Sorry. Not in this installment... but in the very next. One.
And... I'm planning on tearing a strip off of Mellyman. For at least two of them. Shhhhh! Don't tell DH.
The third terrible picture is one I took. After I post this installment, I will proceed to tear a strip off myself. For that.
Alrighty... folks!
When our breathing returned to normal... Calvin and I decided that we would like to go AGAIN! Do the Haunted Mansion... ONE MORE TIME!
Oh yeah. Baybeee.
But Mellyman said, unexpectedly, "I'd like to go this time with Calvin."
Huh?
Well kiss my grits! Alrighty, then. I was very pleased and even though it meant I'd miss round 2... it was FINE with me.
Just fine.
Beth asked if we could go directly to Dumbo. While the fellows were off doin' their thing. Because, she said, Tommy had been asking to go there. The whole time they were waiting for us to emerge from the HM. Apparently he asked... like... three-teen times.
SURE! My lovely boy! Why not?
We headed to Fantasyland. Beth. Tommy. Me. And our dirty, broken-down, immortal stroller. Which Tommy wasn't really using today. At MK. He is old enough to handle the walk, here, it seems. Unlike at Epcot. Epicot seems WAY to big for him. Still.
The minute we were close enough to see Dumbo... I cringed.
EEK!
The line was the LONGEST one I'd seen yet. On this whole trip. FOR DUMBO! It was gonna be LONG. A long long wait. I could tell.
What kind of idiots line up for DUMBO... for an hour? In the sun. Midday.
Us. We do. Us... kind of idiots.
The ride is aptly named. TFI.
At least most of the line was covered by an awning. To protect those closer to the over-hyped, standard carnival ride from the rays of the harsh skin-damaging sun.
I love tanning. BTW.
Both Beth and I asked Tommy if he was SURE that he wanted to wait for Dumbo? Completely sure?!
Yep.
He wanted to wait. ABSOLUTELY! He was jazzed. For the flying elephant baby.
So.
We waited.
We met a bunch of people in line. To talk to. There was one lady who said to me, "I LOVE your shirt! Where did you get it?" Heh heh.
My Haunted Mansion shirt? Well... right beside the Haunted Mansion. But I didn't actually buy it myself. It was a gift. From my family. For Christmas. That's why it is size 6X. And I can barely breath in it. And I can see my bellybutton if I move around too much. Or breath. In it. Yada yada yada...
Anywho... as we were chatting and the line was moving along at a snail's pace. We noticed the OTHER SIDE of the ride. Another platform with NO line, really, so to speak of. (you're welcome... CStalker!) Every other ride they were loading from THAT platform. That was why our line was taking forever. And ever. And a day. It seemed like people were just wandering into that line from wherever they wanted in Fantasyland and riding Dumbo right away.
Huh?
What up? With that?
The lady beside me said that, too. To me. In a wee bit of an angry tone.
She glowered towards that other line.
AND...THEN... I realized what was up. Over there.
Because I noticed a difference between our crowd and theirs. The wheelchairs, for example. The walkers. The girl in the body cast. And their buttons. On their shirts.
Which read: Make-a-Wish Foundation.
Oh.
OH.
Oh no.
I told the lady beside me. And Beth.
We stood there and looked for a little bit. The lady turned to me and said, "God Bless them all!". I nodded. And felt absolutely GRATEFUL that we were in the SLOW LINE. In the hot sun. For an hour.
I felt lucky. So lucky. To be in this line.
With two beautiful healthy children. And another one... with his father... having a blast in my Haunted Mansion.
And, I realized, that there are millions of people at Disney. All for different reasons. All with different dreams. Hopes and fears.
I felt fortunate that our biggest worries were little, insignificant ones. Like... what snack to have? When to go swimming? Water park or not? Chicken or fish? Or pork, even. The OTHER white meat.
What I'm tryin' to say is this: Some people were here because their children were very ill. Yes.
It puts everything in perspective. I think.
No.
I know it does. For every parent out there.
And... I wanted to hug all those parents. In that OTHER line. I can't IMAGINE how difficult their trip to Disney must be. And their lives. Everyday.
I have to admit my mood was dampened. The "magic" was gone. For me. Right there. All of a sudden.
We waited quietly. Sadly. Beth and I. Tommy was oblivious to it all.
Until someone a little ways behind us said, "Do you mind if we slide in here, behind you? My friend is getting a little bit over-heated."
I turned and noticed a young man in his twenties. A nice-looking man. Holding the hand of another man. A man in a sunhat who had to be in his early fifties.
He had Down Syndrome. Clearly.
And he looked really over-heated. And he was coughing. A lot.
I asked his escort if he was alright. He said yes.
We waited.
Waited some more.
The line moved slowly.
Slowly.
And then the older man started coughing again. His friend asked him if he wanted to go. Did he want to get out of line?
And he answered, "No! I want to wait. I want to ride Dumbo!"
Just like Tommy.
With the very same look on his face.
They BOTH really wanted to ride Dumbo. And were VERY excited about it!
I felt happy again.
Yellow. And sunny. Inside.
And then a lady in front of us handed the older man a bottle of water. From her pack.
Yellower.
And...THEN... the cast member loading our line noticed him. We were only about one full group away from her. And waved him forward. Through the crowd. Who happily parted for him to pass through.
So he could ride Dumbo. Sooner. And get out of the heat.
EVEN YELLOWER.
And THAT... my Disfriends... is what Disney is ALL ABOUT.
Spreading the "Magic"... the love... and holding those who are the most fragile and vulnerable gently in the palm of his hands. Hands with big white gloves.
And... four fingers.
To be continued. Up next: Calvin and Mellyman return. We ACTUALLY ride DUMBO! Finally. Fantasyland continues. We have a snack. I am grossed out. I tear a strip off of Calvin. And MORE! MUCH MORE!
