“What are you going to do for your bonus day at Ucross?” Caitlin asked us as we traversed the winding road through the mountains from Sheridan back to Ucross after two canceled flights and a night at the Best Western. Caitlin was the communications director at Ucross, dispatched to bring Erica and I back to the comfort and safety of the Schoolhouse for the wait for tonight’s flight out to Denver.
Bonus day, indeed. Bonus days, really.
Three of us were all packed and on the road to the tiny Sheridan airport two days ago when the text popped up on K’s phone and then mine, the United message saying the flight to Denver had been canceled “for technical problems.” Ryan turned the Suburban around, drove us back to the ranch house office, and proceeded to try his best to find other flight arrangements for S while K pursued her own.
I was feeling a bit smug as I’d quickly used the United app on my phone to snag a ticket for that night’s flight, and actually looked forward to the afternoon ahead –it was gorgeous out, sunny and warm, Cindy would make us another luscious lunch, I had ideas for another poem, and planned a long walk out by the creek, my favorite one here.
Of course, I thought, I’d make the night flight, and would only miss part of a day with my long-planned visit to dear old Denver friends. As I strode down the creek path, I felt a satedness that I described afterwards to myself as one of my few experiences of actually being totally in “the present moment” that we all talk about but rarely achieve. The small ponds nestled among the dry sage grasses were the bluest of blues, the contrast of colors stunning. I sat in the grass, savoring the sight, the ring of snow-capped mountains in the distance. No judgement, no descriptions in my mind, just seeing.
Some might call it bliss.
It was only later I laughed on the phone to my husband, saying “happiness has term limits.” We drove back to the airport with Caitlin at four, this time with Erica and K, who would leave on an early morning flight to connect to New York. Erica and I were booked on the evening flight to Denver; she had a tight connection, but seemed confident she’d make it.
Then the delay announcements began. The plane hadn’t even left Denver. Erica and I opted to sit outside on a bench in the waning sun, splitting a last “Cindy sandwich” as we residents had begun to dub the delectable towers of cheese, avocado, garden tomatoes and various other filings such as veggie burger (for me) cold cuts for the others, tuna salad, even sausages.
A good thing, too as after three delay announcements, people began coming out of the airport, one woman calling to us, “It’s canceled! They don’t have a crew.”
I tried to get us on a standby flight in the morning but when the airline agent informed me we’d need to be at the airport by 4:30 AM (the very time I’d gotten up at this morning) and probably might not even get on, I quickly discarded that possibility. We texted Caitlin of our newest dilemma, and she booked us rooms at the Best Western, arriving shortly to take us there as she lived in right there in Sheridan.
The rooms were on the second floor, no elevator, my bags were heavy and cumbersome; Caitlin and Erica carried them up for me, and we talked about food possibilities –everything here in Wyoming seems to be mask-less, even people in the airport weren’t wearing masks, but Erica and I were determined not to eat inside. We’d get Thai take-out, a bottle of wine and eat in one of our rooms.
The glorious afternoon had evaporated, as all moments do, of course, and I was exhausted, grouchy and upset to miss yet another day with my friends in Denver. The next possible flight would be the next day at 6:30.
I’d hit a wall.
I flopped onto the wide white bed, phone in hand. There was a text message from Tracey, the program director, Find the silver lining if you can—we never know why these obstacles occur but they always hold a message/lesson.
Silver lining? Bah humbug to that, I testily thought.
But then another text from Erica, she’d found a Thai restaurant where we could get take-out, and Caitlin had showed us a liquor store close by where we could get a bottle of wine. It even had an odd little wine bar attached to it, we noticed when we perused the shelves while we waited for our takeout order of stir-fried veggies.
The wine bar was totally empty except for the proprietress, a hefty middle-aged blonde wearing a turquoise tee shirt and a warm smile as we peered in. Maybe we could bring our take-out here to eat and have a glass of wine with it?
Sure, she said, explaining the method to get a glass. You were to buy a “library card,” put it in the slot by the wine you want, and push a button. The card automatically deducts the amazingly low prices of various wines.
It was a plan. And for the next several hours, we sat there talking and listening, sharing our lives and experiences, words tumbling over each other, this beautiful young woman with a successful writing career already launched, and this much older one with a long history of stumbles, multiple careers, a lengthy marriage to her serial romantic experiences.
The proprietress came over with a nearly full bottle of Malbec. They had a tasting in the store this afternoon—he can’t use this, so why don’t you girls enjoy it. Evidently the Sheridan patrons were not fond of my favorite wine…
We slept well and deeply, and the next morning Caitlin arrived to drive us back to our cozy lair at Ucross where we met one of the two residents who were staying over for the next weeks, who’d just made a “McGyver’s soup” aka stone soup, from all the fabulous Cindy leftovers, simmering on the big restaurant range. Since neither of us had eaten besides the apples we’d stashed, we filled big bowls with it, ate chunks of cornbread and cups of tea, continuing the conversation where we’d left off the night before…
Now to the airport. So far, it looks like we’re flying out tonight. Fingers crossed, we’re both still exhausted, but in the best kind of way.
Silver linings, indeed.
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PS: Erica made her connection, and though my plane was delayed 45 minutes and I didn’t get in until 12:45 AM, I’m home too, trying to meet the challenge of reentry, looking hard for its silver lining…..