Getting here

So first things first -the dramatic arrival. Getting to Seattle proved to be a rather crazy adventure. My boyfriend, Mallar and I were flying out of two different cities because of weird complications of weather (freezing rain) and car rentals over the Christmas holidays. I flew out of Montreal and then rendez-voused with him in Toronto, to fly out together to Seattle via Vancouver. On the T.O. -Vancouver leg Mallar upgraded our seats to first class. That was amazing. We sat in these deluxe (and futuristic-looking) pods with fully adjustable seats, personal screens and wonderfully attentive food and beverage service (complete with real silverware). It was such a treat -even though I took advantage of the time and set up to do exam reading.
The smooth sailing ended, however, when we got off that flight. U.S. Customs was a nightmare. Being suspicious of my one way ticket, I got sent to the back room to talk to an agent and even though Mallar had all his paperwork in order to pick up his working visa, he got held up to. I managed to get the green light sooner than he and proceeded through to the gate. I waited in hand-wringing anxiety for Mallar at the gate until I had to board the plane -alone. I wasn't sure what was going on with him, if he would be denied the visa or worse denied entry and I would fly into Seattle alone. Neither of us had cell phones at this point, I had never been to Seattle, we were moving into a new apartment and while I had the address, I had no contact numbers for the landlords from whom we were to pick up our keys. I sat on the plane fretting and growing more worried for Mallar, the doors closed, stewardesses began and finished their spiel and I had totally given up hope about a last-minute boarding. My eyes began to well up (it had been a long, long day full of stress). But! -in total Hollywood fashion, however -and to my total amazement, Mallar somehow was let on the plane. He came striding down the aisle towards me, sweaty and out of breath. Apparently he was finally let through customs and thanks only to the amazing assistance of the Air Canada agents who literally ran across the airport with him, carrying some of his luggage and calling ahead to other AC agents to hold the plane, he made it on. We sat together and then I cried some more out of happiness and relief. It was a fabulously cheesy moment. In the end we made our entry into Seattle together. Happy, happy, happy.