The Waiting Game

Evac VII

So we are in Germany, exhausted and excited, believing we will be boarding a commerical airliner, but nope. We were stuck flying 9 hours on that transport plane again. We begged for blankets, because it was freezing on the aircraft, and more pillows. We boarded the plane and were served a good meal. I let the boys sleep on the canvas seats, and I slept on the floor of the plane. I was too tired not to sleep, and didn't care if I were uncomfortable or not. I had to crash. Emotional exhaustion is a serious thing. I admit that I didn't sleep as long as I wanted, but a couple of hours was better than nothing. Arriving in Newark New Jersey brought tears to many of us. The thrill of the home stretch, of being back in the United States is something that I still can't describe. Four days we had been traveling, shuttled from one place to another, all of us thankful to get out of a war zone, and sad for those we left behind, knowing there was a price to be paid. I thought we'd find a plane and be home in the afternoon. Afterall, we arrived around 7 am in Newark. Three airports are within driving distance, piece of cake, right? Wrong. No flights out of NJ to Detroit. Not one. My heart began to break. I refused to stay in NJ, I needed to be home--to see my husband and family. I was so desperate, that I was willing to rent a car and drive home. Lucky for us. Between Sonny's wife and kids had evacuated one day after us, and were in Turkey. All we had to do was make it to the airport on time. The flight was leaving at 4:15 pm, so we had plenty of time, or so we thought.


to be continued.

TTFN