Separate ways

My flight to Milan was very cheap, thanks to my brother who works for Delta in Atlanta. However, this means standby flying, which always entails the risk of not actually getting a seat on the plane. But when I arrived at Port Columbus, everything seemed to check out with my itenary, and I checked my suitcase onto a flight to my layover in Atlanta.

Confident I was on my way and with nearly an hour to go before my flight left, I went to have one last very American meal. I found Mulligan's pub and ordered a bacon cheeseburger, fries, and a Budweiser. I watched businessmen multitask their laptops and cellphones while CNN kept us all up to date on the ramifications of the Michael Jackson verdict. I skipped the apple pie for dessert and went to my gate with fifteen minutes left before my flight departed.

They informed me that there were no seats left on the plane. I began to curse myself for stopping for food first, but I found out that a small flood of other standby passengers with a higher priority than I had bumped me from the plane, and it made no difference what time I showed up. I asked to have my bag taken off the plane, but they wouldn't do it. They suggested I take the same flight on the next day to catch up with my bag, although it was likely to be full as well. The other option they presented was to get on a plane to New York, go to Milan from there, and file a lost baggage claim. It's more important that I get to Milan on time than for me to have my luggage with me, so I chose New York. I watched my suitcase take off for Atlanta, then hopped on a plane to Laguardia. I wasn't sure if I would have a seat to Milan when I got there.