Chpt 46 - Heading for Home (Part two)
Well....there was no escaping it now. The cold hard fact was....our vacation was winding down. Oh sure, it was a hard pill to swallow....but even in WDW you eventually have to face the harsh realities of life. When we signed up for this adventure.....we understood that there would be a final day.....and we had reached it.....simple as that. No, No.....be of good cheer. If WDW teaches us anything... it teaches us to accept our sadness....like our joy....with quiet dignity and grace. I believe it was at this point that I had started choking the statue of Walt Disney in front of the castle.....and screaming I'll get you for this.......what did you do to me? I don't want to live.....I do not want to live." How's that for quiet dignity and grace?
We had one last little magical moment as we were passing by POTC. Tucked away off the beaten pack.....there was a little window. Sitting in this window, we saw Peter Pan with Wendy.....all by their lonesome. We had to give them the old double-take.....because it just seemed so weird to see them there....with no line of children or CM handlers. Tinkershell dug out DD Woobies autograph book....and we approached them cautiously....fanning out as we drew closer....so that we could rush them if they reached for their pixie dust. Peter Pan looked a little spooked.....so I spoke to him in low soothing tones....easy there fella.....nobodys gonna to hurt you...before slipping him a sugar cube. It turned out that they had just been sitting in that little window....waiting for someone to notice them. Thankfully, the Panic Attacks are all born with exceptional peripheral vision. Anyway, our kids got them all to themselves.....because the near-sighted masses just kept streaming by....oblivious to our little patch of Neverland.
On the bus back to POFQ, everybody was pretty tuckered out. We had logged a lot of miles in the last nine days.....and all of our collective dogs were barking. Granted....Tinkershell was in a little better shape than the rest of us.....because she had encased her feet in a protective cocoon of... (shudder)... moleskin every morning. Oh.....and the kids werent quite so bad off.....because they were young...and filled with vim and vigor. But, the rest of the family was really hurtin.....and when I say "rest of the family"...I mean me. Dont get me wrong.....it had been worth every step.....but it did felt good to sit. See....thats why I feel like youve got to hit WDW hard. If you pace yourself.....youll never experience the joy of a good exhaustion-induced coma.
Back at POFQ, we grabbed some lunch in the food court.....and then headed to the Magical Express bus area to wait for our ride. This was the point in the trip where I got a taste of my own medicine.....which I detest....and where the heck was Mary Poppins with that spoon full of sugar when you need her anyway? I remembered back to the start of our vacation.....when we had all scampered off the bus.....and I had felt this incredible feeling of superiority over the pathetic losers sitting on the benches waiting to go home. It was like we had outsmarted them or something. Why on earth would they have chosen this to be their last day?.....when it could have been their first day....like us. Looking back on it.....I'd been so cocky then. Anyway, now we were the ones sitting on the pathetic losers bench. In a way....it was kind of like the circle of life.....except without the monkey with the fancy stick...holding up a new-born lion cub.
Just as was the case with packing......riding the Magical Express was not nearly as fun the second time. Plus, this time we didnt have Pal Mickey pressing his nose to the window and counting all the swimming pools that we passed along the way. Alas, poor Pal Mickey. We had called the WDW lost and found number every morning.....but he was never recovered. I think the worst part was not knowing what happened. One thing was for sure.....he would be missed. Its not often youre blessed with a small furry friend who accepts you unconditionally....a friend who truly listens.....a friend whos always there for you.
As our bus hummed along the highway.....I just closed my eyes..... and let all of the memories flood my mind. I remembered that fateful day on Mainstreet USA when we bought him.....and the day he blew out the candle on his first birthday cake......and the day I taught him to ride a bike......and the day I gave him my childhood baseball glove. Don't get me wrong....not all of the memories were rosey. I also remembered the day he had broken a favorite vase....even though mom always said, don't play ball in the house. But, isn't that exactly how life works? Pal Mickey had his ups and downs....just like the rest of us. That's what made him human......ish.
As our plane lifted off the runway and we left the lights of Orlando behind us......Woobie laid her head on my shoulder and began to drift off to sleep.....because this time we had remembered to give her the dramamine before the flight for a change. With a little effort, I was able to reach down into my carry-on and grab a book.....and as I did I caught the faint smell of funyuns....and I smiled because it reminded me of Pal Mickey. A couple of rows ahead of us, a passenger reached up and pushed their flight attendant button....and Woobie softly murmured teacher said.....every time a bell rings a Pal Mickey gets his wings. "Thats right honey......thats right. Attaboy Pal Mickey."
[Fade to black]
And the three men I admire most
The Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost,
They caught the last plane for the coast
The day....the Mickey...died.
Next up: Epilogue
for the "Miracle on 34th Street" martini reference!!!
That was great!
(Little does she know that we still won't be able to see everything.) She is starting to come over to the Dark Side to join the WDW-addicted like us! 
