But she HAD to elope. I mean, with in-laws like hers? What CHOICE did she have?
But you two are doing it for the pure romance of the thing—not because you HAVE to, because both your families are perfectly respectable.
Well, I guess there is that teensy religion thing with your moms.
But whatever! They’ll get over it.
Anyway, that’s what makes your elopement so special.
And I plan to record every detail of that special-ness, starting now, before we even get on the plane. Before I even meet you guys at the gate. Which, by the way, where ARE you, anyway? I mean, we were supposed to get here three hours before our departure time. You know that, don’t you? I mean, it says that right on the ticket.For international travel, please arrive no later than three hours prior to departure time.
So. Where are you guys?
I suppose I could email you on my new BLACKBERRY, but as you keep reminding me, Holly, it’s for WORK PURPOSES ONLY, which is the only reason the IT guys let you have them (thanks for mine, by the way. I mean, it’s nice of Tim and those guys to think of me, even though I don’t exactly work there anymore).
God, I hope nothing happened to you. I mean, on the way. People drive like maniacs on the expressway.
Wait—you didn’t change your minds, did you? About getting married? You can’t. That would be awful! Just AWFUL! I mean, you two are so perfect for each other… not to mention, it would be totally unfair to cancel on me. My first trip to Europe, and my travel companions ditch me? As it is, I can’t even believe I’m really doing it. Why did I wait so long? Who turns thirty without having been outside the continental United States at least once in her life? No Paris with French class in the 11th grade. No “Cabo” for Spring Break in college. What’s wrong with me, anyway? Why am I such a non-transcontinental flying freak?
And okay, seriously, what is with the guy with the cell phone over there? I mean, he’s cute and everything. But why is he yelling? We’re going to Italy, dude. Italy! So chill.
Okay, ignore the guy on the cell phone. IGNORE THE GUY ON THE CELL PHONE. I can’t believe I’m wasting the first pages of your travel diary on him. Who cares about him? I’M GOING TO EUROPE!
I mean, WE’RE going to Europe.
I think. If you two aren’t lying in the twisted wreckage of your taxi to the airport on the Long Island Expressway.
Let’s just assume you were running a little late this morning and that you aren’t dead.
Thank God you two are making me do this. You and Mark, I mean, Holly. I’m finally crossing the Atlantic, and for what better REASON? God, it’s so romantic—
(Oh, wait, that’s the same guy who was in front of me at the duty free! The one who was rolling his eyes because I bought all those bottles of Aquafina. Obviously he hasn’t read this month’s Shape . They say air travel is very dehydrating, and that you should drink half your body weight in water during the course of your flight if you want to avoid jet lag.)
And okay, they have water on the plane and all, but is it good water? I mean, as good as Aquafina? Probably not. I saw this thing on Ask Asa on Channel 4 where they sent the water from a plane to a lab and it was filled with all these microbes! And okay, it was the water from the tap in the plane bathroom, and no one would really drink that, but still.
Not that MY mom and dad wouldn’t kill me if I did what you’re doing, Holly. Elope, I mean. And to ITALY, of all places.
But it’s just so totally you, Holly. God, you’re lucky. Mark is so… grounded. And Mark, I know I give you a hard time about being such a sci-fi geek and all, but seriously, if I could meet a guy as—
(Oh my God! Cell Phone Guy just practically threw his phone at one of those little carts with the old people in it! The one taking them to their gate! And just because the guy driving it made that backing-up-truck sound to warn him he was in the way. God, what’s go this panties in such a bunch? Although he hardly looks like a panty- wearing type of guy. Jockeys, more likely. Or maybe boxers.
Oh, no. How can I give this diary to Holly and Mark if it’s full of musings about some random guy’s underwear????
NOW what am I going to give them? I can’t give them candlesticks or something. This is HOLLY. It has to be something SPECIAL.
Okay, well, one mention of underwear. You guys don’t mind, do you? I mean, it’s just underwear .)
Where was I? Oh yeah. Mark. So cute, in spite of the Star Trek Next Generation marathons he makes you watch, Holl. So responsible, with the whole doctor-and-health-column thing. Which reminds me, I need to ask him about this mole on my elbow. God, Holly’s so lucky, she can get her moles checked for free anytime she wants. Why can’t I find a boyfriend with a useful skill like that? All Malcolm can do is beat me at Vice City. And what good is that? Can a high score on Vice City save you from a life threatening carcinoma? No.
Okay, now I totally can’t give this to Holly and Mark.What is wrong with me ?
Cell Phone Guy just hung up on whoever it was he was talking to. I just heard him go, “That is inexcusable,” but that was all I could get because they’ve got CNN turned up so loud in here. Now he’s got out his Blackberry. He’s typing into it furiously. I will never be able to type that fast into mine.
But maybe that’s a good thing. Cell Phone Guy is a classic example of a Type A personality, as illustrated in last month’s Shape. I can practically SEE his blood pressure going up. I hope he doesn’t stroke out on the plane.
Although I wouldn’t mind giving him CPR.
Oh my God, I can’t believe I just wrote that.
But he is kind of cute. I mean, if you like the tall, rugged, sandy-haired, razor-stubbled-with-piercingblue- eyes-who-knows-how-to-use-a-Blackberry type.
Okay. Now I definitely won’t be able to give this to Holly and Mark as a wedding present.
Oh, wait, I can just rip out the pages with Cell Phone Guy comments. Or black them out with a Sharpie.
Or maybe I should just get Holly and Mark a nice silver frame from Tiffany’s instead. But that seems like kind of a lame present to get for someone who has held your hair back while you were throwing up tequila shooters as many times as Holly has for me.
Although of course I’ve done it for her often enough, most recently Friday night when the entire art department took her out for a bachelorette party. For two people who are supposed to be eloping, Mark and Holly told an AWFUL lot of people beforehand.
!!!! On CNN it says a plane is being held at the San Francisco airport under suspicion that a passenger aboard it has a highly contagious virus that they’re worried will spread worldwide!!!!
You know what this means:
I need more snacks for the plane.
Seriously, those people have been on board that plane for TWO HOURS with no food service. If I go two hours without eating, I get that weird thing where I can’t see out of one eye. And Toblerone won’t do it. I need something with protein. Like smoked almonds. And maybe some cheese popcorn. Which I bet they don’t even have in Italy. I better go back to the duty free and stock up, just in case….
e-mails
___________________________________________
To: Tara Samuels <[email protected]>
Fr: Cal Langdon <[email protected]>
Re: Travel Services
Where is everybody? I’ve been calling for the past half hour, and nobody there is picking up. Does Travel get half days on Fridays through September, or something, while the rest of us slobs have to give them up on Labor
