Cats are good judges of character

Tuesday, November 29^th, 2016

New York, New York

It’s 4:30am EST and I am quietly gathering my stuff for a 5am airport pick up. I have elected to pay a car service for a ride to the airport, since taking a train will take almost 4 times as long at this time of day. My ankle is still very swollen and I can barely put any weight on it. Around 4:55am I start to hobble down the front steps. Sarah has generously gotten out of bed to carry my bag down the steps and hug me goodbye. Luckily, my driver is right on time. 

A few blocks from Sarah’s the driver turns to me and insists that I pay him cash. Despite the fact that the booking site offered payment by credit card, I eventually I agree. He stops at a corner store and tells me to go inside to get cash. I feel like I may be mugged soon, but I am also too tired to really care. When I get inside, I see a group of workers hanging around the cashier and small cat that is frantically rubbing against their legs. I think that cats are good judges of character and begin to relax.

I successfully withdraw cash for my driver and soon we are on our way out of Brooklyn. The drive to the airport is easy and we arrive ahead of schedule. 

When I go to check in I notice that my pre-check has been disabled. I ask the airline agent and she basically tells me “tough shit”. I guess they do not have to honor pre-check status if they don’t want to. This is fine with me though, everyone can just wait patiently while I sit on the floor and gingerly slide my very sore and swollen foot out of my little shoe. As it turns out, nobody really cares and they all just walk around me. 

Eventually I get through security and start to hobble to my gate. It's not as bad as it sounds though; my rolly bag doubles nicely as a cane. I make a quick stop at a coffee cart and successfully grab a seat right next to my gate.

The rest of of my travel home is uneventful. The pain in my ankle even starts to subside about halfway through my flight. As I sit quietly in my seat I start to organize my photos and feel very appreciative of the colorfulness, the hardship and the fun that is New York City.