Portland, At Last

Jordan set off for Portland, Oregon today … by herself. This is the long-awaited trip. The one she’s been pining about for months. The one that weather forestalled in December. And she couldn’t have been more excited.

She just called me from my sister Lisa’s house, a buoyant descant in her voice. She had a full day and she wanted to share all of it with me.

Everything went according to plan today. My loyalty to Alaska Airlines is only that much stronger. We checked in with ease. She enjoyed gabbing with the attendant who escorted her to the gate in the wheelchair. And, everyone treated her like she was royalty (and she is in my mind). When Jordan is 100% recovered, I hope she remembers the generosity and kindness of people like those at Alaska Airlines.

She is also perfectly comfortable cavorting with celebrities. Yes. Jordan has a knack. She engages the beautiful crowd. The last time we went to the airport, it was an NBA All-Star. Today, it was a well-known actress. Jordan met her in the ladies room. When they emerged, they were chatting casually. I recognized the stunning, red-haired woman immediately. She stood next to me and complimented my daughter.

“We had a lovely chat,” she said.

Then she asked how Jordan was doing. Apparently, Jordan had self-disclosed too much again. But she had also won the friendship of an award-winning thespian. We walked together to the gate. Jordan later told me that they ran into one another in the first class cabin of the flight.

– Oh, she was such a nice lady, she said.