Angels Among Us

There are angels among us. I learned that first hand late last night. When we arrived in Philly it was late and we were really tired. We had been on an airplane or in airports since the early morning hours, and while still on West Coast time it had been a long day. I had arranged for a rental car on line, and let me just say that I DID NOT read the fine print. It was late, and I was in a hurry when I made the reservation. We got to the rental car place, the fine print that I neglected to read came into play, and a car was not to be had. We were waiting for the shuttle to take us back to the terminal and a gentleman who looked like he was about my dad's age, came over and gave us the phone number to customer service for the rental car place, and offered us kind words and good luck. I wondered after he left if he might have had a daughter and a grand daughter, because otherwise, why would he stop and do that for us? Another young man offered us a ride to a nearby city, but with no guarantees of transportation further on our journey we thanked him for his offer and returned to the terminal. When we got back there I found a nice lady who directed us to the Ground Transportation desk. This is where we met Karen, our first angel. Karen was at the end of her shift, but while she waited for her replacement, she assisted us with a happy heart and lots of information. We called shuttle after shuttle, all to no avail. We even tried Greyhound who wasn't going our way for two days. Finally, a cab driver showed up looking for fares, and Karen seemed to know him. She went outside and talked to him and then asked me what our budget was. I told her, she talked to the cabbie, and he said, "I'll do it." The cabbie was angel number two. He was a youngish fellow, probably of Indian decent. I couldn't read the name on his license because it was blocked from my view. He turned off the meter and after many hugs to Karen from both my daughter and I we were off. We stopped for gas, and I bought our driver coffee, it was the least I could do, and at that point all I could do for this sweet man. We met my mom about an hour later in a mall parking lot, and she tipped him and thanked him over and over for bringing us safely to her. While we were in the cab, my daughter and I listened to the radio and laughed and talked about how God had sent these angels to help us. What had seemed scary and impossible at first was working out pretty good. As a mother I try really hard to make sure, even when things are scary and uncertain that we are always safe. Sometimes, however, you need a wingman. Last night I had two. I hope I get the chance sometime to be that wingman for someone else, because I'll probably not run into Karen or the cabbie again to be able to thank them. If you are ever stranded in Philadelphia at the airport late at night, I know where you can find an angel or two. Coincidentally, Karen, my angel, works the Ground Transportation desk inTerminal A. Cheers!