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Clara’s Decision
For the past three days, Clara Little had lived, breathed, and dreamed about the Wedding Pas de Deux from the classical ballet,The Sleeping Beauty.Today marked the day she would be flying off to London to perform in theWorld Stars of Balletshowcase as a last-minute fill in. Clara would be replacing the Bolshoi Ballet’s Prima Ballerina, Maria Tsukyskia. In the ballet world, everybody knew the name Maria Tsukyskia. It was an unexpected honor to even be considered, as a relative unknown, to step in for her.
After a long morning of traffic to get to LAX—one of Clara’s favorite places in the world—Clara finally arrived at the passenger drop-off location. If she had not been a classically-trained ballet dancer, Clara would have more than likely been a flight attendant like her best friend, Amanda Collins. Clara thanked Amanda for the ride and wished her luck on her own flight later that day. Amanda sped off to the employee parking lot.
Taking a moment to compose herself, Clara finished her coffee and then skipped along to the teal self-servicing ticket kiosks for Pacific Skyways. The caffeine gave her the extra jolt she needed after a typical stressful morning sitting in L.A. traffic. Clara followed the touchscreen instructions and verified her reservation information on the machine. This was starting to feel real! Clara’s heart pounded wildly against her chest. After all of her hard work, she was headed to Europe. The thrill of going on this trip almost matched the adrenaline Clara received every time she performed onstage.
Knowing she needed to verify her passport details, she searched through her purse for her passport and tried to scan it next. An angry red error message flashed on the screen and asked her to try scanning her passport again. Unsuccessful after three attempts, she gave up and walked over to the rather empty ticketing counter. Clara was not amused; she could feel the tension in her shoulders building. She released a deep breath.
She tilted her head to the left, then right to try to loosen up and relax her taut muscles.Is this really how I’m going to start my morning?Clara thought.Stay cool! Stay calm! Maybe it’s nothing. Just be the polite patron Amanda always tells you to be. Relax, Clara.
A set of five rather bored-looking agents for Pacific Skyways stood chatting as she waited by the stanchions, trying to get their attention. Normally she would be annoyed by the agents talking rather than doing their jobs, however, the extra bit of time allowed for Clara to shift some items around in her large travel purse. She stood up and slapped her hands against her thigh, keeping time counting,five, six, seven, eight!Clara moved her feet throughThe Sleeping Beautychoreography.
Finally, a full two minutes later, the agents noticed a small line had formed. They fled to their various stations and signaled the people in line over to them.
“Hi, I’m here to check in to flight 769 direct to London Heathrow, but the kiosk wasn’t able to read my passport for some reason,” Clara said to a yawning agent.
“May I see your passport please?” he asked. Clara handed it over. He opened her passport to the photo page, swiped it, and verified her information against the computer. Satisfied, the agent clicked away into a few screens and let out a low whistle. “Oh. 769. That flight has actually been delayed five hours due to mechanical reasons on the plane. Your newly scheduled time for departure is 1:00 p.m.”
A hint of panic took hold as Clara did the math. With the time change, this would put her in London at 9:00 a.m., and she needed to be checked in and ready for rehearsal for the showcase at 3 p.m. “I have to be in London by tomorrow, early afternoon. Do you have any flights or options for me to rebook or be rerouted through that get in earlier or around the same time as the original flight? Maybe through another city, like Paris or Amsterdam?”
Clara gripped the handle of her travel purse hard enough to turn her fingers white. She really, really didn’t want to take a chance something else would go wrong.What if they don’t let me dance if I can’t make it for rehearsal? I won’t let this happen.Clara tried hard to force all the negative thoughts out of her mind.Even with everything outside of her control, she would make whatever came her way work.Her pulse quickened.
The clerk typed away and responded in the negative. “Your flight to London Heathrow is completely full. Did you want to volunteer to take a later flight? Last night’s red eye was cancelled.” He stared at Clara with a blank expression.
“No. Like I mentioned earlier, I have to be in London on time.” There was simply nothing else available. She would have to wait out the delay. Clara huffed, frustrated by the clerk’s lack of sympathy.
The clerk flashed her an, ‘I’m sorry; I was just doing my job’ look and responded, “No problem. Here is your boarding pass. Your seat will be assigned at the gate. Do you want to check your bag today?”
She sighed and reluctantly glanced over to her small rolling bag knowing it would likely have to be checked anyway, especially if it was a full flight. She ensured her costume, pointe shoes, and other key items were in her purse and asked where she could find the strongest cup of coffee in the terminal. Clara now had a few hours of free time to kill at the airport. Maybe she could find a new book to go with her coffee.
Clara certainly hoped she wouldn’t have to miss the opportunity of a lifetime due to a stupid plane delay. She had a little extra time built into her schedule, but one could never be too certain. It was time to reset, refuel, and have her second cup of coffee of the day.
There was nothing better than the smell of roasting beans.I’m really gonna treat myself to something special today! Maybe a piece of pumpkin bread to go with a vanilla latte. Yum!It was exactly what she needed right then.
The line outside of Norma’s Coffee was long but moved efficiently. She passed the time by texting Amanda.
Clara: Where are you off to next?
Amanda: Zurich :) Can’t wait for the Swiss chocolates!
Clara: What time do you have to check in? Are you free to meet up?
Amanda: Already checked in with my purser. She’s doing the cabin inspection now. Wish you asked earlier! Plane is pushing back in 60. Pax are already lining up to board.
Clara: Bummer! Text me when you land. I’m off to Norma’s for my usual.
Amanda: Will do! Fly safe!
Clara smiled at Amanda’s use of airline lingo. It brought back fond memories of their nearly five years together as roommates in Seattle when Clara was a student at the Seattle Ballet Academy and Amanda a flight attendant trainee at the Pacific Skyways Headquarters. Many late-night study sessions over hot chocolate and lemon bars made Clara nearly fluent in aviation speak. Terms likepush backandpaxmight mean nothing to the average person, however, to Clara it meantdeparture from the gateandpassengers.
Reaching the front of the line, Clara changed gears and made the executive decision to switch her order to tea. She needed something soothing that would last a little longer than her coffee. She had a ten-and-a-half hour flight ahead of her. With her green tea soy vanilla latte in hand, things were starting to look up. She took her time strolling past the windows of the shops located inside the International Terminal. Clara loved people-watching and the feeling of being on the cusp of an adventure. LAX brought together people from all over the world and from every walk of life. It was a people-watcher’s paradise and sometimes better entertainment than television!
At the end of her walk, Clara was disappointed to find there wasn’t a bookstore available, yet she did stumble upon a small newsstand and picked up a copy ofNational Geographic. It was pricier than normal, but well worth the splurge to keep her entertained during the plane delay. A dancer didn’t typically take home a large paycheck.
Clara tucked her phone into the pocket of her travel purse and surveyed the concourse as she stepped out from the newsstand. Families rushed past with Disney attire. Businessmen in suits held phones up to their ears as they walked past, searching for a spot to charge their laptop computers while they munched on a fast breakfast.
