New York, New York...a place that is as foreign to me as Mars. My daughter got the chance to hang out with her cousins there last weekend, something she has always wanted to do. Pa and I went there once, for a business trip about a hundred years ago. His company flew him and some of his compatriots, along with their wives, to the city that never sleeps...
We were in our early 30s, with four children, from ages 7 years old, down to 6 months old. I was a bit traumatized, leaving infant Liz so young, but the worst part was the plane ride. I had never flown before, so at first I was excited. Then came the turbulence. It felt like we were on a roller coaster. Except there were no rails, just a plane twitching like it was going to burst apart at any moment. I was digging into Ken's elbow with my fingernails. He said, "Baby, if we crash, I'm gonna need that arm." Always the funny guy. Meanwhile, my cup of tea emptied out into my tray. Ken was having no sympathy, pointing at things out the window and trying to get me to relax. Never, I say never, tell a woman to relax. This should be required information from anyone attempting to give premarital counseling. I don't like going over high bridges, but Ken has always delighted in swinging cars fast and furiously over Spaghetti Junction while I hyperventilate. He doesn't seem to understand the concept of gravity, whether in a car or a plane. You should see the guy ski.
I began to look around the plane for an empathetic soul. No one had screamed yet, but for the life of me I couldn't understand why not. Even though I knew that I was about to die, my pride had kept me from shrieking. I asked several ladies who were sitting around us about the tumultuous ride. They all said this was the worst turbulence they had ever seen. Why aren't ya'll hollerin' then, was all I could think. Ken had never flown either, but he didn't count. He grew up wanting to be a fighter pilot or at least a NASCAR driver.
About the time I was going to order whiskey, even though I had never attempted to drink that in my entire life, the plane began an intense banking maneuver. I was piercing Ken's elbow with all ten pincers when he started maniacally pointing at something out the window. To shut him up, I looked. It was one of the most beautiful sites I'd ever seen. There were frothing whitecaps below the crystal blue sky. The plane seemed to be suspended in time as the Statue of Liberty came into view right outside our window. She stood there, noble and stalwart, one of those symbols that inspire you from babyhood. Ken moved and let me press my nose against the glass, the gravity problem long gone. My brain flooded with wonderful songs from elementary school, amber waves of grain, spacious skies and the Gettysburg address. Tears spilled as I welled up with the pride and thankfulness of all that is American.
I will never forget that trip, that day, that plane ride, but especially that Great Lady. Ellis Island was right across from her, a reminder that most of us technically came over here on a boat, with nothing but a dream and a hope for a better life. I love this country.
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