Past, Present and Future

Flight

Choose an event in your life that someone else remembers differently. Describe both memories and debate the differences. Who do you think is right? Why do you think you remember it differently?

Like a lot of families, we have a Whatsapp group. It helps to keep us all in touch as life passes us by.

A few months ago, my daughter was waiting to board a long-haul flight. She sent a group text saying that she was boarding the plane and that she hoped she wasn’t seated next to a young family with screaming kids because she was looking forward to getting some sleep.

I replied saying that she should be sympathetic to travelling families. Its hard work with babies or toddlers on a long flight. I have firsthand experience.

It was the early eighties and our little family went on a typical English summer package holiday to Spain. Me my wife and two toddlers who were just short of their second birthday. I know that they weren’t yet two because the holiday company had an offer of any kid under two could go free with a paying adult.

Which always seemed strange to me. How many two-year old’s travel without an adult? And how many nonpaying adults did they allow to board the plane?

Anyway, I digress.

The flight was just over two hours to sunny Spain. We were seated so that all four of us were together and it was quite easy to keep the kids amused.
But the flight home was totally different. Unfortunately, we had three seats at the back of the plane and one seat near the front of the plane. After a brief discussion I took the kids to the three seats. I don’t recall my wife putting up too much of a fight to sit on her own at the front!

The whole flight for me was an epic wrestling match with two little bundles of energy. I got off that plane a sweaty mess.

I told this story over a few texts on our family group. There was quite a long spell before I received any replies.

Then it arrived. The text that I expected from the lady whom I used to be married to. (I don’t like the terms Ex-wife and ex-Husband.)
So, the mother of my children proceeded to tell me that I had that story completely wrong. She would never leave me alone with the kids on a plane.

Well I knew that she didn’t want to leave me on my own, but the circumstances brought it about.

My past wife was convinced that I had the story wrong. This is when my hiking survival training came in useful. Never get in between a bear cub and its mother.

I sent a text to the group saying that maybe I had misremembered the incident and that the lady who used to be my wife must be correct.

Then I sent individual texts to my kids telling them that the story was exactly as I had told it!

I speak to their mum every now and again. When it comes to this story, she thinks she is right but I know that I am right.