Bon Voyage!... The Second Day of Christmas: the Old and New Testaments
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
38th Former President Gerald Ford, dead – at 93. That was how the radio announced it that morning. He had still lived a long life for having once been in such an office, for having been in any office.
In happier news, Carrie’s and Rose’s plane was leaving at 11:54am that Wednesday morning. Collette had decided to also come and see them off after bringing over another piece of photography equipment for Rose, from OLeif’s stash.
“I am not sleeping on the way over there,” Rose had already announced at the dinner table the night before. “What if I drool in my sleep?”
“Yeah, I can pull all-nighters – no problem,” Carrie agreed.
“You’ll be in the air for about fourteen hours altogether,” Collette told them, looking at their flight schedule. “You’ll be pulling into Cairo at 6:30 in the morning the next day our time. You’ll need sleep. And drink a lot of water. It’ll help the jet lag.”
“Fourteen hours!” Rose’s jaw dropped. “But what if I have to go to the bathroom?”
“They’ll pull the plane over for you,” OLeif laughed.
Collette had a feeling that Carrie and Rose would be changing their perspectives on international travel, very quickly.
“I’m going to try to get the guards at the pyramids to do ‘west side’ for me and I’ll take their picture,” Carrie imitated the hand motion. “Oh – I know! I’ll just get a little chisel and take off a piece of the pyramid while Rose distracts them.”
“Oh, say can you see!” Rose screeched, while Carrie pretended to bang away at the great stone block in time with the beats.
“And… timber!” Mom laughed. “There goes the pyramid.”
“…by the dawn’s early light…”
“Great song choice,” Collette said, thinking about the many times they had been warned not to draw attention to themselves as being American.
“So,” Dad said, “what would you do if there were people in the streets who started throwing rocks at you because you’re American.”
“I’d throw ’em back and harder,” Carrie said with a stone-face.
She thought about this for a moment.
“Actually, I really don’t know. What are we supposed to do if that happens?”
Collette wondered if Carrie and Rose might be the start of another terrorist attack while visiting the country. They would never be admitted over the border again at this rate.