An Early Christmas Present

By: Gary R. Oman, CPA, PFS, MST

Not long ago, as I sat at Gate 8 at the Queen Beatrix International Airport in Aruba, I reached for my cell phone. It was just an hour before takeoff and I couldn’t find my phone anywhere…not in my pockets, not in my backpack, nor on or under my seat. I was a little panicked.

I spoke to the ladies at the gate and was told they would certainly look around after all the passengers boarded the plane. I wasn’t so sure that would ensure I got my phone back.

Borrowing a phone from my friend who had vacationed with us with his wife, I called my wife Dianne who was staying an additional week to vacation with our daughter Amy. I said, “I have a problem!” And then explained that my phone was missing.

Dianne jogged over to the main building and spoke with our vacation planner Chandra at the Surf Club. By then, it was last call to board the plane and I was the last passenger down the gangway. Still on the phone, I spoke with one of the ladies who had been at the gate and gave her my name so she would know who the phone belonged to once it was (hopefully) found.

I walked down the aisle with my friend’s phone glued to my ear to seat 12A…yup, the other two passengers had to get up to let this straggling passenger still talking on his phone get into the window seat.

I continued to try to answer questions Dianne was asking me to assist Chandra to find my phone. Then the announcement came, “seat belts on, we will be closing the door in just a few minutes”. I ducked down so the flight attendant couldn’t see me still on the phone. The door was closed so I told Dianne I would have to get off the phone.

Best case/worst case situation was my phone would be found and Dianne could bring it home with her a week later while the worst case/worst case was I would have to get another phone.

Little did I know, Chandra had located my phone at the airport (not near where I had been seated) AND she has a friend who works at the airport bar which was close by where Chandra had located my phone. Luckily, her friend was working that day, searched and located my phone which Chandra had been pinging.

Chandra’s friend ran down to Gate 8 and handed off my phone to one of the ladies at the gate who then ran down the gangway with my phone.

Just as the plane started backing away from the gate, one of the flight attendants called out my name over the intercom. Surprised, I raised my hand and she walked down to my seat and handed me my phone!

I found out later that my phone had to be passed to the pilot through his window since the door had already been closed.

A big thank you to Chandra, her bartender friend, JetBlue and, of course, Dianne who made sure she spoke with someone who knew what to do. 

This was my early Christmas present!

Until next time...

Gary

_{Traking #674494-2}