"Honey, do you have all the luggage?" Danielle yelled to her husband, Greg, from the bedroom.
"I think so. Three suitcases, two backpacks, and the baby bag. Am I missing anything?"
Came the answer shouted back at her. "Are you almost ready? Waze says traffic is picking up."
"I'm just grabbing my purse. Please put the kids in their car seats and I'll start loading the bags."
Typically, Greg and Danielle were expert travelers, but it had been years since they had been on a proper vacation. The first two years of their marriage was filled with travel and adventure. They honeymooned in Italy. They hiked and camped the Grand Canyon. They partied in Cancun and Cozumel. They sampled half the wines of Napa Valley. This said nothing of their countless day trips around Chicago doing much of the same. But this was their first time traveling since having children, and to say that they were unprepared was being kind.
First, the kids were up, on and off, all through the night asking about when they would leave, would the plane be scary, could they meet the pilot? Then they overslept. Now traffic was building on the Tri-State Tollway and they would be rushing through O'Hare airport trying to make sure that they didn't miss their flight.
The kids, boys aged two and four, for all their fussing, were actually cooperating in spite of their nervous excitement. Greg was doing his best to make sure everything was in its place at the house and that nothing was forgotten or left behind, but his constant questioning was grating Danielle's last nerve.
Danielle, was a mess. Her hair was disheveled, she didn't have time to do her make-up, and now, she was just hoping that she remembered to pack her iPad. She loved Greg and the boys, but she wasn't quite convinced that they were ready to start traveling again.
"There is no better time like the present!" Argued Greg. "The boys are getting to be more well-behaved. You're no longer breastfeeding. We need to get away for a bit. Let's hit an all inclusive resort somewhere and just relax on a beach somewhere away from the Chicago winter."
That was how they ended up heading to Punta Cana in the middle of February. Danielle tried to protest, but deep down, she wanted nothing more than to spend a week with her husband at a tropical resort. She just wasn't sure how relaxing it would be with a two and four year old in-tow.
Greg had gotten the kids buckled into their seats and had now helped Danielle load the rest of their bags into their Chevy Tahoe. Danielle, instead of hopping into the passenger seat, headed back into the house.
"Dany! Where are you going? We need to leave!" Yelled Greg, his head hanging out the window from the driver's seat.
"I just need to make sure all the lights are off. I'll be right there!"
Danielle was gone for what felt like 10 minutes, but in reality was probably less than a minute. She pulled herself into the passenger seat and turned back to her boys.
"Is everyone excited and ready to go?"
"Yay!" came the chorus of childish glee from the back seat.
Danielle let out a sigh of relief and turned to her husband.
"I'm so sorry. I'm ready."
Greg kissed his wife and pulled out of the garage and onto the street, which was freshly dusted with a light coat of snow. As he pulled onto the tollroad, Danielle took out her hair brush and make-up and attempted to make herself as presentable as possible.
Despite having recently had two children, she had kept herself in pretty good shape. She was only 27, having had Jacob, their first child at age 23 and Patrick, their second, at age 25. She did her best to stay active throughout the pregnancies, but as any mom can tell you, the further along you get, the harder it is not to say, "fuck it," and let it all go. Despite putting on a few pounds, plus the baby weight, Danielle made sure to get right back into the gym as soon as the childcare would take her children, which in this case was six months.
She worked her ass off with several routines; lifting, cardio, spin, pilates, crossfit. She went from workout to workout, never prefecting any, but always giving her best. She wasn't going to win a bodybuilding contest, but she had lost all of the baby fat, and despite a few remaining stretch marks, she once again felt confident in a bikini. She could even see a little hint of definition returning to her abs and was excited to slip into a two-piece and get a little Vitamin D for her sun deprived skin.
Greg was 30. He was a successful trader in Chicago and while Danielle would never say they were rich, Greg provided them with everything they needed. While he definitely was not out of shape, he didnt spend nearly as much time in the gym as Danielle and had started to develop a bit of a dad-bod. His arms still had nice shape and definition, but Danielle could definitely notice that his midsection had become just a bit softer than it was when they were first married. Nevertheless, she couldn't love him more. He was great with the kids, he made enough money that they could afford everything they needed and still have enough left over for some fun, and he loved her more and more each day. She held onto hope that they could sneak out onto the balcony while the kids slept one night for some much needed lovemaking.
Traffic heading to O'Hare was awful, as expected. The flight wasn't one of those obscenely early flights where you have to get to the airport at 4 AM, but it also wasn't midday, so with the added stress of newly fallen snow, they were smack dab in the middle of the morning rush hour, and I-190 was bumper to bumper from the tollway to the parking lot.
"I think we can save about 30 minutes if we park in the terminal garage instead of the economy lot, but it will cost us an extra $30 per day," Greg calmly stated.
"Whatever you think is best, babe."
Danielle knew better than to try to talk him into one decision or another. Six years of marriage had taught her that her husband just needed to vocalize his options before making a decision. If she tried to sway him one way or another, she could be blamed if he ended up regretting his choice later on.
Greg settled on the closer lot for more money. Silently, Danielle said a small prayer of thanks. The last thing she wanted was to be sprinting through the airport with a double stroller and all the bags while her husband complained about being late.
"Fuck! The stroller!" Danielle shouted.
"Aww, damnit. I knew we'd forget something." Greg looked dejected, but then he quickly perked up. "Hey, we have a small umbrella stroller in the back, right?"
"Yeah, we do, but it only holds Patrick. We'll have to carry Jacob."
"Jacob, buddy, do you think you can be a big boy and walk through the airport for Daddy?"
"Can I fly the plane too?"
"I don't think they'll let you fly the plane, bud, but if you can walk for us, I promise to try to get the pilot to let you see the cockpit. Can you do that for me?"
"Okay, Daddy."
Greg looked at Danielle and gave her a crooked smile.
"I guess it will have to do." She said with a smile.
Despite everything, they actually made it to their gate with 10 minutes to spare before boarding. And that is even with having to go all the way to gate C-28 in Terminal 1, almost as far as physically possible from security. Although the boys, and Greg, really enjoyed the underground tunnel with the moving walkways, lights, and music that connect the B and C concourses.
With just minutes to sit before boarding, Danielle caught her breath and excused herself to the bathroom so she wouldn't be stuck using the tiny, cramped space on their 737. She took her time, touched up her make-up, and enjoyed the last minute or two of quiet before taking her excited children on their first airplane ride.
As Danielle returned to their gate, she saw Greg and the boys already lined up in boarding group 3.
"I thought you were going to miss our group." Greg said. "I was just about to call you."
"And miss the excitement of seeing Jacob get on his first airplane? Never! Are you ready?"
"Ready!" the child exclaimed with a fist bump for his mother to the "oohs" and "ahhs" of a few surrounding passengers.
Finally, it was their turn to board. The boys couldn't contain their excitement. Jacob was loud and let out several squeals, despite being shushed several times. Patrick, however, was wide eyed and stunned silent.
"Look, Dad, the cockpit!" Yelled Jacob as they stepped aboard. "Can I see? Can I see?"
Greg looked to the flight attendant, who in turn looked into the cockpit at the pilots. He didn't hear anything verbally discussed, but after a moment, the young woman turned to them and said, "The pilots are a bit busy right now, but how about I make you a promise. If you take your seat and wait patiently, the Captain will let you sit in his seat when we get to our destination. Does that sound good to you?"
"Uh huh." Squealed Jacob.
"Work for you, Captain?" She shouted up front.
"Yes ma'am. We'll be ready," came the answer from the cockpit, along with two flashy pairs of wings for the kids.
The family took their seats in row eight, Danielle with the boys on the left side of the aisle, and Greg with the aisle seat on the right. They had paid a bit extra for Economy Plus seating. In the past, they would have splurged for Business Class, but with the kids, it would have been an unnecessary cost.
Danielle settled the kids in and watched their glee as the plane taxied and lifted off. Nothing made her happier than seeing her children happy. Once the excitement wore off, she programmed the seat back screens to play some Disney programs for the kids and then closed her eyes.
She must have drifted off to sleep, because not long after, she was startled by a tap on her shoulder.
"Honey, what would you like to drink?"
"Huh, what?" Danielle stuttered, still taking in her surroundings.
"The flight attendant wants to know what you want to drink."
