Well this poor woman at checkout must have thought someone very near to me had passed away and the impending flight was the only thing to deliver me to the imaginary funeral, because she waived all my fees, gave my baggage priority status and got me a seat at the front of the plane. I'm not trying to encourage girls to cry their way out of problems, but hell if you're desperate, unleash that beast. But the gods weren't done. Upon landing at PDX, I find a snow storm in full effect, reeking havoc on the roads and freezing the train tracks. Three hours later I arrive at my aunt and uncles house, where I will stay for the rest of the weekend, housebound by the storm.
Being snowed in with your family sounds like the plot of some comedy drama where secrets surface and arguments heat to the boiling point. But with my family, it was pure comedy. We embraced the snow storm in the best way anyone could in that situation, wine, cards, wine, board games, wine, dog walks, wine, magazines, food. Did I mention wine? Normally such indulgence with family can bring out drama, but this brought out the youthful giggly side of everyone. I don’t remember the last time I sat and merely enjoyed the company of the people I was around without an agenda or distraction. Seriously. We didn’t watch TV or movies. We played games, and talked about everything and anything. Meanwhile the white flakes of snow continued to coat the ground much to everyone dismay. Portlanders? kept repeating this had never happened before. They swear! They were all in shock and awe. Neighbors brought over cupcakes, families took their children sledding, there was even a dog walker on cross country skies! I was definitely hoping to see more of Portland, but I saw and learned more about my family, and I know later in life I’ll look back on this weekend and be grateful that I had the opportunity to make such lasting connections with very important people.