Category Archives: Florida

Challenges, unexpected events, escalating frustrations—do you ever have them? It’s called life. I’ve titled this vacation “On a wing and a prayer, ” and plenty of prayers have gone forth.

Reservations were made three months early. But after my husband sustained a 20-foot fall, which resulted in 13 fractured ribs, punctured lungs, and an extended hospital stay weeks before our scheduled flight, we weren’t sure we would even make this trip. And wouldn’t you know it, the day before we were to head out, I had a fender-bender right after leaving the office. I had just crossed over to the opposite lane when BAM, there she was! After talking to the police and exchanging pertinent information, I proceeded home with the wind knocked out of my sails, not to mention that I threw out my back and barely slept that night.

My encouraging husband, although still in great pain and discomfort from his fall, was determined to make the flight to sunny Florida to join my relatives for the Thanksgiving holidays.

Southwest Airlines treated us like royalty. They were very accommodating and provided the necessary assistance for the entire trip. Funny thing, though, was that one of the stewards for our flight out was running late. All passengers standing in line did not board the aircraft until he arrived. My husband and I had another plane to catch and worried we would miss that flight. Finally, in the distance, we noticed someone running toward us. It was none other than our tardy steward. Not long after he ran inside the plane, we began boarding. An attendant helped Mark get out of his wheelchair onto the plane and to our seats.

Once we landed in New Orleans, an airport assistant waited with my husband’s chariot at the doorway. He hurriedly wheeled him down the corridor with me in tow to our next flight. All passengers on that aircraft were already seated and ready for take-off. Two front-row seats were reserved just for us. Talk about feeling like instant celebrities!

We sat by Patricia, a missionary from Thailand. Once we landed, it was she who became our guardian angel. While I retrieved our luggage, she stayed behind and waited patiently with Mark. When I returned, she volunteered to accompany me in fetching our rental car, even praying for a blessing over the remainder of our vacation. She walked with me back to where Mark was waiting, helped me load everything into the car, and politely waved goodbye to us. I truly felt she was an angel sent by God.

At last, in the wee hours of the morning, our tired and aching bodies arrived at the hotel room. It was good to finally sleep in.

After breakfast, we drove straight to my daddy’s house. We were flooded with hugs, tears, and joy, and our bellies were full of my stepmother’s delicious Fricase de Pollo in no time. Due to all the medication my husband was on, he hadn’t had much of an appetite, but I was certain it would return with all the anticipated Puerto Rican cuisine.

The next day after a warm breakfast, we drove into Ft. Lauderdale to visit Big Brother, his wife, and their three strapping sons. While the big boys played a game of chess, we gals went grocery shopping. When we returned, Mark was ready to call it a day. The pain from his ribs was causing him misery.

Thanksgiving Day: We never had a late Thanksgiving dinner before, but I guess when you have a lot of Puerto Ricans around to cook for, this is the norm. Soon we were surrounded by love and laughter and picture-taking. The anticipated meal did not disappoint. Although quite tasty, the star entree wasn’t the pavo but the pernil, the traditional Puerto Rican pork shoulder. Not to be outdone, there were a couple of large pans of my stepmother’s delicious arroz con gandules. This was a Thanksgiving feast at its best! I believe we ate until we couldn’t eat another bite; hardly any room for dessert.

To be continued …

© M.A. Pérez, 2016, All Rights Reserved