The plane ride was different in many ways, compared to the
four days when I was forgotten in the back seat of my car. By now, I was
stuffed with clothes, all dirty ones to be precise. I absorbed the smells of my
owners, mingled them in my weaves, removed my newness and made them a part of
me. My bulk sat in the bulkhead above their seats in the plane, shut out and
clicked off in a tight compartment. But I nestled into a corner, away from all
the strange bags of lesser breeding, quality, strength, and loyalty. I somehow
survived the long flight without losing my mind.
We arrived home to the cool nip which seemed somehow
familiar but not the same. It was not the mountain air, but equally warned us
of the imminent arrival of winter. As I will later learn, winter did arrive,
with gusto and as if never to leave. For now, the trees blazed with a mosaic of
color under a bright sun, and I took that as a sign of a warm welcome to my new
home. I learned later that I had arrived clear across a big ocean from the land
of my birth in Germany to Minnesota, USA.
Unburdened of the laundry load I carried, I was set aside in
a dark closet and forgotten for months. I hibernated and fretted over when and
where on the specifics of my next adventure.
We walked blocks to absorb the effervescence around us, our
eyes wide, looking up and around in the middle of Time square. Smoke rose from
vents on the sidewalks before disappearing into the beam of light that sneaked
in through the tall structures. While the
chilled January air enveloped this intense city, I remained in the cozy hotel
room for the next three days. My family carouseled through the room and the
outdoors as they toured the city during the day to its fabulous museums, a walk
through the famous Central Park, and at
night to delectable dinner venues and the famous Broadway shows and renowned
Philharmonic. Their Playbill and brochures I carried back home in my red folds
and studied them closely in the airplane ride back home as I lived vicariously through
my family’s experiences.
We arrived home to the cool nip which seemed somehow
familiar but not the same. It was not the mountain air, but equally warned us
of the imminent arrival of winter. As I will later learn, winter did arrive,
with gusto and as if never to leave. For now, the trees blazed with a mosaic of
color under a bright sun, and I took that as a sign of a warm welcome to my new
home. I learned later that I had arrived clear across a big ocean from the land
of my birth in Germany to Minnesota, USA.
Unburdened of the laundry load I carried, I was set aside in
a dark closet and forgotten for months. I hibernated and fretted over when and
where on the specifics of my next adventure.
My owners did not disappoint me. Jerked awake one evening, I
found myself on the vast bed, a hardcover novel, and a notebook with a pen
hanging on its side held in place by an elastic ring, shoved into me. A candy
bar and a zip lock bag full of mixed nuts found their way into my front
pockets. A laptop with its wires and heavy chargers came into my big pockets
too, topped off my by a warm, cozy, earthy shawl.
Stuffed and packed, I sat comfortably on her back seat in
the car, under the seat at her feet in the plane and on her back in the land
where we trekked through a concrete jungle. Buildings shot up, it seemed, into
the sky as if competing to reach heights higher than the ones next to them. Icy
wind snaked between the tall structures, slithering within the large concrete blocks
that stretched out for miles in this city that never slept. I was hit by its
vibrancy, listening to sirens that blared only to trail off as they turned into
a different block. Yellow cabs weaved in and out of stop and go traffic, their
honks competing with jackhammers and slurs spewing from pedestrians who dodged
the impatient drivers.
We walked blocks to absorb the effervescence around us, our
eyes wide, looking up and around in the middle of Time square. Smoke rose from
vents on the sidewalks before disappearing into the beam of light that sneaked
in through the tall structures. While the
chilled January air enveloped this intense city, I remained in the cozy hotel
room for the next three days. My family carouseled through the room and the
outdoors as they toured the city during the day to its fabulous museums, a walk
through the famous Central Park, and at
night to delectable dinner venues and the famous Broadway shows and renowned
Philharmonic. Their Playbill and brochures I carried back home in my red folds
and studied them closely in the airplane ride back home as I lived vicariously through
my family’s experiences.
Back in Minnesota, another adventure completed, my pockets emptied,
I recuperated in a warm corner of the house until the next big adventure.
To Be Continued...
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