Being strong and courageous - to a point

So where did I leave off...

Ok, so I'm sitting trying to enjoy my diet coke - it's just after 7:00 and I have been trying John at 5 second intervals praying that he will get to his phone soon. I have even been calling my own phone with the hopes that the kids would notice and wonder why Miss Allen is calling my phone when she is supposed to be with me.

The phone rang. It was Jaime. "Hermana, "¿Comó estás?" "No estoy bien." (That's the first time I have actually used the "I'm not well" in conversation - but I wasn't well and I felt that it was completely appropriate."¿Donde estás?" "I'm in the Lima airport." "¿No viajó a Chile?" "No - I couldn't go - remember?" This was a very confusing conversation because if he was still wondering where I was, then I was thinking my Carnet was not on it's way. But then it dawned on me - he thinks I'm Allen and he is probably wondering what has happened to her beautiful Spanish. I informed him of my identity and after a couple of go rounds he figured it out and then very excitedly and very quickly said something about being so sorry and he is so worried and he is arriving at the airport in Trujillo with my carnet at that moment. He said much more, but that was all I caught and I figured I got the just of what I needed to get anyway. We said "Chao" and hung up.

I visited a couple of the airport stores trying John the entire time. It was around 8:00. I got another diet coke and hunkered down to attempt to read again. Nothing else could happen until the flight from Trujillo landed around 10:00 and I left pick up my card. I really really really wanted to talk to John. I tried his phone one more time. Then my phone and he answered. "I have 15 missed calls from Allen and I just got off the phone with Wes."

I told my tale and was just so relieved to be finally talking to him. He said he had been awake at 6:30 but his phone was downstairs so he didn't hear it ring. When he did get to his phone, he saw the 15 missed calls from Allen Bradford and thought it strange, but was called by Wes before he could redial Allen/me.

After we hung up, I sat, read, shopped - what else was I supposed to do to kill time- I found a very nice wallet, some sunglasses and some bangle bracelets for our 80's mystery dinner coming up in a few weeks. I really like the airport shops in Lima. :)I talked to John again a couple of more times before I needed to head over to find my package.

Around 10:00 I go to the Star Peru airline desk to inquire. They said I had to go over to carga (or cargo). "But it's a really little package." "You need to go to carga - por allá(over there)". "Can you be a little more specific?" "A lado al aeropuerto (beside the airport)." "Thanks." ugggggg. I really don't want to go to carga and I really don't want to go a lado al aeropuerto- I am having deja-vu of two days of trying to get my dog out of carga when we arrived in Peru, with burly men watching my every move- and that was with John. I don't like carga. Carga is not a happy place. But still, I must go. I must say at the point, I was beginning to wane on strength and courage.

I headed a lado al aeropuerto - and began my quest to find the Star Peru Carga place. Upon finding it after several passes up and down and finally being told to go through this little ally to get to the front (I ran through), the guy at the counter tells me that I have no package that came in on that flight. I needed to call Wes, but as my lip was beginning to quiver, I worked to get a hold of myself before doing so. Then the phone rang again - it's Jaime. I answered the phone immediately crying, "¡No está! ¡No está!"(It's not here! It's not here!)To which he excitedly responded, "¡Estoy aquí!" WHAT? He says "I'm here! - I'm in the airport. Come meet me at the front." As I am walking as fast as I can without running and looking like a complete idiot, John called. I told him that Jaime had flown in personally to bring me my card and I was on my way to meet him and there he is walking towards me with open arms and a huge smile. I gotta go.

Jaime was very excited and very stressed -he kept saying over and over how worried he had been. I worked to calm him - it's ok now - let's go sit and relax. So that's what we did. We got a couple of drinks and visited for about an hour. He was very reluctant to leave me but I assured him that all will be well now and his wife will be excited to see him early. (Jaime's family lives in Lima and he goes home every weekend to be with them, so he just took his trip home a day early last week.)

Now that I had my carnet, every thing was supposed to be smooth and easy. My plane would leave at 2pm so, in my mind, I should be there by 5pm or 7pm at the latest, with the time change to reunite with Jami and Allen and continue the fun.

Hmmm...guess I had a momentary lapse in remembering where I was.


I have to do the cliffhanger again because this is just so long and my kids want on the computer. I promise it will be done by the next post. :)