Riley

Being stranded in an airport for six hours is not as bad as being stranded for several days, but still the airport is not a place where I want to spend an excessive amount of time.

On Christmas Day my wife and I traveled to be with our son, his wife, and nearly two year old son. We chose Christmas Day on the grounds, or belief, that there would no hassles, everyone was at their Christmas holiday destinations, and the planes would not be full. Additionally, in our part of the country, the weather was good; cold, but good.

What we did not anticipate was that the airline would have to delay the flight. Apparently, our plane had mechanical problems and could not fly. I am glad the problems occurred on the ground and not in the air with us on board. Another aircraft had to be diverted to pick us up and fly us on to our destination. We arrived six hours later than we had planned.

No big deal. What else did we have to do anyway?

So, as we waited an elderly gentleman (I say elderly only because he seemed older than sixty) came to our spot in the waiting area with a child in tow. The child, a cute little girl, had her carry-on luggage in tow and seemed concerned that she would some how lose her grip on the elderly gentleman's hand.

The two sat down across from us. He smiled and gave sort of a greeting. Initially the little girl was shy. She kept messing around with her carry-on, and eventually it tipped in my direction and came close to hitting my right big toe. She looked up and smiled, picked up her carry-on and said, "I'm sorry." I assured her that it did not hit me so everything was all right.

Trouble is, this happened again and again. I began to think, "What in the world? Are we going to have to put up with this for another hour or two?" It turned out to be another six hours, but what seemed like a potential airport irritation turned into a delightful time.

The little girl, who told me her name is Riley, was as precocious as any five year old one could meet. She engaged everyone. She was polite, and responded to her grandfather's directions, and then she learned the names of everyone around her. No one did not want to talk with her. She is as cute as any five year old can be and if she is a view of the future, then we are not without hope.

If you have to be stranded in an airport for six hours, hope that you spend them with Riley.