LEAVING ON A JET PLANE

I was climbing up the attic stairs when my son Alex came out of his room. “What are you up to?”

I was half way up the ladder when I stopped and looked down at him. “Oh, good. I’m glad you’re here. I was going to grab a suitcase, can I hand it down to you?”

“Sure.” Alex waited at the bottom of the ladder as I continued up. My head just cleared the attic floor when I spotted the suitcases a few feet away. Grabbing one I pulled it over to the opening and lowered it down to him.

“Got it.” He placed it on the floor.

I slowly climbed down, folded the ladder in two and raised it back up until the hatch was back in place. “Well, that was the easy part.” I sighed.

“What are you talking about?” Alex moved out of the way as I picked up the suitcase and headed for my bedroom.

“I hate packing.” I answered as I tossed the suitcase on my bed.

“What’s so hard about packing?” He sat down on the ottoman we had at the end of the bed.

“I don’t know.” I shrugged my shoulders. “I’m always afraid I’m going to forget to pack something that’s important.”

Alex shook his head and laughed. “I’m pretty sure Aunt Lizzy will have anything you forget to pack already at her house.”

“I know.” I sighed again. “But I haven’t been on a plane since before Covid.” I went over to the closet and began picking through my clothes. “I’m not sure what I’ll want to wear while I’m there.” I grabbed a pair of black dress slacks and tossed them on the bed. “It’s been a while since I’ve packed a carry-on.” I picked out a few tops and tossed them next to the pants. I stood in the middle of the room, hands on my hips, staring at my jewelry box. “Do I go crazy and do matching jewelry for each outfit?”

Alex held up both hands and began laughing. “You’re asking the wrong person that question.”

“You know what?” I shook my head. “I’m switching gears. I’m going to pack the fun stuff first.”

I headed for the master bathroom and opened up a cabinet.

Alex had followed me and was standing in the doorway. “What fun stuff are you talking about?”

I pulled out a handful of packets and began shuffling through them. I held up the different packets. “I’ve got eye masks, sheet masks for your face and my absolute favorite…” I held up a larger package then the others. “Pedicure masks for your feet!” I headed back to the bedroom and tossed the packets into the suitcase. “We’ll do an evening of beauty while we sip on a glass of wine and maybe watch a movie!”

Alex nodded. “That sounds like fun.”

I looked over at him. “Really?” I was surprised. “Do you want to try one?” I started to head back to the bathroom.

“Nope.” He held up his hands. “That sounds like fun for you and Aunt Lizzy. Not me.” He began to walk towards the door. “I’ll leave you alone and let you finish your packing.”

“Thanks.” I watched him leave then went back to the suitcase and looked inside where the only things in it were the different masks. “Well, at least that’s a start.” I sighed as I headed back to the closet.