I had the pleasure recently of spending a full month visiting relatives in Japan. My son is in the US Airforce, and had recently been stationed at Yokota AFB in Fussa, Japan with his wonderful wife and adorable daughter...not that I'm biased or anything...well, maybe I am, but it's true. Adam (that's my son) proffered an invitation to me that if I ever wanted to come visit him that I was welcome. Not being much for travelling, I thought "that's an interesting thought", and that was pretty much where it stopped. Obviously my wife thought that it was a splendid idea, and encouraged me to go. After a week or so of her prodding, I decided that it was an intriguing idea after all. When I spoke to Adam on the phone again, I brought up his invitation to me, and he emphatically said that I was welcome any time. I had given this quite a bit of thought by this time, so I asked him "how long could you put up with me for?" He replied, "as long as you want". "How about a month?" I asked. He never hesitated. "Absolutely".
After all the arrangements were made, flights scheduled, vacation time allotted, clothes packed, I called the cab company the evening before I needed to catch the Shuttle Bus for the airport. They assured me that it would be no problem, just call in the morning. The next morning I called an hour before I needed to catch the bus and was told that it was no problem, he would be there to pick me up in a few minutes. Thirty minutes later I was on the phone again, and was assured he was right around the corner. Ten minutes later I called and they said that the driver was right here. No dice. I waited outside with my luggage. The phone rang. It was the driver of the Shuttle Bus wondering where I was at, as he had to leave in two minutes. Another call to the cab company, and they again said that he was a block away. I told them that if I missed the shuttle bus, maybe the cab driver could take me to the next stop. They said that he could and that he would do it for free. The next thing I see is the cab flying up the street at well over the speed limit. The driver tossed my bags into the trunk and we went speeding off for the shuttle. I have never travelled these small roads so fast in my life. It felt like we were in "Starsky & Hutch" as would would slide around corners. "I don't normally drive like this" he said. "I imagine not". "There was a State Trooper sitting up here earlier". Great. That is all I needed, to be delayed while this driver is issued a ticket for speeding and reckless operation. Mercifully, the Shuttle Bus was still there. He had waited a few extra minutes knowing that I was on the way. They loaded my luggage into the bus, I thanked both the cab driver for getting me there (alive), and the Shuttle driver for being kind enough to wait a few extra minutes. What an exciting way to start this trip, I was thinking as I caught my breath on the way to the airport.
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