I paced the crowded airport lounge, hot and sweaty and annoyed. It was two days before Christmas, and my flight from New York to my family in Virginia had been canceled at the last minute. Now the new flight was delayed. What a rotten start to the holidays! There was no upside to being trapped among a bunch of total strangers.
We boarded, finally, at a snail’s pace. I battled my way down the aisle only to discover that I was stuck in the middle seat instead of the window seat I’d booked. It was impossible to get comfortable crammed in like a sardine, and we sat on the tarmac for an hour before being cleared for takeoff. I’d be lucky to get home before everyone was in bed. Considering my cranky mood, maybe that was for the best.
I closed my eyes to collect myself. A baby somewhere behind me started bawling. I sighed and brought out my book. The red-haired woman in the coveted window seat noisily rummaged for something in her purse. Trail mix. The bag crackled as she twisted and tugged to open it, her elbow jabbing mine.
I couldn’t hide my exasperation. “Do you want me to try?” I asked.
She plunked the bag into my hands. I got a good grip on it and put all my frustration into wrestling with the bag. The guy on the other side of me leaned into the aisle to stay out of my way until I gave up. “Here, let me have it,” he said. His strategy involved lots of yanking, but he got nowhere. The woman across the aisle offered to give it a shot. Her technique included shaking the bag, which didn’t help.
The teenage boy beside her reached for the snack. “I can do it,” he said confidently, but nope. The muscled fellow in that row’s window seat took a turn. How could this little bag of trail mix defeat the six of us?
“I’ve got an idea,” the teenager said to the man. “You take one side and I’ll take the other.” I craned my neck to watch. Together, they pulled, and ta-da! We’d done it!
The bag was on its way back to its owner when she said, “No, I want everyone to have some!” So back down the far row it went, with each person pouring out a few nuts and raisins, then across the aisle again to my row. I shook out a bit, then handed it to the woman.
When she turned it upside down, only a single peanut rolled out. She laughed and held up the empty bag. “Merry Christmas! God bless us, every one!”
On a trip where everything had gone wrong, six strangers had given each other some Christmas cheer in a most unexpected way. I hoped my family would still be awake for me to bring it home to them.
