I probably say the following statement at risk of seeming
like a cold, cruel, uncaring father. However, with that being said, the only
person who can truly quantify that statement is Ellie. Lucky for me, Ellie's
not exactly speaking on the matter at this time. So, you know, the truth can
remain hidden a little longer.
Where was I? Oh yeah, that statement that makes me seem cold
and cruel. Honestly, not a day goes by where I'm not disappointed by Ellie in
some fashion. I see all of your jaws dropping and thinking, "That's
mean." I don't feel like it's that farfetched of a proposition though.
Imagine it, Ellie's an extremely lively fifteen-month-old. I mean, she's into
everything, rarely slows down, and possesses the ability to either obey or
disobey on command. I think it just depends on her mood at the given time.
Of course, I didn't realize we could only be disappointed in
Ellie when she does something bad. I learned on Wednesday night that we can actually
be disappointed in Ellie for not responding to something just like we imagined.
As you well know, Bethany had spent the better part of the
previous three days in sunny San Francisco, CA (Side note: Stupid Giants, not
that I'm still bitter or anything). While she was enjoying some well-deserved
days away from home, Ellie and I were holding down the fort back in Kansas
City. Needless to say, by the time six o'clock rolled around on Wednesday
night, I was pretty stoked to head to the airport to pick up my wife (Does that
statement sound like I'm picking up a Russian mail-order bride or something?).
Ellie, meanwhile, was just happy to be along for the ride.
Even though we could have just parked outside the terminal
and picked Bethany up at the curb, I decided it would be more fun to go inside
and meet her at the gate instead. I had two reasons for doing so. Number one, I
hoped it'd be a blog-worthy experience and number two, I thought Ellie would
have a really cool reaction. I mean, it's not like she had spent the better
part of three days relentlessly searching the house for her mother. Oh wait,
she did!
As we arrived at the airport, I was personally super excited
to meet Bethany at the gate. Ellie meanwhile, was more excited by the prospect
of taking her shoes and socks off just as soon as I put them on. Once I
successfully wrangled them onto her feet, I extricated Ellie from her car seat
and then began the equally daunting task of dressing her in a jacket. After
tussling with her for a bit, we were ready to head inside.
As we were a few minutes early, I sat Ellie down on the
terminal floor and proceeded to follow her on adventures down the starry
walkways. Every so often, she'd try to make a new friend. Alas, people who are
hanging out alone in airports generally are not stoked to be there. Although
she did build a very strong friendship with a particularly happy and smiley TSA
guard who told us where the exit door for gate 68 was located.
Once we finally wandered down to gate 68 to await Bethany,
Ellie again made a new friend immediately. This time, it was the beleaguered
employee trying in vain to close the MSNBC Store for the night as Ellie stood
directly in the path of his security gate. Although he was nice enough about
it, I could tell there was a tinge of irritation in his voice. Luckily for us,
another distraction occurred soon enough as people began pouring out of gate
68.
Before we knew it, Bethany exited the gate and met us in the
terminal. While we both expected Ellie to dramatically scream "Ha" at
the sight of her mother while holding out her arms for a hug, we were both
disappointed. Instead, Ellie was deeply disturbed/intrigued by the sight of the
rolling suitcase that accompanied her mommy. Perhaps she believed it had a
puppy in it or something? Ellie's obsession with the suitcase actually didn't
end until she was back in her car seat and heading home. In fact, she chose
that moment to become aware of her mother's presence and wanted her immediate
attention. **rolling eyes**
So, as you can see, we had one set of expectations for this
dramatic family reunion and the reality was something different entirely. I
guess television and movies have completely led me astray as to what to expect
with emotional reconnections within airports. Maybe next time when Ellie's
older will go more according to plan. Or it'll crash and burn in even more
spectacular ways. Both good. #DaddyWrite
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