 2nd, didn't start out on a high note. After a long night of driving and only an hour of restless sleep, the 3:30 a.m. alarm catapulted me from Neverland back to my hotel mattress. McDonald's breakfast and Starbucks were the only things coaxing me out of bed. What I didn't know was that our gate was in the S terminal. I love Sea-Tac, but the S terminal is my worst nightmare. Who wants Seattle's Best Coffee when you could have Seattle's best coffee? After a greasy breakfast croissant and Starbucks withdrawals, I was already getting that sticky airplaney feeling that makes it seem like you haven't washed your face or hair in days. We weren't even on the plane yet.

For a quick pick-me-up, I scarfed a Qdoba Chicken Queso Burrito in Atlanta. Little did I know, my day was about to get even better. My mom and I both opted for window seats, which means we also opted to sit next to strangers. This is typically a gamble. I was pleased when a delicate woman in her 70s perched herself in the aisle seat next to me.The Delta flight safety video commenced, and the little old lady in 28F blurts out, "Wow. David Letterman would call those labia lips," referring to the perfectly plump kisser of the pretty red head instructing us on how to fasten our seat belts. Excuuuuuuuuuse me? I couldn't help but laugh at her shameless comment. 

This brazen old lady and I became immediate airplane best friends. Turns out, my new best friend, a silver-haired firecracker named Flip (yes, Flip), was a leg model in New York in her younger days. She was traveling to Milan to celebrate her anniversary. Flip's husband promised her a trip to Milan, but passed away before he could fulfill his promise. She assured me that she was going to Milan to honor their real anniversary. I hadn't doubted it. She said they had both been married several times, which was no big deal to me, but she wanted it to be clear that this was their real anniversary. I was confused, so she clarified. Flip and her husband had been married several times to each other, confirming their love in each new country they visited with a legal marriage. England, Spain, and Italy were just a few of the countries to dole out a marriage certificate to the couple. But September 3rd, that was the real anniversary, celebrating their Grand Canyon nuptials decades earlier.

My day may not have started out the best, but Flip warmed my heart and made my flight. I was sad to see her go, walking through the Milan airport unaccompanied, but I knew she was making her husband proud. Plus, we made it to Italy, which left no room for sadness.

If only we could all be so lucky as to hear real life romance stories when we sat next to strangers on a plane.