The Rerouted Skytress

Skytresses and Skyters adore 30- hour layovers. Well, at least the Skytresses and Skyters I fly with these days. Yessiree. The saying, “birds of a feather flock together”, pretty much sums up the crews I fly with on these longer layovers. We will fly hard on day one and day three just to have day two off. Not too long ago our crews started laying over in a prime location in Knoxville, Tennessee. Between the ideal location and the many Knoxville commuters vying to have a long layover at home, I couldn’t touch this layover. I’ll admit. Knoxville wasn’t always at the top of my layover list. But, it was certainly on my list. Perseverance of bidding this layover finally paid off. I held one 30-hour Knoxville layover for June. I was excited for my layover. Then….my stomach started to get a little knot in it. The closer the day came to my layover, the bigger the knot grew.

I rarely mention to people that Ron passed away in Knoxville, Tennessee. It is, however, a fact that I cannot forget. Another fact I couldn’t forget….I hadn’t flown a single flight into Knoxville since Ron’s passing. I wasn’t avoiding flying to Knoxville. I just never had Knoxville on my rotations. When I saw the date of my Knoxville layover, the knot in my stomach immediately appeared. I’d be laying over in Knoxville a week before the anniversary of Ron’s passing and also his birthday. Because of this, I prepared a tentative itinerary for my layover. I knew having a plan in place would help alleviate some of my anxiety of laying over in Knoxville. Or at least I hoped it would.

I never revealed my trepidation to my crew concerning my Knoxville layover. Instead, I eagerly listened to all their recommendations of what I could do in Knoxville. Our Skyter, Nathan, was from Knoxville. He had a long list of suggestions for me to do on my layover. He actually had so many suggestions I tried to concoct a realistic game plan to fit it all in. My game plan seeped from my brain as we made our approach into Knoxville. I could only think of Ron and his last day on Earth. The knot in my stomach that I quelled for most of the day, came back with a vengeance. I desperately tried not to think. Instead, I concentrated on my breathing. I knew if I could get to the hotel I could loosen some of the colossal knot in my stomach. Fortunately, our shuttle driver was a very chatty fellow. His conversations about Blackberry Farm and Tennessee football distracted me from my unrelenting anxiety. Then, as if he knew the epicenter of my anxiety, he pointed out the hospital. My heart ached thinking about Ron’s final hours of life in that hospital. Was he scared? Was he lonely? Did the medical team show him compassion? Was he conscious of the grave situation he was in? Did he think about his loved ones? I thought about the book, “Into The Light”. Ron and I both read this book. It recounted the final moments of hospice patients before they passed. I wondered what Ron experienced. I knew the flawlessness of Heaven and the presence of God and his mom would have been too much for Ron to walk away from. So, he didn’t. This glorious image of Ron entering Heaven has always brought me peace. I hung on to this peaceful image for the rest of the ride to the hotel. The massive knot in my stomach lessened.

I had the unequivocal feeling Ron was with me….helping me face Knoxville. I made the ultimate decision we were going to have a great layover. I told Ron my plans for the layover. I know he laughed at my ambitious plan. We had quite the day ahead of us.

I woke up early and headed out to the Farmer’s Market. It was a scorcher of a day. Not too many venders were out in the main square. Still it was wonderful to see independent farmers selling their products. If I lived in Knoxville I would have purchased numerous items. The goat cheese booth alone would have been my downfall. What I didn’t buy in farm produce I made up in flavored vinegars and olive oils. There was a shop on the perimeter of the square. I truly had to force myself out of the shop with just several bottles of vinegars and oils. Yessiree. I have a massive weakness for flavored oils and vinegars. Okay. Truth be told…It’s more than a fascination. It’s an obsession. Egads!

There were numerous little boutique shops in the main square area. I thoroughly enjoyed perusing each one. I kept reminding myself my suitcase was already too full. I didn’t have much room to spare for additional items. Except for my Christmas tree ornament. There is always room for one or three of those. My Skytress friend, Anne, that was on my trip, told me I needed to go to the Mast General Store. So, of course, I did. It truly is a General store. They had a little bit of everything. A little bit of everything I wanted. Not needed. Just wanted. I walked out of there with Palmetto Farms white grits and some pineapple pecan cheese spread mix. Two very Southern items I can’t find in St. Louis. I did laugh when I walked downstairs in the store. There was a huge selection of Patagonia items. Ron loved Patagonia clothing. Unfortunately, he was too muscular for their clothing. Nonetheless, I enjoyed checking out each item that wouldn’t have fit him. Of course, I knew Ron was right beside me checking out the items, too.

Skyter Nathan had suggested I treat myself to Cruze Farm Ice Cream. It is a stone’s throw from our hotel. He told me there is usually a line down the sidewalk of people waiting to enter the shop. There wasn’t a line as I was walking by. So, I took this as a fortuitous sign I should go in. Actually, I believe Ron pulled me inside. Ron had a true weakness for ice cream. I felt like I had stepped back in time when I entered the building. The vibrant decor was reminiscent of an old time ice cream shop. If I didn’t know better I would have sworn the dairy cows were outside in the back of the building being milked for the daily ice cream selection. I decided I would get a lavender honey milkshake. I knew I could savor a milkshake longer in the oppressive heat than an ice cream cone. Lavender honey sounded exotic for a milkshake. Oh boy! My compliments to the Cruze dairy cows. My milkshake was utterly…or should I say…udderly delicious!

Skytress Anne and Skyter Nathan both suggested I eat at the Ruby Sunshine restaurant. They specialize in breakfast fare. I’ll admit. I salivated just looking at the pictures on their website. I did walk by Ruby Sunshine several times. But, I never went in to eat. I was steadfast with my original plan of eating shrimp and grits from Tupelo Honey for dinner. Ron always told me one should go out for shrimp and grits. You shouldn’t make them at home. Since I knew Ron was with me….I knew I was going to eat shrimp and grits on my layover. The shrimp and grits were exceptional. The chorizo pork sausage nestled on top of the grits gave my meal the right amount of spicy kick. Unfortunately, it kept on kicking long after I had finished my meal. Holy moly! The chorizo pork sausage heartburn kept waking me up all night long. Considering I had to get up at 2:40 am this wasn’t ideal.

We left the hotel at 4am. Between the chorizo pork heartburn and the knot that was once again growing in my stomach I was wondering how I would survive the van ride to the airport. Even though it was early, I was absolutely cognizant of the fact we had to drive by the hospital to get to the airport. I dreaded this. I closed my eyes on the drive. I tried to think about my wonderful layover and ignore the knot tightening in my stomach. My crew was uncharacteristically chatty this early in the morning. I welcomed listening to their conversations. It was a nice distraction. Unfortunately, one of my crew members addressed me and I opened my eyes. I could see the hospital in the distance. For a brief moment the knot in my belly constricted my breathing. I prayed to God. He graciously gave me respite. I no longer imagined Ron in the hospital. I imagined him sitting next to me in the crew van. I pictured him with his eyes closed and a smile on his face. This is how Ron would ride to the airport in the wee mornings when we flew together. I closed my eyes and smiled, too.

Truthfully, it was an unsettling feeling being in Knoxville. I’ll admit. The knot in my stomach never fully went away. I wasn’t shocked by this. I still have a small knot in my stomach every time I fly to Atlanta for work. Admittedly, the knot gets bigger if I have to leave the airport property. Yessiree. The further away from the airport….the bigger the knot gets. I hate this feeling. I used to love to spend time in Atlanta. Now it’s a constant battle between my persistent anxiety and the excitement of hanging out with my friends. Thankfully, I’m getting more proficient in conquering my anxiety when I’m amongst my friends. I’m proud I did face my anxiety about laying over in Knoxville. Yessiree. It was a marvelous layover. Moreover, I had a spectacular crew that distracted me and made me laugh when I needed it most. I’ll admit. I’m not sure if I will go back to Knoxville anytime soon. I’ll let the scheduling gods be in charge of this destiny. If by happenstance I do get another layover, I do have a well-constructed plan formulated. My first destination will be Ruby Sunshine. I’m going to order the peaches and cream stuffed French toast. I’ve thought about this French toast ever since Skytress Anne told me about it. She, also, suggested I get the French toast bites for an appetizer. She did. THEN she had the peaches and cream stuffed French toast for her breakfast entree. Yessiree. It seemed excessive and delightful at the same time. Oh well. If I am going to have another knot in my stomach while in Knoxville, it should include a knot from over eating French toast items. I know Ron would most assuredly laugh at my ambitious plan to clean my plate. Heck, he’d probably suggest I head to Cruze Ice Cream afterwards. Especially right after breakfast…..before the line starts going down the street.