November 24 '01
Volume 286
Early Christmas
By Barbara Carter
I hadn't flown since the
September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, and I didn't know exactly
how early I would need to arrive at the Tupelo Airport on November 14, to
get through the increased security procedures. I got there about an hour
ahead of time, checked in and settled in the lounge area to attend to some
phone calls and work I had brought with me.
Right on time they called for all passengers on the flight to Memphis, TN,
to enter through the security check station single file. Any laptop computers
should be out for inspection and cell phones should be out and turned on.
The line moved slowly, as each individual removed jewelry, keys and change.
Randomly passengers were pulled aside for a carry on luggage check.
I tried not to stare at any of the ones being checked, but I did notice that
one attendant had removed everything from a lady's purse and was in the process
of stuffing it back in, when another lady was stopped with a briefcase and
a carry-on bag. I didn't hear what they said to her, except something about
she had to go back through the check-in counter. The attendant, who was replacing
the items in the purse, turned and walked along with the lady with two bags.
I heard her say, "but that's my briefcase, I have to have that!"
Apparently they mean what they say, "only one carry-on per passenger."
She came back through in a few minutes with her briefcase and without the
other bag.
The lady with the purse with contents still half out asked the attendant,
"Are you through with me?"
He motioned her on, and soon we were headed toward the plane.
I found my seat, but as I was making my way on board I was conscious of
passengers already on board. Did they come on the first leg of the flight,
or could these be the new sky marshals? One of them was seated in front of
me. I had just settled into my seat when a blonde lady that I remembered
as the one whose purse was searched took the seat next to me.
My first inclination on a flight is to start a
conversation with a seatmate. I don't know why I do this.
I said, "Did he get everything back in your purse, okay?"
She said, "Yeah. This is my first flight since September 11."
I said, "Mine, too."
"Were you nervous about flying again?" she asked me.
"No, I really haven't been," I said, "but I am more aware of what is going
on around me."
I introduced myself to her and asked if she were just going to Memphis, or
if she had to make a connecting flight. She said that she was headed to San
Diego, CA.
"Are you from California," I asked.
"Originally, yes, but I'm going to donate a kidney to my uncle. I moved to
Tupelo about nine years ago. My mother became ill and wanted to come back
to Tupelo, so I came with her to take care of her."
I was interested in the first part of her statement, so I said, "That is
so brave. Has your uncle been sick long?"
She then proceeded to tell me the following story.
Her mom died about three years after they came to Tupelo, and her Dad remarried.
This past summer her Dad was having a cookout at his home and she went over
to visit. When she arrived her Dad was on the phone with his brother. She
asked to speak to her uncle, since her Dad had just told them recently that
he was on kidney dialysis.
When she took the phone, she said, "Uncle Gordie, I had no idea you were
sick. What are the possibilities of a kidney donor?"
"Well, they have been testing and looking for a donor match, but so far nothing
has worked out."
She said that she didn't know where the next words came from, except she
realized they were coming from her mouth.
She said, "I would like to be tested to see if I match."
That's when it started. She said that she had been tested, turned down,
re-tested, encountered problems, tested again, etc. At one point, she even
had plane reservations to go for the transplant, and something happened and
it fell through. The staff kidney donor coordinator in San Diego finally
called her and said that everything was set, but they would have to have
the initial blood work done again, just to be sure everything still matched.
The only possible problem would be if one of them were pregnant or had had
a blood transfusion. Well, they were safe.
She called her uncle to tell him that things were working finally, and relayed
the fact that the final blood test could only fail on the grounds that she
be pregnant or that she or he had had a blood transfusion. She encountered
silence from her uncle.
"Uncle Gordie, you haven't had a blood transfusion, have you?"
"Yeah, a month ago I was in intensive care and they gave me a transfusion."
Her heart fell. More phone calls, and the day before the flight, the coordinator
said it might be the next day before they had the results of the blood work.
My seatmate told the coordinator that she was getting on the plane the next
day, and just not to bother telling her if the blood work didn't match. The
coordinator could just go down her list of patients on the waiting list for
a kidney until she found one that she matched, call them and tell them that
this is their lucky day. She was psyched up and ready to donate a kidney,
and she intended to return to Mississippi without one of hers.
She received a phone call late on the eve of the trip to let her know that
everything matched and all systems were go. She would be in California for
four weeks and off work for a total of six weeks. Hearing her words, I felt
so uplifted to know that amidst the hate and terrorism we have been experiencing
that good and selflessness exist and will prevail.
She said that this would be her Christmas giving for this year. Her uncle's
insurance would cover all of the medical expenses, but she would have to
pay for the travel arrangements, hotel accommodations and food.
Boy, I was amazed at her excitement. She did say that she had not had time
to think about the surgery before then, and she was beginning to get a little
nervous.
Surgery is scheduled for Wednesday, November 21, 2001, so by the time you
read this, it should be over. Happy Thanksgiving Linda and Uncle Gordie!
Cheryl's Recipe
Season For Sharing
One of the persons with whom I regularly correspond via email recently inquired
how things were going at my house. While this individual and I often share
with one another assorted messages and jokes sent to us from other friends,
we don't often take the time to update each other regarding family events.
Curious to find out how things went at the home of my "movie star good looking,
borderline anorexic niece," she emailed her request for information. Below
is the bulk of my email reply regarding the outing:
"Barbara's niece lives alone, save for a house dog [named Grover]. Cheryl
is now in her mid-forties and apart from being entirely too thin (I'd guess
her around 95 pounds), she looks great. When she talked to Barbara earlier
this week, she told Barbara she had started attending an aerobics class two
days a week. I told Barbara to tell her that when she was here at the fish
fry in July, it looked like she had put on about four ounces, so I was glad
she was doing something about her weight gain.
The food? Well, it wasn't anything as bad as what a vegetarian eats, and
it was tasty. We had coffee and cookies (assortment of Pepperidge Farms)
right after we got there at 3:30 p.m. The main course followed at 5:00 p.m.
Cheryl had invited her boss and his wife over, as well, and they needed to
eat early in order to be somewhere else later in the evening. That was fine
with me, because I needed to be somewhere later, too, Pontotoc.
Our main course was a deli style sandwich that we constructed from the fixings
purchased from a local deli. The bread was superb, as was the meat. Since
I got to use real "mayo" instead of the usual fat free kind that Cheryl buys,
the sandwich actually tasted good. Naturally, there was a veggie tray with
a dip.
The most unusual food was a concoction of peas, beans, corn, onion, dressing,
and garlic Cheryl called mock caviar. It was okay, but needed more salt or
something that it didn't have to make it more palatable. Dessert choices
included a peach cobbler (store bought), and a key-lime yogurt pie. I chose
the cobbler and felt like I made the better choice. It was definitely not
my usual Saturday night supper, but I could eat it.
Another three of Cheryl's friends stopped by to greet and meet Aunt Barbara
and Uncle Wayne. They were on their way to a concert at the nearby Civic
Center on Church Road, just off I-55. All in all, we enjoyed the visit, but
as Dorothy said to Toto, "There's no place like home!"
I think you'd like Cheryl. She has a winning personality and is supported
by a large group of friends, those at work, former neighbors, and church
members. Disheveled would be a foreign term at Cheryl's. She's pretty much
a "neat freak," and like my daughter, she's constantly rearranging or "cutesying"
up her house. The place is presently overrun with rabbits, namely the ceramic
type. There's an occasional rabbit picture too. I counted seven such ornaments
in her backyard garden but didn't count the ones inside the house."
As you can see, the tale ends rather abruptly, but there seemed to be no
need to describe our trip back to Pontotoc later that evening. It was later
still that same evening when I wrote the email above, but I wanted to respond
to the request of a friend while the events were freshly remembered.
The deli/ sub shop that supplied the main course for our meal was Lenny's.
Somehow, when asked to prepare food enough for a party of six, they managed
to over estimate the need. We each ate our fill that evening, and Cheryl
insisted her dinner guests take home portions of the leftover meat tray.
At this house, several more sandwiches were prepared before it was decided
to freeze the remaining leftovers. Our share of the complimentary napkins
has held out remarkably well over the past week, and we still have Lenny's
napkins.
Cheryl's gesture, in inviting some of her friends and family into her home
prior to a holiday season that is now upon us, speaks volumes about that
which she values most. Family, friends, and food are precisely the recipe
for a Happy Thanksgiving and Christmas Season, and it's a recipe worthy of
sharing.
Christmas Memories
Submit Yours
It's that time of year again. It's time for Ridge Rider News to call upon
the readership to submit Christmas memories for publication during the month
of December. In the past four years, several readers have submitted one or
more memories. I've contributed more than my share as well. In fact, I'm
not certain there is more than one more Christmas memory I've left to recall.
I would encourage all readers to give this request some thought. Submissions
do not have to be grammatically error free. There are qualified proofreaders
on staff, capable of "touching up" an article. Submissions need not be lengthy;
the sort most often ascribed to this writer.
Submissions need not be limited to the childhood experiences of the writer.
In fact, my remaining memorable Christmas revolves around my two children.
Therefore, don your "memory" hats and put your thoughts on paper. The deadline
for contributions is Saturday, December 8th.
Bodock Beau
The Love Dress
Sometimes the best humor is found in the daily news. According to Reuters,
an incident occurred in Manila and was reported by the Philippine Star describing
the dangers of singing off key. One man was stabbed to death and another
one injured when a fight broke out between a karaoke singer and a group of
hecklers.
"The singer confronted the group and a fight ensued, according to the report.
The dead man had been trying to put an end to the fight when he was stabbed
in the chest, it added."
Dena Kimbrell contributed the following expression of humor. Permission to
reprint granted by MailBits.com
THE LOVE DRESS
(Copyright MailBits.com)
The mother-in-law stopped unexpectedly by the recently married couple's house.
She rang the doorbell and stepped into the house. She saw her daughter-in-law
standing naked by the door.
"What are you doing?" she asked.
"I'm waiting for my husband to come home from work," the daughter-in-law
answered.
"But you're naked!" the mother-in-law exclaimed.
"This is my love dress," the daughter-in-law explained.
"Love dress? But you're naked!"
"My husband loves me to wear this dress! It makes him happy and it makes
me happy. I would appreciate it if you would leave because he will be home
from work any minute."
The mother-in-law was tired of all this romantic talk and left. On the way
home she thought about the love dress. When she got home she undressed, showered,
put on her best perfume and waited by the front door. Finally her husband
came home. He walked in and saw her standing naked by the door.
"What are you doing?" he asked.
"This is my love dress" she replied.
"Needs ironing." he said.
Cartoon submitted by Dena Kimbrell.
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