Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

We were up bright and early, and Mary whipped up the official Wake-Up Juice (FDA approval still pending). After a final round of” Did we pack this?” we finished loading up, then grabbed an Uber to the airport—because nothing says “ready for travel” like trusting a stranger with your life before breakfast.
I looked out the window, and sure enough, Diamond Head was still there.

It was a beautiful Hawaiian morning.
Packing expert at your service. I helped by removing the coffee pot, the two towel racks, and the wall mirror.

Last-minute packing.
We Ubered to the airport in a brand-new Chevy Super Van that still had paper plates. I was amazed that it was getting 18.5 MPG in the city!
Arriving at our gate, it read “FINAL CALL” for our flight! We panicked, but then a nice lady next to us said that the column applied to gate E7, not our flight. We were relieved.

We panicked.
We had a hamburger before the flight, talked about our lives together, and agreed with this little duck below.

Then we relaxed.
With a thunderclap that sounded like Zeus clearing his throat, our mighty airplane bounced down the runway and launched into the sky. ff in the distance, Diamond Head appeared—calm, majestic, and clearly judging our takeoff technique.
First Class has its advantages. We were in row 2, so close to the action I felt morally responsible for the landing. The bartender arrived instantly, like he’d been waiting for our order his whole life.
“Wine for the lady,” I said smoothly, “and a sarsaparilla for the gentleman.”
Then I leaned in and whispered, with the seriousness of a top-secret mission: “Bourbon and Seven”.

Bye Bye Hawaii!
Five hours and several drinks later (plus an excellent mid-afternoon dinner), we arrived in LA.

Hello, Los Angeles.
Bob Z. picked us up, and we wondered why we were so tired. Duh, we already walked two miles today, plus the five from yesterday!

The airport gates are far apart.
Bob dropped us off at home, we unpacked the necessities of life, and went to bed, happy to be back home! Except for the effort of getting on and off the airplane, it was a relaxing journey.

We hit the sack almost immediately after Bob Z. dropped us off.