A Minute to Spare

Cameron and I were up at 4 a.m. this morning so that he could catch his 6:55 a.m. flight to Indy.  Out of all of the things that I was nervous about during this Florida trip, Cameron making it home on his own was number 1.  Southwest’s issues last week with thousands of delays and cancellations did not help.  Cameron’s flight was on time this morning, so that really helped lessen the anxiety.  TSA was the issue today that I never worried about that could have easily become a nightmare for us.  

Originally, I had planned on getting an escort pass to walk with Cameron to his gate.  When Cameron and I arrived before 5 a.m. this morning, we realized that that wasn’t a possibility.  The lines at the ticketing counters were way too long, so instead we headed straight to the TSA check in.  I was absolutely shocked when we walked up to see that the estimated wait time was already 55 minutes and climbing steadily.  Cameron and I got in line together and inched forward slowly.  I tried very hard not to panic.  We had one hour and forty-five minutes to get him through security, on the train and to the plane before it took off.  It definitely felt doable.  After a half hour, we hadn’t moved as much as we wanted and I definitely started to worry.  A young couple came up to us and asked if they could step in front of us.  Their flight had already boarded and they weren’t sure what to do.  We helped them as best as we could and they got through security ahead of our line.  Their plight made me scared for them, but hopeful for us as we still had thirty minutes left before Cameron’s plane would start boarding.  

It was after 6 a.m. when we finally got Cameron to the front of the TSA line.  The line to check his carry on was quicker for him.  He said that one of the TSA men got very angry at a woman who got out of line.  That was tense, but he didn’t have any problems.  He found the correct tram and arrived at gate 110 with one minute to spare before boarding.  He texted me later to let me know that he was on the plane.  There was even a free seat beside him.  

The rest of Cameron’s trip was very uneventful.  He watched Austin Powers and relaxed on the plane.  He found the van without issue.  Fortunately, the car started right away and all of the tires were fully inflated.  Cameron called me once he got on US 31.  He said that traffic was light compared to the drive down.  He had made plans to go to Samuel’s before the girls’ game tonight.  I asked him if he was nervous at all today.  He admitted that he was worried while we were waiting for TSA.  He wasn’t positive that he would make it to his flight on time.  I wasn’t either, but thankfully all worked well. 

I was super proud of Cameron today.  He navigated his first solo trip home successfully.  Nothing feels better than being independent and Cameron definitely felt that today.