Watching my Youngest Soar

Sean is now considered a senior in high school. How can my youngest be at that point? Where did the time go? The upcoming year will be full and challenging, but he has ended his junior year on a good note, receiving straight A's in both terms, even for the AP level classes (AP exam results don't arrive until July). He's whip smart and has a weighted cumulative GPA of 4.101 out of 4.

Bryce and Elizabeth needed to attend a wedding in Austin, Texas, over Memorial Day weekend. They invited Sean to join them there, so they could show him the University of Texas. My nerves were a mess (he's never flown alone before and my brain always goes to things that could go wrong), but I wanted him to enjoy the opportunity. Thus, we secured non-stop flights on 2 different airlines (Southwest on the way to Austin and American on the way back to Indianapolis). As I dropped him off, I verbally attempted to walk him through the process of getting to his gate and onto the plane. 

Somehow, I neglected to emphasize how important it is to get to the gate ASAP. Twenty minutes before boarding time, I received a text saying he had gotten a bite of lunch and was approaching long lines in the security area. He shaved a full year off my life - ha! Thankfully, despite this laid-back approach, he arrived at his gate with ten minutes to spare. He said several things made the first flight horrible. A woman with a husband and 2 kids approached and demanded that he move from his aisle seat to the middle, so her 10-year-old son could sit in the aisle seat in front of the row she selected for herself, her husband, and the other child. Not wanting to create a scene, he complied and wedged himself (the biggest of the 3 passengers in that row) into the middle seat and rode uncomfortably the whole 2-hour trip. With his phone on airplane mode, he was bored and also said the pilot's flying was erratic. Once he landed in Austin, he had to wait 3-1/2 hours in the airport until Bryce and Elizabeth could pick him up (they couldn't leave Dallas until after work).

They were having a wonderful weekend (lots of delicious meals out, a lengthy walk around the University of Texas campus, and a break from the oppressive heat in an outing to Barton Springs). Then, the weather forecast sent me into a tizzy. With severe storms expected in Indy on Sunday (Indy 500 race day), I worried they might cancel his flight, stranding him alone in Austin (with Bryce and Elizabeth already returning to Dallas). The next available non-stop flight didn't depart until 6 p.m. on Monday. At 17, would he be able to check into an airport hotel on his own? Would the airline pay for the overnight accommodation? Would he be able to get himself to the lodging and back to the airport? 

All those concerns were for naught. The flight remained in "on-time" status. He arrived well in advance and boarded at the appointed time. This flight was more comfortable. He made a friend in the young 30-something man seated next to him, who helped him get a movie on his phone through the free in-flight Wi-Fi. 

I was a bit chuffed because they no longer allow you to sit and wait for your arriving passenger on the arrivals deck. Instead, they force you to continue circling the airport until you see your passenger standing there. I could understand that, if there was a bottleneck of traffic, but it was ridiculous because the entire arrivals deck was empty, with maybe 5 cars picking someone up. Not only a hassle, but unsettling for an unaccompanied minor, unsure if he's even waiting in the right place. Of course, Sean said it was fine. I shouldn't worry, yet I do.

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In looking up the meaning of "chuffed" to see if I was using it correctly, I discovered that the British use of this word and the American use are diametrically opposed. I use it in the American sense of greatly displeased or irritated.