It was almost midnight, the Friday before last. I was in bed--still awake, with the light on, but getting ready to fade to black. Tanna was working the next morning and already had dozed off. Then my phone rang.
It was my sister, who normally does not call so late. She apologized for the timing of the call and then explained that Jeff, a friend from high school, was stranded at the Atlanta airport. There had been some "weather" in the metro area earlier that evening, and it turns out that his plane from St. Louis had to sit on the tarmac for a while before passengers could disembark. Fun times, I am sure.
I actually had seen Jeff post something about being at the Atlanta airport on Facebook a few hours prior, but at the time I figured he'd be on his way soon. Yeah, I was wrong. Anyway, due to the delay, he ended up missing his connecting flight to Tennessee. The airport had pretty much shut down for a few hours, and it was a madhouse. By the time he waited in line to see how he could get home, there were no hotel rooms or rental cars available. He also was told it'd be the next afternoon before he could fly home.
Anyway, a quick phone call or two later, and I was on my way to the closest Marta station to pick him up. On the way home, we went through a nearby McDonald's drive-thru, as Jeff hadn't eaten dinner yet. Poor guy--this was at, like, 1 in the morning. It was nice to catch up for a bit and laugh about some old jokes. Kate had a blast painting with Mr. Jeff the next morning--she still asks, "Where'd Mr. Jeff go?" After he treated us to lunch at Chick-fil-A, we dropped him at another Marta station, and he was on his way back to the airport. It was unexpected company--but welcome, just the same.
We were glad the guest room got some more use. Its days are numbered, after all. ;o)
Come back and see us!
Or, as Mr. Jackson (my high-school geometry and trig teacher) used to say, "Come back when you can stay longer!"
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