Gini had her arms wrapped around the chair arms, and she was whimpering. He found a row of seats and sat down, pulling the chair to face him.
“Gini, I’m so sorry. I had no idea they were going to do that.” Why did he tell them she could walk? They would have taken her around the scanner in the chair… but then she would have been body searched—probably not any less frightening.
“Guiney, if you want to go home, we can. Please, don’t be frightened. I’m not going to let anyone hurt you, I promise. We’ll go home.” He took her hands and bowed his head.
Gini was trembling, tears running down her cheeks. He stood up, still holding her hands.
“Be… uff… owny… moo.”
He sat back down. “You want to go on the plane?”
“Oh… oh… yes…” Her voice hopped with the tears flowing.
“Gini.” He sighed. “We don’t have to go. We can celebrate our marriage here. We don’t have to go anywhere.”
“Be… uff… owny… moo.”
They sat there for a few minutes as each of them calmed.
They were boarded first, taking the wheelchair all the way to their seats. The flight attendant helped Robert get Gini settled and their carryon situated. He told her if Gini needed to use the bathroom, he would have to be with her. The attendant assured him she would help that to happen.
“Doctor Young, Ms. Anderson, please, just sit back and relax. I’ve got it from here.” She smiled and helped Robert with pillows and a blanket to make Gini comfortable. Then she brought him a drink.
Gini immediately fell asleep, and there were no other issues on the flight. The attendant told Robert she knew who Ms. Anderson was and would make sure her privacy was observed.
Deplaning went smoothly with airport agents helping to get her off the plane and into the shuttle to the car rental location. The bus driver helped Robert collect their luggage, and while Robert opened the wheelchair, the bus driver, standing next to Gini, pointed to where their rental car was located according to the digital board. It was in the back of the row, two rows down. Robert thanked him and tipped him well.
There the two of them stood. How was he going to get two pieces of luggage to the car while pushing Gini in the chair? He turned and looked at Gini. The sun was behind her, giving her a beautiful glow. She quietly waited, in sunglasses, watching him—or not. How could he do this? If he took the bags first, Gini would be left alone. If he took her first in the chair, she’d be left alone in the car. If he took Gini in the chair, the bags would sit on the curb unattended. There didn’t seem to be a rational solution. It never occurred to him to go into the agent desk and ask for help.
He let out a loud sigh.
“Rob… ber.”
“It’s okay, sweetheart, I’ll figure it out.”
“Rob… ber… baj… een… sair.”
Robert rubbed his mouth. Then he suddenly understood what she said.
“Oh, my gosh, you’re a genius. An absolute genius.” He grabbed her up and kissed her.
With the two bags in the chair, he put her hand on one of the handles with his on top, and they walked to the car.
He’d had big plans to show her around one of his favorite cities, San Diego. But by the time they checked into the hotel, had something to eat, and settled in, they were both exhausted. They had to leave early the next morning to drive over the border to their honeymoon resort.
The next morning Gini was vague and slept most of the way. They stopped at a large travel center for lunch. She told him she wanted a Burger King. He smiled at her request. “I don’t see a Burger King, sweetheart. If you want a hamburger, there’s a place right here that serves them.” She said Burger King two more times and then gave up.
They arrived at the resort the same time several tour buses pulled in. It was a chaotic scene. It took several minutes for the valet to come and help Robert get their bags and Gini out of the car. They had to weave around people to get to the check-in counter. Once again, Gini became panicked. If it had just been Robert, he could have handled the situation, but with her it seemed he was doomed before he even started. Perhaps he should have given this whole trip a little more thought. He was just excited to take his new bride to a place he considered paradise. Whenever he needed to get away from the stresses of work, he always went there to fish. When he discussed the trip with Gini, she seemed excited and wanted to go “fissy.” All he was doing was terrorizing her. It was too soon. She wasn’t ready for such adventure. Debbie had briefly questioned him, but he convinced her that being a doctor, he could handle whatever came up. He should have listened to her. She knew Gini better than he, although he didn’t want to admit it.
A woman walked to the end of the line and asked Robert to please follow her. He pushed Gini to a desk in a quiet area of the reception desk.
“Dr. Young, we have you all set up.” She handed him a key card. “Your condo is ready. We took the liberty to put juice and other small snacks in the refrigerator. I hope you and your wife are comfortable in the unit. Please, if you need anything, just call the front desk. Welcome back.”
Gini insisted she wanted to go to bed when they got to the room. He
