We sat in my white van parked right across the street from the airport runway. We ate In n’ Out and watched the planes land. I was nervous. Bones kept face down on her burger to hide the tears. I made sure for the 100th time that she wouldn’t forget to start my van from time to time. I took a pill.
At 5:15pm, I pulled up to International Departures. For the first time ever, I used the curbside baggage handler. It wasn’t so much that I had a lot of baggage, rather what I had. I had four pieces all said. My carry on and three others. We said our goodbyes and made it quick. She drove away.
They wanted $50 for the longboard. $50 for the piano. And $20 for the suitcase, providing I could remove two pounds worth of stuff to make weight. I took out Lily, Rosemary, and the Jack of Hearts. I gave the curbside handler a ten spot. He smiled, called me Sir, and carted my lifeline down the way.
I happened to notice my keyboard was face down on the side w/ masking tape that said This Side Up. The pill was kicking in which musically shifted any anger or anxiety into the All Good mode. When the piano arrived in Puerto, there was no masking tape left. Could have used another pill.