The Anxious Wait

They got me immediately to work, and began to forward me emails and instructions on how to set up a sky-miles account, how to get set up with Avis (I wanted to rent from Hertz but was not yet old enough to do so--which is silly because I could do everything else that was legal if I wanted and so I thought I was an adult, but evidently you are really not an adult until you are 25 years old).

I remember talking to my mom who was so patient and understanding as I told her about the fears in my heart and the difficulty I felt like I would have doing this job.  My nervous side told me over and over to call the company and tell them that I had changed my mind then go back to what was comfortable--which from above you could probably tell was not getting me anywhere.  I held back all the doubt and fear that told me to quit and just quietly went forward.  I purchased my suitcase (a nice wheelie that you see a lot of business people use in the airports, or at least use to because I don't know if they still use them).  

I didn't initially start booking my flights by myself and actually didn't even have an American Express card since I had never needed one before, which is something that came later.  I got my email informing me of my first business trip.  I would be trained by Dustin, somebody who had been with the company for a little while longer than me but not too much. I would meet him at the airport and then off we would go transferring through Cincinnati and then continuing on a Delta Connection to South Bend Indiana (because that was the best priced place to fly into, and then drive about 2 or 3 hours north into Muskegon Michigan).

In the mean time I found out some things about the travelers' lives.  Paul, another person I worked with who pretty much remained in the office doing support) told me about the Steak houses mentioned in the in flight magazines and that the installers would try to visit as many as they could when they were close enough.  As it happened... one of them was in Chicago Il, about 1 1/2 hours outside of South Bend Indiana.  Paul talked Dustin into taking me to "The Chicago Chop house" located at 60 West Ontario (I didn't even have to look up this address even after all these years because it was my absolute favorite place to go).

So my adventure began.  I went home the Friday before flying out on the next Monday and all I could think about was what I had gotten myself into.  I was suppose to meet Dustin at the airport (whom I had never seen) and get on a flight (which I was scared to death to do) and fly through Cincinnati and make a connecting flight (which I had only done one or 2 other times in my life) and then drive 1 1/2 hours to one of the biggest cities in the US (which I was nervously excited for) and then drive another 3-4 hours to our final destination.  OK... I can do this.