A Week Ago Today.

So there I was, sitting, waiting to board my plane in the luxurious LAX when I noticed a man conversing with the gentleman who was to take our boarding passes. He was explaining something about taking care of someone, that he wouldn't be flying with him. As he was talking my attention was diverted to a man sheepishly moving through the croud. He had a large round red nose, dark brown hair that was poorly cut like some farm boy from Nebraska who had just taken off a baseball cap. He was about five ten with a round belly under his wrinkled obviously free tee shirt, and faded blue jeans that were far too long for his strangly penguin like short legs. Under one arm clutched tightly, to his chest, he had a blue back pack. Under the other arm he held an old black and white spotted stuffed puppy dog. You could tell it was old because the fur was all matted and dirty. He leaned into the dog and whispered something as he looked up and made eye contact with me. He smiled and seemed to be giggling, but his smile was not that of a 30 or 40 something year old that he appeared to physically be. No it was more of the kindness of a 7 or 8 year old. The man talking to our boarding pass taker said, "Here he is". He then seemed to introduce the two and the guy working the gate looked to the puppy guy, "you just wait here until we're ready to board.". Then the first guy said his goodbyes and left his mentally challenged friend. I thought to myself, "hmmm I want to sit by him". This whole time I had also been keeping tabs on this awful fussy toddler whose parents were exhausted from trying to maintain her. She kept running over to this other family and trying to get in their baby carrier, when her mother or father would come after her. This act would cause her to shrill once again and collapse on the floor with her knees tucked under her stomach and her face flat on the ground nose first. I thought to myself, "I want to sit by her". It was finally time to board. My entertainment boarded and I was left to wait in the line with all of the normal day to day drab people. I was one of the last to board and as I walked down the aisle guess what was one of the only available seats left. On the left side of the aisle was the awful toddler with parents in tow. To the right side of the aisle was the dog-man sitting in the window seat with two open seats next to him. I placed my bag in the overhead and sat in the aisle seat. I thought, "Alright.". While waiting in the line to board I had picked up reading my book, so when I sat I proceeded to finish the chapter I was on. When I finished I closed my book, looked up, and smiled at the kid across the aisle... she smiled back. Her parents then looked at me, glared and, like vultres, raised their wings to sheild the child from my glance. Then I turned in the other direction and smiled at the retarded man, he smiled back then nervously turned his face toward the window and blushed. All the whilst the gay male flight attendant, or air hag, who somewhat resembled a Keebler Elf, and the sraight female flight attendant, or boeing wench, fought for the attention of the strapping Clark Kent type who sat in front of me. Then the dog-man spoke, "Are you going to Missouri?". "Why yes, yes I am," I then asked, "Are you from LA or Missouri?". He replied, "LA, well Missouri, but I live in LA now.". "Oh, what do you do in LA?" me. "I go to school." him. I thought to myself 'Wow, maybe I was wrong maybe he isn't retarded. He spoke like anyone else, he's going to school, he seemed not so challenged. But why does he need assistance on this flight, why does he seem different?'. As I was thinking all of this I turned to glance back over at him just in time to see his stuffed dog writing words into the palm of his hand with it's nose. "My dog wants to know your name?", he said. I told him my name and asked the dog, "and what might your name be?". The man then pointed at the back end of the dog. I thought is his name Butt, Old Reary, Asshole... what? Then I realized he was pointing to the color not the area, "Black?". He made a look like I was hot on the name of this dog. "Blacky?" me. "Yup'," him. "You guys are pretty close huh?". "Yup' he goes everywhere with me". "Well he seems like a nice enough fella'". "Ya' he's my best friend". I said, "Cool". Then there was some awkward silence filled with spuratic smiles at each other. Then a little more silence, and... "my name is Adam.", he said while shyly bowing his head and giggling. We then exchanged stories of our journeys. He was heading home, during his school vacation, to see his mother. She had told him she would fly him home either his birthday in October, or for Christmas. So I said to him, "Oh so you picked your birthday.". He said, "yes.". I paused. Then I asked him what he studied in school, to see if I could figure out about where his mental age was, he told me reading and writing. Then he offered, "my favorite part of school is recess". Man , I thought, that is so cool. This dude is, what seems to be from his stories of living everywhere he has for the length he has, 40-45 years old he's studying reading and writing and gets to have recess. My life really sucks. Then Blacky started fevershly writing in Adams palm, "he wants to know how your doing?", pointing to the crossword puzzle, in the complimentary Spirit magazine, I had been filling in during our awkward silences. "Blacky, would you like to help me?", I asked as I turned the magazine slightly toward the dog. Blacky stared at the page for some time while I filled in words. He said nothing, he just stared. Somewhere in my head I had convinced myself that this stuffed dog probably was going to help me, that he would know all the answers to the challenging clues I couldn't figure out. But he didn't, he just sat and stared. I looked to Blacky, "do you know any of these?". He started palm writing, Adam laughed, "he said he never got past looking at the diamonds.". He was referring to the ad that was to the left of the crossword puzzle. "I understand," I said a little disappointed, "it happens to me all of the time.".

The plane landed in the Kansas City airport, I retrieved Adams and my bags from the overhead. While walking to the baggage he told me his mother was working 'till late and that he had to wait at the airport for her. I stepped outside for a smoke, Adam headed ovet to the vomiting baggage belt. As I was smoking I looked in and saw my brother and brother-in-law headed toward me. I ran in to hug them we grabbed my bags and I surveyed the room to say goodbye to Adam. He was standing on the other side of the belt smiling and watching me. I waved to him and yelled "Merry Christmas!". He giggled, blushed, and lowered his head... Blacky started writing. "Blacky says good luck.". "Good luck to you Blacky." and I left.

I was really hoping they would be on my flight home, and I spent the whole week with this sadness. I felt bad for leaving Adam to wait alone, why didn't I stay with him? When I got on my plane to head back to LA I eagerly looked around at all of the passengers, but there was no sign of my friend and his dog. So I sat in the only available seat next to a sixty something year old couple, and proceeded to get drunk with them. A story for another time.

To Adam and Blacky wherever you may be, I wish you luck.