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A phone call reminded me that I must once have derived some sort of enjoyment out of Christmas……
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My phone may ping after 8 pm, but never rings.
So when it did last night at 9.15, I growled, but noticing the caller’s name my frown turned into a smile.
Bizarrely, I then found myself in a three-way conversation. My friend had been talking to his daughter in Texas when suddenly his phone decided unbidden, to include me in the call, which was rather a surprise to all concerned.
How do telephones do that?
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Recently I’d been thinking about that friend and how we’d not spoken for some time, so perhaps the Universe decided to intervene.
We worked together a long time ago and we were reminiscing, during the course of which I happened to mention half-Christmas.
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Back before we all went different ways, a small group of friends got together around Christmas and one year we had a particularly fun time.
Someone said what a shame Christmas came but once a year.
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So we invented half-Christmas to occur somewhere in mid-summer.
We pulled names from a hat and bought a $5 gift for whoever we got. In those days you could find something useful or fun for that amount.
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Everyone contributed to the catering.
Being the inept cook that I am, I offered to make a cake which even I could manage. It was in layers, with cream in between and I covered it with white icing that was supposed to be snow.
On top, I placed a small model aeroplane as if it had skidded into a snow bank.
Airline humour!
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The unfortunate thing was that it was a very hot July, so in order to prevent the cream from melting en-route to the venue, I put the cake in a box on top of dry ice, which froze it solid.
By the time we got my creation out, we couldn’t get a knife into it. Not that it mattered, as there was plenty of other much more appetizing food.
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One by one that little group moved to take jobs in other parts of the country, but I have fond memories of those fun get-togethers.
It was so long ago, it’s surprising I remember those times, yet bits and pieces still come to mind; like the time I called in sick to go sailing…
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It was a strange thing for me to do, considering how much I dislike sailboats, convinced they will turn over and tip me into the sea, which is well and good in the Caribbean but less good in the north Atlantic.
It served me right that there was a swell which made me feel quite green, though I didn’t actually get sick.
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That was one of very few times that I called in sick when I wasn’t. One other time was in fact Christmas Day.
My aunt having been taken ill and hospitalized, I was encouraged to call and ask for the day off, which I wasn’t entitled to because I lacked seniority.
Of course, the answer was no, but my uncle badgered me to pick up the phone again and call in sick. Taboo to call in sick after being denied a day off, but I never heard a word about it.
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Somewhere in an archive there used to be log books of every day’s activities in the terminal. I wonder if they were packed up and carted off when BA abandoned the building.
There would be lots of boring episodes, but I would love to peruse them for the many that were entertaining.
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There are so many mad moments in an airport. You think you’ll remember, so you don’t take notes and before you know it, a decade – or two have passed and it’s all gone, but for one or two brief flashes.
Inevitably, it’s embarrassing incidents that don’t want to be forgotten, such as my Nigeria Airways arrival at 4 am.
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On a temporary assignment in the duty room, I was working the midnight shift. When I got the Nigeria Airways ETA from OPS, I called one of the ramp guys to come in early.
The problem was, I woke him and what he sleepily muttered into the phone was no, he wasn’t coming, but that wasn’t what I heard.
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This meant that muggins had to get the jetbridge keys and trot out to operate it, which I somehow did except that the bridge was stuck at the departures level and I needed to get the passengers down into customs.
Fortunately, the officials weren’t around to witness my improvisation as I led the passengers up, out and down the emergency stairwell.
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The whole lot could have bolted out the door into the night, but if there were any potential undesirables in the mix, they were too asleep to recognise the opportunity.
I never confessed to anyone, but I detested those jetbridges, terrified I’d damage an aeroplane attempting to attach one. They all juddered and lurched alarmingly.
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The jetbridges at SEATAC weren’t a whole lot better, but out there I could always persuade one of the lads to drive.
It’s always handy to have an eager young chap around.
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I might have liked the idea of half-Christmas back then. Now we can’t be bothered very much with the normal one!
Quite! It’s hard to believe I wanted to do it twice a year!
I have never once heard of a phone doing that, so it must be a rare example of serendipity. When I was an EMT, if I was denied a day off request then called in sick, I would have been placed on a disciplinary procedure for doing that, and received a warning!
Best wishes, Pete.
It’s what I expected. I suppose the powers that be decided to be compassionate.
It’s always fun to read your airline memories. And that phone situation reminds me of the days of party lines. Not that we had a phone at home, but I’ve read about them.