“Though She Be But Little, She Is Fierce."

“I’m freezing my butt off too,” said Angela, “And I’m originally from a cold, dry place. Though, according to my flight schedule, I’m spending Christmas in Aruba. I’ve just been chilling between days I’m up in the air. I’ve mostly been flying to places like Florida and Houston and Atlanta. It’s the quiet season for airlines.” 

“The original trilogy is a classic. It’s my favorite of the three trilogies. Prequel trilogy is good too, as is Sequel. Well, my son was 7 when “Revenge of the Sith” came out, but I didn’t think it was suitable for him at the time. But he was 17, soon to be 18, when “The Force Awakens” came out, so of course I took him to see it. I would probably hold off until like 10 or 11, which is what I did with my son.”

“When I first heard about cuffing season, I thought it was some kinky shit that involved handcuffs. Now I know what it is. And I don’t get it. After my last breakup, although it was 5 years ago, being in a relationship doesn’t really appeal to me, especially with my job. I’m pretty much married to my job at this point,” said Angela.

Angela was sitting at her favorite bar in Brooklyn, after two weeks away, flying to and from London, Paris, and Barcelona. “A double Johnnie Walker Black on the rocks, please,” she said to the bartender. She then turned to the person next to her, “Ugh, it’s been too long since we hung out last time, but that’s the pilot’s life for ya. So how have you been?”

Angela took a sip from her whiskey and replied, “Ah yes, the holiday season is always hectic, especially literally during Thanksgiving and Christmas. As per tradition, I’ll be flying my parents out this year for a belated Thanksgiving.”

“Oh just a week,” replied Angela, “I’ve gotta work that whole week of Thanksgiving, because ya know, people be flying back to visit family. Wednesday is gonna be terrible.”

“What is this cuffing season they’re talking about? Maybe my son knows,” asked Angela, puzzled, “Oh yeah, you see some weird shit on the subway.”

Angela was sitting at her favorite bar in Brooklyn, after two weeks away, flying to and from London, Paris, and Barcelona. “A double Johnnie Walker Black on the rocks, please,” she said to the bartender. She then turned to the person next to her, “Ugh, it’s been too long since we hung out last time, but that’s the pilot’s life for ya. So how have you been?”

Grace chuckled “it really has been way to long! You have to stop jetting off”. She teased before shrugging “I’ve been okay how about you?”

“Oh, don’t get me wrong, I love my job. But I feel like during the peak times, I’m married to my job,” replied Angela, laughing, “Well, I’ve been enjoying the beautiful fall weather in New York. And my son started his last month of undergrad last month, so he’s pretty much been at Columbia’s library and coming home to sleep and take care of the condo while I’m gone for work.”

She laughed “oh that’s always the best kind of marriage”. She teased. She then smiled at the other “oh that’s so nice, he’s doing well then I take it?”

“Oh, absolutely. I used to be married to Nathan’s dad, and although we are amicable, I much prefer not to be married to a human,” said Angela, chuckling, “Oh yeah, my son is doing well. He’s been on the Dean’s List every semester at Columbia, and he loves his job there working as a lab assistant. Though, I’ll miss him when he starts medical school next year at UC San Diego.”

Angela was sitting at her favorite bar in Brooklyn, after two weeks away, flying to and from London, Paris, and Barcelona. “A double Johnnie Walker Black on the rocks, please,” she said to the bartender. She then turned to the person next to her, “Ugh, it’s been too long since we hung out last time, but that’s the pilot’s life for ya. So how have you been?”

Holly was setting next to Angela, needing a drink herself. “I feel you, I’ve been in airports more than my own bed the last 10 days. Kansas City, Green Bay and Denver, I feel like I need a nap.” She laughed. “I can’t complain though, doing what I love.”

“It feels like that during peak travel times, like the summer and the holidays. But it seems like I get assigned for more flights than I was when I was first officer. I still love my job, though. I’m just using this time I have in New York City to chill, which sounds strange, but I feel very fortunate to have a nice condo in Brooklyn to rest at,” said Angela, “Denver, Kansas City, and Green Bay? I take it you do something that involves football. I grew up in Montana, so no NFL team there, but I’ve always rooted for the Seahawks.”

Angela was sitting at her favorite bar in Brooklyn, after two weeks away, flying to and from London, Paris, and Barcelona. “A double Johnnie Walker Black on the rocks, please,” she said to the bartender. She then turned to the person next to her, “Ugh, it’s been too long since we hung out last time, but that’s the pilot’s life for ya. So how have you been?”

Grace chuckled “it really has been way to long! You have to stop jetting off”. She teased before shrugging “I’ve been okay how about you?”

“Oh, don’t get me wrong, I love my job. But I feel like during the peak times, I’m married to my job,” replied Angela, laughing, “Well, I’ve been enjoying the beautiful fall weather in New York. And my son started his last month of undergrad last month, so he’s pretty much been at Columbia’s library and coming home to sleep and take care of the condo while I’m gone for work.”

“Ugh, yes. Damn LAX. I’ve flown in there many times, whether traveling for pleasure, deadheading, or flying the plane. I’m fortunate enough through my job to be able to get free flights on any of my airline’s flights, as long as there’s space, so I usually fly first class, because why not? Yeah, the only thing I can do with jet lag is cope with it, usually staying in my hotel room.”

Angela was sitting at her favorite bar in Brooklyn, after two weeks away, flying to and from London, Paris, and Barcelona. “A double Johnnie Walker Black on the rocks, please,” she said to the bartender. She then turned to the person next to her, “Ugh, it’s been too long since we hung out last time, but that’s the pilot’s life for ya. So how have you been?”

Angela took a sip from her whiskey and replied, “Ah yes, the holiday season is always hectic, especially literally during Thanksgiving and Christmas. As per tradition, I’ll be flying my parents out this year for a belated Thanksgiving.”

“Yeah, layovers can be nice, if they’re not like 45 minutes, 1 hour, because you would be so damn rushed, especially if you have one at O’Hare or Hartsfield-Jackson, since those airports are fucking busy. I’ve had flights where I was a passenger on where I’ve had someone do shit that got on my nerves, like remove their damn shoes. Thankfully, it looked like we had different final destinations. Hell, I’ve been flying commercial flights for nearly 20 years, and jet lag still kicks my ass.”

“He was 10 when I moved to New York from Atlanta two years after his father and I divorced,” said Angela, “So he was past the stuff that was marketed towards the preschool-early grades age group. How old is your daughter? Maybe there are things you can do that won’t make you want to pull your hair out.”

“There’s a shit ton of tourist things in Manhattan. Times Square, Rockefeller Plaza, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Central Park, Empire State, Statue of Liberty. When I first moved here after my divorce and my son came to visit me during winter break, I took him around to do all sorts of these touristy things,” said Angela.

“Yeah, Fiji is such a long flight. And you have to fly to San Francisco first, because there are no direct flights from New York. Plus, you will have to consider the time zone difference,” said Angela, “I’ve flown internationally for years, and jet lag is something that you don’t become immune to.”