Fasten Your Seatbelts: A Flight Attendant's Adventures 36,000 Feet and Below (19 page)

“Why do you like her?” she asked.

“Because she smiles just like you,” he told her.

“Does she know how to swim?” she questioned. “Are you moving to Atlanta?”

He thought it would be okay and was relieved that everything was out in the open.

From what I understood, the next morning his little girl wouldn’t wake up. She was rushed to the hospital. Apparently she left a note saying something to the effect of “I can’t live life without my Daddy.” She had taken lots of medicine and had to have her stomach pumped. I felt sick. Tom was totally despondent. I recommended he take her to see a psychologist. I also told him I could not be indirectly responsible for someone
else’s life again. Please don’t call me until your divorce is final, I advised. I wished him the best.

He called a couple of weeks later to inform me he was taking his daughter to a therapist and everything was fine. I received a dozen roses for Christmas and for Valentine’s Day the following year. It was an amazing time.

love babies! I love the way they smell (most of the time). I love their look of curiosity. I love the way they feel when you hold them. Needless to say, every time I have a chance to cuddle with one on the airplane, I take advantage of the opportunity.

The only thing you think of on the last leg of a three-day trip is going home. You don’t want any mechanical or weather delays. You certainly don’t want any medical emergencies. You just want to go home.

As we were boarding our last flight of the trip, I noticed a little bundle of joy dressed in her Sunday best. She held out her little hand to me as she passed by.
Oh good, I found someone to hold and cuddle
.

After we completed our beverage service, a flight attendant call light came on. A female passenger asked me for some juice. She informed me when she awakened from her nap, she felt a little light-headed. I asked if she was on any medication.
She said no. I made sure her seat was fully reclined, put a direct air flow on her from the vent, and told her to take off her jacket. I went to the galley and told the other flight attendant what was going on. “Oh great, just when we are going home,” she said.
My sentiments exactly
.

I gathered ice in a cloth and grabbed juice to give to the passenger. I instructed her to place the cloth on her forehead for a few minutes then rotate it to the back of her neck. If she needed anything at all, I instructed her to ring the flight attendant call button.

As I was going to the back of the airplane, I spotted the little bundle of joy I noticed in the boarding process.

“Do you mind if I hold your baby for a while?” I asked her mother. Moms usually enjoy the break.

“She probably won’t go to you, but you can try.”

I flashed a big smile at the baby and out flung her arms. She looked eager for a new friend. I reached for the little bundle and walked the cutie to the front of the aircraft. Whenever I hold a baby, they instinctively look into my eyes to see if they can trust me. Once trust has been established, they feel comfortable walking with me. All of the passengers were cooing at her as we walked by them in the aisle.

The coffeemakers have small colored lights on them that flash when you turn them on and off. Babies are mesmerized
by them, including little Emma. After we played lights for a while in the first class galley, I walked in the main cabin to return Emma to her mom. Before I reached her row the call light went on again. This time the passenger next to the ill passenger rang it.

“I think she passed out,” the adjacent passenger said in alarm. I handed little Emma back to her mom and quickly explained, “I have an emergency.”

I ran up to the number one flight attendant and told her I was getting oxygen for a passenger. She notified the captain.

I walked through the cabin not holding a precious bundle of joy, but a cold tank of oxygen. The passengers were gasping instead of cooing. I sat next to the now semi-conscious and confused passenger. This was my first time to use the oxygen in an emergency situation. I didn’t realize how tough the plastic that wrapped the mask was to open. My adrenalin was kicking in as my hands began to tremble. I got the mask out and put it on her nose and mouth.

Years back, I had flown with a flight attendant who recounted a story of her oxygen tank exploding when turned on. She showed me the burns on her hands and arms. She was fired for being unsightly, but she later got her job back. That was a long time ago. Now it was my turn to turn on the oxygen. Her story was now in the back of my mind.

Slowly, I turned the knob to the left. “Don’t be left without oxygen” is our reminder to turn the knob to the left. I closed my eyes and heard the whooshing noise of the oxygen turning on. Thank God it didn’t explode!

A male passenger who saw what was going on asked his wife, who was a medical doctor, if she would be willing to assist. She volunteered her services and basically took over from there asking for a stethoscope.

I later checked on the passenger. Her clammy, pale skin had now returned to a healthy, pinkish hue. She apologized profusely and felt embarrassed by the whole incident. I shared with her the same thing happened to my mom. She had been very active the day she was returning home from her trip. On the flight, she got up to use the restroom. She started to see stars and fell right into the lavatory door. The flight attendant administered oxygen and she was fine.

We deplaned without further incident, I shared a caring goodbye with the recovered passenger and a warm smile with little baby Emma.

I acted as though it was just another flight but the truth was it took a lot out of me. I was exhausted when I got home.

our years and many flights had passed since my disastrous marriage. I reached a point in my life where I wanted to settle down. My wall was coming down, but my antenna was still up. I kept watching for warning signs with each guy whom I dated.

I had a list of qualities and values I was looking for in a potential husband. I don’t mean a list in my head; I literally wrote down my wish list of qualities with columns next to them. I didn’t want to make any mistakes, so every date I had, I would go home and check off the qualities he possessed. Those poor guys! I am a bit ashamed of how hard I was. Most of them lasted only a few dates. After all, I was 32 years old and thought I didn’t have much time to waste!

Finally, on a flight to London it happened: I met my husband! The flight attendants I was working with were the matchmakers.

Before the flight took off on a MD-11 aircraft, some of the more senior flight attendants asked why I wasn’t married yet. I told them I was just looking for a nice guy. I didn’t care if he was the most handsome man in the world. I just wanted a nice guy. Of course, I didn’t tell them about my checklist. By the way, some of the things on my list weren’t impossible to fulfill. A belief in God was important to me. He should love to watch a beautiful sunrise and sunset. I wanted someone who opened the door for me. I was still an old-fashioned girl who believes in chivalry and good manners. I was tired of commuting, so I also wished my future husband might live in Florida.

I was the business class galley flight attendant on that flight. I had two flight attendants with me who delivered the service. It was hard work with a full load of fifty six passengers who sat in the business class section. The seat configuration was two seats on the sides and five seats in the middle. AB-CDEFG-HJ. There were two aisles in which each flight attendant worked parallel sides.

Halfway through the service, both flight attendants came rushing from the aisles. “Get me a chateaubriand and go look at this passenger, he’s a nice guy!” I quickly threw some steak, potatoes and veggies on a plate and handed it to the flight attendant. Because he was sitting in an E seat — the very
middle — there had been a mix up on who was to serve him. He was reading his newspaper when one of the flight attendants asked if he wanted any dessert. He casually said, “Actually, I haven’t eaten my meal yet.” That was when they scurried to the galley. He handled it gracefully without any fuss at all and clearly impressed the flight attendants.

Curiosity got the best of me and I ventured into the aisle to get a glimpse of the gracious passenger. He had big, blue eyes with long lashes and light brown hair with golden highlights from the sun. I had work to do, so I headed back to the galley.

After I finished cleaning up after the service, the forgotten passenger entered the galley where I was working. His back was hurting and asked if I would mind if he stood in the corner for a while. I actually thought it was kind of funny that he and I were so casual and relaxed around each other. I did not really flirt with him, however we did strike up a conversation and it evolved into something meaningful.

We talked for about forty-five minutes. I knew within the first twenty that he was going to be my husband. I wasn’t nervous around him and could be myself. Was he perfect? No. Was I? Heck no!

I shared my feelings about old fashion values and roles in relationships. He was only a few years older than me and it was clear we shared similar values. Our casual conversation began
to feel more intimate. I looked at him in the eye, a bit differently just then. I asked if he had tried the cookie ice cream we were serving. He hadn’t, so I spoon fed him a bite of mine. Okay, I was flirting with him now!

Another passenger asked me for something, so I had to get busy. He went back to his seat. I had just finished reading a book called “The Rules.” Basically, the book described how to snag a man. One of the rules was to never give a guy your number first. I waited for a long time for this passenger to make some kind of move, but he never did. I thought he was a very sensitive, kind person and you don’t find guys like that every day, so I broke the golden rule. I wrote down my number and handed it to him. I enticed him by letting him know I had free buddy passes if he wanted to be my travel buddy. He said he had a boat and would love to have some companionship. We were definitely letting each other know that we were both single and available. So much for the rules!

We were engaged four months later and married within nine months. I had written down in my notebook I would like to be married within one year and move to Florida. We were and I moved from Atlanta to Delray Beach, Florida. Maybe there is something to be said for a wish list. I also know that in love sometimes your heart bends the rules. Daryl and I were married in 1996 and have been very happily married ever since.