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Sunday started out like any other trip on a plane, and I was looking forward to using my new collapsible kettle to make a cup of tea on my layover.
Just as we were about to leave the gate my dad called and let me know my mother had passed away. I’m sure I spent the whole of the flight staring blankly into space wondering what to do when I got to Denver. I hustled to the nearest United service desk where, after impatiently waiting in line, the service agent told me they could only change my ticket back to Cody or somewhere close to my original destination, not Chicago where I now wanted to go. Certainly I cannot be the only person who ever wanted to change a flight mid trip due to an emergency, but apparently they could not ‘sell me a new ticket’ on their system. Then I asked about my bag and she assured me that she had sent baggage claim a message to remove the bag from its transfer to the next plane and my bag would be waiting for me outside of security in the baggage claim office. So now I had to go find my bag while calling (and waiting on hold) to figure out how to get to Chicago.
The woman in the baggage claim office was incredulous that the previous agent had promised me the luggage would not be put on the next plane, and I said I figured as much. I was about to lose my shit but she was very nice and managed to calm me down. I saw a paper cup resting on her desk with two connected square tea bags without strings and I asked her if they were celestial seasonings tea. She proceeded to explain to me the last time she went to the celestial seasoning factory (which I had forgotten was in Colorado) and that they had something called the ‘mint room’ that you could only tolerate for a few seconds at a time there was so much menthol in the air. I will need to visit this place at some point!
After about 20 minutes on the phone and another 10 verifying where my bag actually was, I thanked the nice baggage claim ladies who now assured me that my bag would eventually join me in Chicago. I did manage to get through security again and grab a bite to eat before finally breaking out the collapsible kettle to (finally!) make a cup of tea.
A bag of this bourbon tea was what I pulled from my small travel stash as I knew it wouldn’t get bitter if I left it to brew in my go cup. I can’t say that I am all that impressed with this caramel forward (with a hint of vanilla) bourbon tea, but it is a comforting cup and I would probably purchase it again if I saw it at target.
I am sharing this with y’all because I know you will understand the small moment of connection I had with the baggage claim tea drinker, and the comfort of a new cup of tea for another flight.
I appreciate you as a community that makes me smile when I read your notes and sometimes even LOL.