On New Year's Day 1997, my Mom called me and was very upset. Her sister Mard had been hit by a car and was taken to the hospital in Farmington. She wasn't expected to live after they took her off life support.
Apparently, what happened was that she and her husband Hed were crossing the street. Hed crossed first in front of a car and was able to get the driver to stop. Hed supposedly signaled for Mard to cross, but the driver thought he was signalling to continue driving, and he hit Mard.
Mom was already there, as were Ord, Cind and Grandma Bend. She said she would call me once they found out what was going to happen with Mard. I recalled how I had briefly spoken to Aunt Mard on the phone when I went to Mom's for Christmas. I immediately regretted that I sort of gave her the brush off and only talked to her for about 30 seconds before handing the phone to someone else.
Mom called back later and informed me Mard had passed away after being taken off life support. She said it was for the best. When she had first arrived and saw her in the hospital, it was apparent that Mard was responding to the sound of their voices. But the next day, there was no response whatsoever. She knew Mard was no longer with us.
I told Mom I wanted to be there for the funeral, but I couldn't afford to fly out. Mom said she would try to arrange something for me. A few hours later, she told me she was able to get a bereavement fare on AmericaWest Airlines. I would be flying from San Diego to Phoenix, where I would change planes, and then I would fly to Albuquerque. Family members would pick me up there and take me to Farmington. I would be there the night before the funeral.
The bad thing was that Kelz couldn't come with me. I was going to have to leave her at home alone. I had no choice but to trust that bad things wouldn't happen at the apartment if I wasn't there.
I was able to get Thoz
to come to the apartment to drive me to the airport. Before I left, I gave Kelz $5 to help her get by the next few days. (It was really all I could give her, but we did have plenty of food at the house.) To make things worse, Kelz was feeling a little under the weather.
I had been on airplanes a few times before, but it had been almost 13 years since my last flight and this would be my first time to depart from a major airport all by myself. I felt like I had no clue what I was supposed to do. I checked in at the front counter and got my seating assignment. My luggage was carry-on, so I didn't have to deal with checking my bag. I went to the gate and waited to see what would happen next.
I just basically followed the crowd at the gate. When everyone stood up, I stood up. Some semblance of a line formed, I gave the attendant my boarding pass and I made my way down the hallway toward the plane. This was the first time I was on a plane in which I walked past the first class section. I saw how nice the seats were. Then I saw the seats in coach. I immediately understood the difference.
I was surprised to see that all the seats on the plane came equipped with air phones and screens on the back of the seats. The screens featured entertainment you had to pay for, but also included news stories that you could view for free. You had to use the phone to scroll through the information. However, the entertainment section appeared to be provided by British tabloids. Some of the stories were a little racy. I wondered about children getting access to this.
Before we received our drinks and snacks, I found some cheese and crackers in the pouch that had been left by a previous passenger. I found out later these were the first class snacks. This felt like a major score!
We arrived safely in Phoenix. I didn't have to go very far to make my connecting flight. I now knew what I was expected to do as a passenger. I got on the next plane like a pro.
Unfortunately, we hit some bad turbulence on the way to Albuquerque. This was a one-hour flight and we spent half of it trying to keep the plane in the air. I remember getting a little mad that the drink and snack service was being delayed, but I knew it couldn't be helped (even though first class got their stuff just fine).
I arrived in Albuquerque to be greeted by some family members I hadn't seen in years. We loaded up in a van and drove to Farmington. It took about three hours. I tried to fall asleep, but I had too much on my mind. I was dropped off at a relative's house, where I would spend the night on the couch.
I would get to see Mom and the rest of the family the next day.
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