"This is your captain speaking. In twenty minutes we will be landing in Entebbe. Shortly, the flight attendants will be going through the cabin to pick up any items you wish to discard. Please continue to obey the safety signs. Thank you for flying with British Airways."
The captain’s voice woke Cary, startled out of a fairly deep sleep, the sunlight hitting her squarely in the eyes as it burst through the window in front of her, her window being shaded still. Cary scrambled to get a flight attendant's attention, as she didn't have the landing card necessary to get through customs, and also didn't know whether her luggage had made the flight with her; she knew it had been left behind in Chicago, but wasn't sure whether it had somehow caught up with her during the fourteen hour layover in London.
As soon as Cary had the attendant’s attention, she asked after her bags.
"Sorry, but no," the attendant said as she handed Cary the landing card. "I came to tell you during the night, but you were always asleep. You slept better than any passenger on the flight."
Cary shook her head in amazement. Not about the luggage; she had expected that news. But that she had slept all night. Actually, it had been only part of the night. She remembered waking a bit when dinner was passed around, the aroma overpowering her exhaustion. However, she was too tired to do more than just think about asking for food. Later she woke up quite chilled and scrounged through the overhead bin to find a sweater. Other than shifting stiff limbs and adjusting her pillow, she had slept from the time the plane was taxiing to the runway at Heathrow until this point near touchdown eight hours later in Uganda.
Cary had made this flight a number of times over the years, but this was definitely the first time she had slept through the experience. And since she fell just shy of being termed a "white knuckle flyer" the oblivion of sleep was especially appreciated.
As the plane began its descent, the adrenalin started pumping and Cary pressed her face as close to the window as possible. Her eyes widened in excitement. Her heart swelled as she looked at the sapphire blue of Lake Victoria with it's many islands, the palm trees meeting the shoreline, red ribbons of road reaching off into the hills around the airport, even the small houses tucked under the canopies of the trees with their small gardens spread out around them. One of Cary’s favorite sights when she lived in Uganda was the flocks of egrets, and she was overjoyed as she saw some of the beautiful white birds flying amongst the trees on the islands. When the plane landed, the next impression she had was the smells that drifted through the plane as soon as its door was opened; the sweet, musky smell of burning wood and masses of vegetation, and even a little garbage odor, reached inside the plane and made her feel right at home.
After a round of paperwork to get the search started for her luggage, Cary hurried through customs and out to see her family. Cary and her husband had gained a Ugandan son a few years earlier during a missionary stint; they had last been over for his wedding four years earlier. Now she was to meet her Dear Ones and their little 2-year old, Stella.
When Cary stepped into the reception area it took a few seconds for her eyes to adjust to the shadows and to find her family among the folks milling around. Then they stepped forward. Cary ran to them and threw her arms around them. “Oh, it’s so good to see you. I’ve missed you so much,” exclaimed Cary. “You look wonderful!” Sam and Adella were beautifully costumed in matching Ugandan dress, all golds and greens with embroidery at the neckline and, in his case, the bottom of his shirt. As Cary knelt before her, Stella said, "Hello, Grand-Ma", very carefully articulated, and stood very patiently and serenely as Cary administered her first hug. Cary smiled up at Sam and Addie, “You did really good! She’s a sweetheart.”
Then Cary noticed the large bouquet of flowers they had brought for her with roses, frangipani, mini-carnations, gardenias, and beautiful fern-like greenery. Not only was the bouquet a beautiful mass of color, but the scent was heavenly. Cary stood back and shook her head. “You all look so wonderful, and here I am in wrinkled jeans and this baggy shirt. I look like a peasant and you look like royalty. I’d like to fix that, but with my luggage missing, I can’t pop into the ladies room and change. In fact, I have no idea what I’m going to do.”
Addie laughed. “We are just happy you are here, Mum. We’re so glad you’ve come and we don’t care what you are wearing. I’m certain God will help with this challenge.”
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When I just posted about Stella, this is the photo
I showed and that I took 3 days after my arrival.
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Also, this chapter portion,
the beginning of the book,
is exactly what occurred.
In this portion, none is fictional.
