It’s something I’ve been very proud of that I have seen all of the plays and performances that my youngest brother Barry has been in at Texas Tech, where he is in the theater department. Lubbock is a full 9-hour drive away, so that’s not exactly an easy task. This summer he’s involved in a play that is being performed at Tech for a week and then traveling to New Mexico to perform there for awhile. There’s no way I can make it to New Mexico to see him, and when I found out the dates of his performances in Lubbock I was saddened because it didn’t look like I could make it to any of them. I either had exams, or clinicals, or prior obligations that I couldn’t skip. But Barry has been going through a rough time lately, so last week I had a talk with my parents and they decided, “Damn the cost! We’ll fly you to Lubbock!” Barry and I were pumped way, way up.

The plan was for me to fly up this afternoon at 3 p.m., arriving at 5:20 p.m. My mom and other brother David (who drove up on Sunday) would pick me up at the airport and then we would all drive home together on Tuesday. The one-way ticket on Southwest wasn’t too expensive.

We only bought the ticket last week, and I wrote it down on my planner and everything (see below), but for some reason I kept forgetting that I was going. I told my boss that I would work on Tuesday, but then had to recant later when I remembered that I would be driving home that day. Then yesterday I told Boyfriend David that I could hang out with him tonight, only to have to rescind my promise. I was glad I had written the Lubbock plans down, or else I might have forgotten to go.

But I didn’t forget, I remembered. And I was extremely excited. After class today I drove myself to the airport and parked, with much time to spare. When I looked at the departure board, I saw that the flight was delayed 50 minutes. OK, no problem, I can still make it in time. But as the weather worsened and the minutes slipped by, I became doubtful, then anxious, then depressed. The flight was delayed to 4:30 p.m., then to 4:45 p.m., and finally to 5:07 p.m. There was no way I could make the play anymore even if I got on that flight. All of those times that I forgot I was going to Lubbock? Just foreshadowing.

So I canceled, and my parents got full credit on their account, but tonight I am sitting at home alone with the prospect of schoolwork and packing ahead of me instead of supporting and spending time with my brother, one of my favorite people in the world.