Lost At Christmas: Part 1

His First Christmas away from home, & His best gift ever.

Based on a post by Tx Tall Tales, in 2 parts. Listen to the Podcast at My First time.

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After my first semester in College, I was eager to go home
for the holidays. I was going to school in Rochester, New York, and anybody
who'd experienced the lake-effect winters on the Great Lakes would understand
my desire to get to somewhere warmer.

For me, that somewhere warmer was a long ways away. As a
military brat, home was often a moving target, and that winter it was Santiago,
Chile, where my father was stationed and where I'd graduated high-school. It
was summer in Santiago, and I was looking forward to a pool-party with my old
school mates for the Holidays.

We didn't have a lot of money, but I was allowed to travel
space available on a military flight as a Navy ROTC student. I had to get down
to Charleston, South Carolina, and catch an international C1 41 flight that made
a loop through Latin America.

After finagling a ride to Virginia followed by a very long
bus trip down the coast, I finally made it to Charleston AFB. ROTC travel
orders in hand, I checked in at the desk, and verified I was on the standby
list for the flight leaving on the 23rd. I wouldn't get home until Christmas
Day, but better late than never.

With pockets nearly empty, a hotel room was out of the
question so I slept in the terminal and snacked on the cheapest eats I could
get away with. There was a festive mood in the terminal, so many people rushing
to get home for the holidays, and I was getting caught up in the feeling,
eagerly looking forward to that very long plane ride, first to Panama, then
Lima, and finally Santiago.

After what seemed an interminable wait, we were an hour away
from boarding when I got bumped off the flight by a group of Marines headed to
Panama on Active Duty travel orders. I was devastated. The next flight left
early the morning of the 26th. At least that one was a huge plane, and nearly
empty so I was virtually guaranteed to get aboard, but what was I going to do
for Christmas?

Looking up at the outgoing flight schedules, I saw a flight
listed for Tyndall AFB, Panama City, Florida.

"When is the flight to Tyndall headed out?" I
asked the airman behind the desk.

"In an hour-and-a-half, and it's all but empty. You
want on?" He asked, offering some recompense for my last minute bump.

I'd lived in Panama City during 9th and 10th grade, and
still had some close friends there, many I still kept in touch with. Maybe I
could find someone to spend Christmas with there. It had to be better than
sleeping in the terminal for 2 more days.

"Please," I told him, "but hold my space for
Santiago. I'll be back for that flight."

I recalled there being a pretty big Greyhound station in
Panama City, so I called Greyhound and checked on a bus being able to get me
back in time for the flight. They had one, a 7:30 am bus on Christmas morning
would get me back before midnight on Christmas. I could easily make the flight
the next morning, even if it were delay a few hours. I bought a ticket, using
the emergency Am Ex card my parents had given me when I headed off to college.
I'd explain the $67.00 to my parents.

I called my family in Santiago with the news. It had to be
short call because of the expense, so I let them know I had been bumped but
would be there on the 28th. I told them I was headed to Panama City, and would
be taking a bus back in plenty of time for my flight. My mother cried, and my
father told me to go ahead and use the credit card, but to try to keep the
expenses reasonable. By the time I hung up I was pretty depressed, but at least
I had a plan.

Before I could try to contact anyone in Panama City, an
announcement was made and suddenly I was on my way to Florida for Christmas,
with no place lined up to stay, and practically broke. I was feeling a bit
melancholy, but was determined to make the best of it.

So there I was, at Tyndall Air Force Base, at 11:20 pm on
December 23rd. I was debating who to try first. I had several close friends
nearby and I expected they'd all be home for Christmas. After a short internal
debate, I had narrowed it down to two. I had always gotten along well with
their entire families, and I was still in pretty regular contact with both of
them.

Mike lived the nearest to me in the old days. He came from a
big family, with 6 siblings, including Peggy, who'd been one of my first real
deep infatuations. When I had been in 9th grade she'd been a senior, and was
pretty and sophisticated. My yearning for her was unrequited, but I relished
the idea of seeing her again after four years. She was a college senior, and
would probably be home. I knew they'd welcome me, but I was concerned it would
be an inconvenience. They did not have a large house, and it was bound to be
crowded, particularly with three college kids home for the holiday. On top of
that who knew if they had anyone else in tow?

Tommy on the other hand came from a relatively well-off
family who always lived well within their means. He had an older brother, who
was working in Japan and unlikely to be home, a sister, Sheri, just a year
behind us in school, and two much younger siblings, who I guessed would be
around 9 and 10 by now. They had a spacious house, each kid had their own room,
and I wouldn't be putting anybody out if I stayed there. I'd always had a crush
on Sheri, but although I'd dated her best friend, I'd never gone out with her.
Getting a chance to see her again would be an extra bonus.

Feeling nervous and awkward, I dialed Tommy's number from
memory, and luckily got him on the first call. If I'd gotten somebody else, I
would have really felt uncomfortable.

Tommy's answer was unmistakable. He had a funny way of
saying hello when he answered the phone, and the sound of his voice took me
straight back down memory lane.

"Hee-ello," he answered.

"Tommy! Guess who?" I asked.

I guess my voice must have been similarly recognizable,
since he didn't hesitate a second.

"Steve-o! What are you up to? Where're you at?" He
answered eagerly.

It put a smile on my face. Nice to hear a happy, upbeat
voice that seemed genuinely pleased to hear from me.

"Funny you should ask. It's a long story, but I'm in a
bit of a bind. I'm at Tyndall, and stuck here until Christmas Day." I told
him.

"What happened to Chile, and Rochester?" He asked.

"I was on my way home to Chile, when I lost my seat on
the plane in Charleston. I couldn't get out again until the 26th, so when I saw
an empty plane headed this way, I just hopped on and hoped for the best."
I explained.

"That's Great!" He almost shouted. "Not great
that you couldn't get home, but great that you're here. You want to stay with
us? You can have Greg's room, he won't be here, and I'm sure Sheri and Mom
would love to see you. The place is kind of 'down' with Greg canceling his trip
home at the last minute. Having you here should cheer things up a bit." He
did sound enthused, and I couldn't help grinning in reply.

"Don't you think you should check?" I laughed.

A scream in my ear was the answer, as I heard half of a
shouted conversation.

"Mom! Guess Who's In Town."

"No, Not Greg."

"No, Go Ahead Guess."

"Guess Again."

"Ok, Ok - Steve."

"Yeah, Steve Pelland. He's Stuck Here In Town 'Til
Christmas Day."

"Of Course I Told Him He Should Come Here, I'll Go Get
Him."

"I Will."

"Yes Mom; Yes; I Won't; I Will."

I was holding the phone a little away from my head, and
almost missed it when he came back on.

"Where should I pick you up?" He asked.

"The Main Terminal, you know where that is right?"
I answered.

"Sure - be there in about 30 minutes. Man, this is Great!"

I hung up with a big smile on my face, feeling 100% better
than I had just 10 minutes earlier. I stood outside waiting for him, and about
20 minutes later the strings of Christmas lights shut off one at a time, as the
place closed up for the night. It was dark and quiet, and I started to get
nervous again, wondering if this had been such a good idea. I was 500 miles
from my flight home and completely at the mercy of old friends. But as far as
friends go, I couldn't do much better than mine, and figured at the least I
wouldn't be sleeping in a lonely terminal in Charleston for two days, slowly
eating my way through my meager funds.

When Bob pulled up around midnight, I could see he'd gotten
rid of the VW Bug he'd inherited from his mother upon turning 16, and was now
driving his brother's old Two-tone Cougar.

We spent a minute saying hi, and loading my gear into the
trunk, and then we headed back into town, catching each other up on history.

When I had first moved to Santiago, I used to write about
once every couple of months, as well as call a couple of times a year. In the
beginning I'd written Sheri a lot as well. She was one of the most prolific
writers among my old friends, and would typically write twice to me for every
one I wrote to her. Over the years, that had degenerated into holiday cards and
a surprise call maybe once a year.

I knew he