off to neverland
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 21, 2004
- Messages
- 703
Cast:
Me, Rae, 34, with not-quite-broken-elbow
Dix, 43, Great guy who who makes Love Coffee
Boo, 4.95 year-old picky eater wearing a Brat Hat
Sis, 1.95 year-old who can holler louder than a blowhorn
Goldi Locks, Nice DVC member who traded her points with us
Laser-accuser guy: Nice man helping out with world safety
Mr. Customs Man: Grumpy, serious guy in uniform with no patience for drugs or childbirth
Mr. And Mrs. No Manners: Rude people who pop up with different faces throughout our trip
Cute little girl in the front: Loud mouth who unintentionally traumatizes kids young kids on rides
Cousin: Make-up-less advisor whose areas of expertise include hats and droopy b**b prevention
My Dad: Fearless landrover driver who makes great spaghetti
My Mom: Woman who loves blue and might show up unannounced
Love-Boat-bellhop-guy: CM who likes to rescue damsels in distress
Shoe Girl: Girl who wears the most inappropriate Walt Disney World shoes EVER!
Sleazy Viagra Guy: No explanation needed for him
The German Hottie: Biergarten girl involved in the mysterious disappearance of the DDE confirmation
Inventory of important trip items:
Three new premium annual passes
Fancy Laser Camera
Soaking wet Unofficial Guide to Disneyworld
Lost Disney Dining Experience cards
Brat Hat
Old Key West Key Card
Love Coffee
Biergarten Birthday Cake
Sis fell asleep in the car on the way back to Old Key West and I reviewed her sleep rules with Dix. It was very simple. If you transfer her out of the car within 12.5 minutes of her falling asleep, she will remain asleep. If you transfer her even one second after your 12.5-minute window is up, she will wake and will not go back to sleep for the rest of the day. She will be miserable, and so will you.
We wanted Sis to nap at the pool so we could all hang out there together. That meant we had exactly 12.5 minutes to drive to the villa, grab our suits, drive back to the main pool, and transfer Sis to a lounge chair.
I told Dix to step on it.
When he pulled into the villa parking lot, I had one leg out of the car before it had completely stopped. I raced up to our room and frantically grabbed all of our swimsuits and the kids robes. The clock was ticking, so I didnt even bother putting the suits and robes into a bag before I raced back down to the car.
We made it to the main pool with about a minute to spare, and I laid Sis on a chair near the music speakers. Dix couldnt understand this tactic; he would have chosen a quieter place for her to sleep. I explained to him that background noise would help insure that she wouldnt startle and wake at sudden loud noises.
I take Siss naptime very seriously.
While Dix and Boo swam, I covered Sis with her robe and some towels and lay in a chair next to her and soaked up the sunshine.
Boo took about thirty runs on the slide, and then he and his now-awake sister played in the sandy playground where a 9 and 10-year-old boy and girl buried each other in the sand. Boo immediately joined in and started piling sand on the little boy. I saw the boy and girl exchange looks as if to say, Do we know this kid?
They were kind to him anyway, even when he accidentally knocked sand in their faces and hindered their burial process.
As they warmed to having a new friend, the play progressed from burial to digging water tunnels and then to an all-out chase around the playground area. Unfortunately, the fun ended too soon when a womans voice called from the distance and the two kids quickly ran off. Boo didnt even see them go, and was quite disappointed they didnt have the chance to say goodbye to each other.
We left for the villa shortly after that to eat pizza before our evening at Magic Kingdom. Dix had purchased a deep pan pizza with a stuffed crust at the grocery store, and it was quite good. I purposefully decided not to think about how much fat I was consuming.
Ive developed a new way to keep my fat intake under control. Whenever Im eating something very fatty, I imagine what cooked ground beef looks like when it is chilled. I think about the big blobs of white fat that settle over the outside of the meat, and what they would look like stuck in my arteries. I then imagine how difficult it would be for my blood to wash them out.
It works, and Im developing a severe dislike of fatty foods.
I also use the same tactic when Im exercising. As my heart pounds faster and faster, I picture my blood forcefully swooshing through my veins, carrying all that congealed fat away from my heart.
It makes me exercise even harder.
I dont claim to be a health nut by any means, but I will admit that this psychological war against fat has almost completely annihilated my intake of Big Macs.
Once we finished eating, we left for the Magic Kingdom. Our sole purpose of the MK trip this night was to see the parade and fireworks. The minute we walked into the park, I staked out a position on the curb on Main Street and Dix parked the double stroller next to me. We figured that would hold enough space for the four of us to sit.
It would be an hour or so before the parade started, so Dix decided to burn time by taking the kids on the train ride around the Magic Kingdom. I spent the time studying my fancy laser camera and reviewing the 300 or more pictures we had already taken on our trip.
The camera was a Christmas present from my parents. For years, I used a wonderful 35-mm camera, and I had resisted the move to digital until my pile of photos in the basement had become completely unmanageable. When I finally decided it was time for me to go digital, I spent more time researching digital cameras than I have ever spent on any other purchase in my entire life! Our Disney trip would put this new gift to the test, and I was pleased with its performance so far.
I enjoyed sitting on the curb on Main Street looking through my pictures and watching the people pass by. I had spent very little time on Main Street in the past, and realized that we needed to schedule time there as well as on the attractions.
Before I knew it, I saw my family approaching. Had an hour already passed?
We all sat together on the curb as we waited the final few minutes for the parade to start. Boo decided he wanted to take off his birthday button, so we helped him unpin it and put in the backpack. Not five minutes after we had done this, a Cast Member approached a little girl next to Boo who wore a birthday button. We could hear the CM fussing over the fact that it was her birthday and before long, he had her in the middle of the street and had asked the crowd to sing Happy Birthday to her. He then handed her an object with a switch that he claimed would shut down the lights to the park.
There was some sort of parade introduction and countdown over the loudspeaker, and then the CM yelled to her to press the switch. She pressed it, and suddenly, all the Magic Kingdom lights went off.
We sat there silently in the dark, and I watched the little birthday girl. She was beaming, and I knew she would never forget that moment for the rest of her life. As she sat down, I heard her father say, Do you realize that over 10,000 people just sang you Happy Birthday?
The look on her face said she didnt.
Boo silently watched all of this. Dix and I could tell he was disappointed that he had removed his button and was not chosen. Dix leaned over and handed him his birthday button. Put this back on, Boo, and maybe something special will happen to you, too.
I frowned at Dix over the top of Boos head. Why was he setting him up for disappointment? Boo would expect something to happen because his father had suggested that it would, and when it didnt, he would be disappointed. Why wasnt Dix instead reminding Boo of the special things that had already happened to him that day, like Goofy looking for him at Test Track and the special Biergarten cake?
Dix ignored my look, but did remind Boo that we should be happy for the little girl.
The parade started, and after the first few floats went by, a group of human butterflies danced and fluttered down the street. They wore brown body suits that exposed only their faces. Their wings were a plethora of lights that twinkled and flashed, and they bounced and glided in synchrony behind the float.
As they passed, one of them danced out of formation and approached us. She gave a quick twirl and then swept low to the ground toward Boo until she was at his level. She then put her cheek as close as she could to his without touching it and softly whispered, Happy Birthday.
She was gone almost before we all realized what she said. What an unexpected, special moment! We wondered how she seen that button in the dark.
Dix knew the answer: Magic.
Pure Disney magic.
Dix reminded us that he had prophesized that something special would happen if Boo put his button back on and then he gave me the I told you so look over the top of Boos head. I had to admit, Dix was right. The look on Boos face told me that he thought that was one of the most special things that could have ever happened to him.
When the parade was finished, we walked to Tomorrowland. I had hoped to see the fireworks display in its entirety, but the lack of lines for the rides was too tempting and we ended up walking onto a few of the attractions. Buzz was top of the list again, and I must say I was becoming quite tired of that ride!
The kids wanted to ride Carousel of Progress, and as we entered, a deaf CM mouthed, Happy Birthday to Boo. He wondered why she had not said it aloud, and we spent our time on the Carousel of Progress discussing what it would be like to be deaf. The only time Boo stopped talking about it was when we passed Space Mountain and he declared he would never set foot on that ride because of the hills in the dark.
The dark drops and swooshes of Splash Mountain had obviously left their mark on his psyche.
When we exited the ride, we looked around to see if we could see the deaf CM again. Boo wanted to visit with her some more but we were not able to find her so Dix and Boo headed off to Stitchs Great Escape.
Sis and I watched the fireworks flash in the sky while the boys tried Stitch. I was surprised at how long Stitch took the boys, but hoped that while they were enjoying the ride, much of the crowd exiting the park would have cleared.
When it was time for us to leave, it didnt seem like the crowds had cleared much and my heart sank when I saw the long line to the monorail; it seemed to go forever! Dix reassured me that it would move faster than it looked, and as we moved up in the line, I realized he was right. It was moving along nicely.
Disney sure knows how to move masses of people.
We inched our way forward, and I suddenly realized how well the kids were behaving! Normally I would expect some complaining or whining in a slow line like this, but they both sat quietly in their stroller. I checked to see if Sis was sleeping. She was not.
As we approached the monorail platform, I heard a commotion, and realized it was a child throwing a temper-tantrum. She soon came into view and I realized that her family had stopped to deal with her and was being passed by the masses.
As we sidled up next to them, the line suddenly stopped. There was a loaded monorail on the platform that had obviously stalled.
We stood there and waited.
And waited some more.
Meanwhile, the little girl was screaming louder than ever. The father looked like he wanted to be anywhere else than where he was at that moment, and the mother was desperately trying to console the girl. Im sure they were terribly embarrassed and self-conscious. I wondered if I had a sucker or treat in the backpack that I could give the girl, and then realized that she already had two suckers in her hand. Her mother had obviously tried that.
I feel for you, sister.
It became evident that the little girl had dropped a Stitch something-or-another way back there. I heard the mother promise to get her another one, plead with her to forget it, and finally, to agree to go back and search for it.
What? Was she going to push her way through this HUGE throng of people back into the park? I couldnt imagine how long it would take her to go back into the park and return to the monorail platform through that horde of people.
The father looked like he wanted to cry.
The loud and boisterous voices of the crowd had slowly become hushed and tense, and I felt a bit of anxiety over whether the monorail would start soon or not. I looked around me. There was nowhere for us to go if we decided we didnt want to wait anymore; the monorail sat closed in front of us, and people were crowded tightly behind us.
I was relieved I wasnt claustrophobic, because this felt incredibly confining.
Finally, the monorail started and left the station. Another one arrived shortly thereafter, and we finally started moving forward. As I passed the father of the lost Stitch something-or-another girl, I nodded to him and wondered how long he would have to stand there with his children before his wife made it back.
It was going to be a long night for him.
By the time it was our turn to board the monorail, it was already quite crowded. Dix carried the folded stroller and the kids and I squeezed on behind him. When we were all finally loaded, Dix was standing away from us and I was in charge of both children.
I picked up Sis and Boo stood close to me. Two very nice older women on the bench squeezed together and offered Boo a seat next to them. He shyly declined, and they reassured him they were grandmothers and loved children, but he still didnt feel comfortable sitting next to them.
I took the empty seat instead and placed Sis in my lap. I was relieved to get a seat; Sis was heavy, and I worried about keeping my balance while the monorail moved.
Space on the floor had been created when I sat down, and it tempted several people on the platform to squeeze on as well. One woman started to board our car backward, and I do not remember if she came in that way because she was pulling something or someone. At any rate, she pushed her way in backward and as her body bumped him, Boo was quietly pushed out of my reach.
He didnt even realize he had moved away from me. He was just going with the flow, daydreaming about something or another.
I couldnt reach Boo to pull him closer to me, and the woman just kept moving toward him, bumping him more and more. I became a little panicked at the thought of him falling or getting stepped on. His body shape looked so small and fragile against all those big legs!
My inner Mama Bear came out, and before I knew it, I had said, Please dont trample my son.
I regret that now.
One of the kind grandmothers next to me was able to reach Boo and she gently grabbed his arm and helped lead him back in front of me. Stay near your mommy, sweetie, she told him.
When he was in front of me again, I held his hand while the monorail moved forward. The two kind grandmothers and I chatted back and forth, and they told me they had been shopping for their grandchildren.
During a lull in the conversation, I thought I heard the backward woman whisper, Id never hurt a child. Was she talking about my comment to not step on Boo? I listened intently, but couldnt make out any more of her whispers.
It took our family a little while to unload the monorail when it stopped. By the time I finally stepped out the door, I noticed a group of people standing on the platform intently staring at me. At first I assumed they were waiting for someone else to exit the monorail, but then I realized I was the subject of their attentions.
I looked closer. The woman of the group was the woman who stepped in backward.
Dix exited the monorail after us and immediately started to set up the stroller. By the time we had loaded the kids in the stroller and adjusted the backpack on the handlebars, the staring family was gone.
As we made our way to the tram, I told Dix about the backward woman and her staring family. Dix told me he had heard me ask her to not trample Boo, and reassured me that I had not said it in a mean tone.
He told me he thought I sounded scared, and he had thought at the time that he wished he was standing closer to us to help hold on to Boo.
As we stood in line for the tram, I was surprised to see the group again. They had loaded a tram ahead of us and were waiting for it to leave. Backward woman and her gang were still giving me the evil eye! Even her children were participating!
Had she instructed her entire family to act as one big unit and stare me down?
Dix noticed them staring at me, too, and immediately knew it was the family from the monorail. He and the father made eye contact and their eyes locked.
My mind raced to think of why that group would spend so much effort on this. I could understand feeling insulted by my choice of the word trample, but I could not understand the lengths this woman was going to express her displeasure, with the participation of her husband and kids! This was not reasonable or rational! Normal people do not act like that!
Had I been rude enough to warrant such anger, I seriously doubt those two grandmothers on the monorail would have been so kind and chatty with me.
I hoped their tram would take off soon. What was taking so long? Dix's eyes were not wavering from his stare-down with the father. He does not like to walk away from fights.
The only fight Dix has ever walked away from was his last dose of chemotherapy.
He claimed he just couldnt do another round.
He did relax a bit when I whispered to him to keep his cool and not make any type of scene in front of the kids. So far, they were oblivious to what was happening.
The children of the other family were not oblivious to the conflict. I glanced at one of the little girls. She was glaring at me and looked as if she might cry. Im sure this little girl felt the same way I did when I was about nine and a man screamed at my mother about the way she was driving. I was incredibly upset that my mother would be so mistreated! Ive never forgotten that, even though my mother has no recollection of it at all. No one wants to see their parent be slighted, and this girl was feeding off of her mother's indignation.
Why would that woman burden her children with her own conflict? I wonder if she realized that the memory burned on her childrens brains of their night at the Magic Kingdom would forever be one of conflict and upset. Of the lady at Magic Kingdom who hurt their mothers feelings .
Their tram finally left the waiting area, and I breathed a sigh of relief. Dix was still bothered, and my heart was pounding.
It was not the good type of pounding that would clean the fat from my arteries.
We finally boarded our tram and as it drove us to parking lot, I made a mental note to NOT let this be my big memory of our night of Magic Kingdom. I decided that my ultimate memory of this night would be of the butterfly woman whispering Happy Birthday to Boo.
Still, I couldnt forget the conflict, and as we packed up the car, I hurried to buckle the kids in their seats. The intensity of that group had unnerved me, and I wanted to leave the parking lot as soon as possible.
Still wondering about the mysterious disappearance of the DDE confirmation? Wanna know what happened to it?
Click here!
Next Installment:
Part 15...Get your finger off my flab!
Previous Installment:
Part 13 The German Hottie!
See below picture for more previous installments.
Me, Rae, 34, with not-quite-broken-elbow
Dix, 43, Great guy who who makes Love Coffee
Boo, 4.95 year-old picky eater wearing a Brat Hat
Sis, 1.95 year-old who can holler louder than a blowhorn
Goldi Locks, Nice DVC member who traded her points with us
Laser-accuser guy: Nice man helping out with world safety
Mr. Customs Man: Grumpy, serious guy in uniform with no patience for drugs or childbirth
Mr. And Mrs. No Manners: Rude people who pop up with different faces throughout our trip
Cute little girl in the front: Loud mouth who unintentionally traumatizes kids young kids on rides
Cousin: Make-up-less advisor whose areas of expertise include hats and droopy b**b prevention
My Dad: Fearless landrover driver who makes great spaghetti
My Mom: Woman who loves blue and might show up unannounced
Love-Boat-bellhop-guy: CM who likes to rescue damsels in distress
Shoe Girl: Girl who wears the most inappropriate Walt Disney World shoes EVER!
Sleazy Viagra Guy: No explanation needed for him
The German Hottie: Biergarten girl involved in the mysterious disappearance of the DDE confirmation
Inventory of important trip items:
Three new premium annual passes
Fancy Laser Camera
Soaking wet Unofficial Guide to Disneyworld
Lost Disney Dining Experience cards
Brat Hat
Old Key West Key Card
Love Coffee
Biergarten Birthday Cake
Sis fell asleep in the car on the way back to Old Key West and I reviewed her sleep rules with Dix. It was very simple. If you transfer her out of the car within 12.5 minutes of her falling asleep, she will remain asleep. If you transfer her even one second after your 12.5-minute window is up, she will wake and will not go back to sleep for the rest of the day. She will be miserable, and so will you.
We wanted Sis to nap at the pool so we could all hang out there together. That meant we had exactly 12.5 minutes to drive to the villa, grab our suits, drive back to the main pool, and transfer Sis to a lounge chair.
I told Dix to step on it.
When he pulled into the villa parking lot, I had one leg out of the car before it had completely stopped. I raced up to our room and frantically grabbed all of our swimsuits and the kids robes. The clock was ticking, so I didnt even bother putting the suits and robes into a bag before I raced back down to the car.
We made it to the main pool with about a minute to spare, and I laid Sis on a chair near the music speakers. Dix couldnt understand this tactic; he would have chosen a quieter place for her to sleep. I explained to him that background noise would help insure that she wouldnt startle and wake at sudden loud noises.
I take Siss naptime very seriously.
While Dix and Boo swam, I covered Sis with her robe and some towels and lay in a chair next to her and soaked up the sunshine.
Boo took about thirty runs on the slide, and then he and his now-awake sister played in the sandy playground where a 9 and 10-year-old boy and girl buried each other in the sand. Boo immediately joined in and started piling sand on the little boy. I saw the boy and girl exchange looks as if to say, Do we know this kid?
They were kind to him anyway, even when he accidentally knocked sand in their faces and hindered their burial process.
As they warmed to having a new friend, the play progressed from burial to digging water tunnels and then to an all-out chase around the playground area. Unfortunately, the fun ended too soon when a womans voice called from the distance and the two kids quickly ran off. Boo didnt even see them go, and was quite disappointed they didnt have the chance to say goodbye to each other.
We left for the villa shortly after that to eat pizza before our evening at Magic Kingdom. Dix had purchased a deep pan pizza with a stuffed crust at the grocery store, and it was quite good. I purposefully decided not to think about how much fat I was consuming.
Ive developed a new way to keep my fat intake under control. Whenever Im eating something very fatty, I imagine what cooked ground beef looks like when it is chilled. I think about the big blobs of white fat that settle over the outside of the meat, and what they would look like stuck in my arteries. I then imagine how difficult it would be for my blood to wash them out.
It works, and Im developing a severe dislike of fatty foods.
I also use the same tactic when Im exercising. As my heart pounds faster and faster, I picture my blood forcefully swooshing through my veins, carrying all that congealed fat away from my heart.
It makes me exercise even harder.
I dont claim to be a health nut by any means, but I will admit that this psychological war against fat has almost completely annihilated my intake of Big Macs.
Once we finished eating, we left for the Magic Kingdom. Our sole purpose of the MK trip this night was to see the parade and fireworks. The minute we walked into the park, I staked out a position on the curb on Main Street and Dix parked the double stroller next to me. We figured that would hold enough space for the four of us to sit.
It would be an hour or so before the parade started, so Dix decided to burn time by taking the kids on the train ride around the Magic Kingdom. I spent the time studying my fancy laser camera and reviewing the 300 or more pictures we had already taken on our trip.
The camera was a Christmas present from my parents. For years, I used a wonderful 35-mm camera, and I had resisted the move to digital until my pile of photos in the basement had become completely unmanageable. When I finally decided it was time for me to go digital, I spent more time researching digital cameras than I have ever spent on any other purchase in my entire life! Our Disney trip would put this new gift to the test, and I was pleased with its performance so far.
I enjoyed sitting on the curb on Main Street looking through my pictures and watching the people pass by. I had spent very little time on Main Street in the past, and realized that we needed to schedule time there as well as on the attractions.
Before I knew it, I saw my family approaching. Had an hour already passed?
We all sat together on the curb as we waited the final few minutes for the parade to start. Boo decided he wanted to take off his birthday button, so we helped him unpin it and put in the backpack. Not five minutes after we had done this, a Cast Member approached a little girl next to Boo who wore a birthday button. We could hear the CM fussing over the fact that it was her birthday and before long, he had her in the middle of the street and had asked the crowd to sing Happy Birthday to her. He then handed her an object with a switch that he claimed would shut down the lights to the park.
There was some sort of parade introduction and countdown over the loudspeaker, and then the CM yelled to her to press the switch. She pressed it, and suddenly, all the Magic Kingdom lights went off.
We sat there silently in the dark, and I watched the little birthday girl. She was beaming, and I knew she would never forget that moment for the rest of her life. As she sat down, I heard her father say, Do you realize that over 10,000 people just sang you Happy Birthday?
The look on her face said she didnt.
Boo silently watched all of this. Dix and I could tell he was disappointed that he had removed his button and was not chosen. Dix leaned over and handed him his birthday button. Put this back on, Boo, and maybe something special will happen to you, too.
I frowned at Dix over the top of Boos head. Why was he setting him up for disappointment? Boo would expect something to happen because his father had suggested that it would, and when it didnt, he would be disappointed. Why wasnt Dix instead reminding Boo of the special things that had already happened to him that day, like Goofy looking for him at Test Track and the special Biergarten cake?
Dix ignored my look, but did remind Boo that we should be happy for the little girl.
The parade started, and after the first few floats went by, a group of human butterflies danced and fluttered down the street. They wore brown body suits that exposed only their faces. Their wings were a plethora of lights that twinkled and flashed, and they bounced and glided in synchrony behind the float.
As they passed, one of them danced out of formation and approached us. She gave a quick twirl and then swept low to the ground toward Boo until she was at his level. She then put her cheek as close as she could to his without touching it and softly whispered, Happy Birthday.
She was gone almost before we all realized what she said. What an unexpected, special moment! We wondered how she seen that button in the dark.
Dix knew the answer: Magic.
Pure Disney magic.
Dix reminded us that he had prophesized that something special would happen if Boo put his button back on and then he gave me the I told you so look over the top of Boos head. I had to admit, Dix was right. The look on Boos face told me that he thought that was one of the most special things that could have ever happened to him.
When the parade was finished, we walked to Tomorrowland. I had hoped to see the fireworks display in its entirety, but the lack of lines for the rides was too tempting and we ended up walking onto a few of the attractions. Buzz was top of the list again, and I must say I was becoming quite tired of that ride!
The kids wanted to ride Carousel of Progress, and as we entered, a deaf CM mouthed, Happy Birthday to Boo. He wondered why she had not said it aloud, and we spent our time on the Carousel of Progress discussing what it would be like to be deaf. The only time Boo stopped talking about it was when we passed Space Mountain and he declared he would never set foot on that ride because of the hills in the dark.
The dark drops and swooshes of Splash Mountain had obviously left their mark on his psyche.
When we exited the ride, we looked around to see if we could see the deaf CM again. Boo wanted to visit with her some more but we were not able to find her so Dix and Boo headed off to Stitchs Great Escape.
Sis and I watched the fireworks flash in the sky while the boys tried Stitch. I was surprised at how long Stitch took the boys, but hoped that while they were enjoying the ride, much of the crowd exiting the park would have cleared.
When it was time for us to leave, it didnt seem like the crowds had cleared much and my heart sank when I saw the long line to the monorail; it seemed to go forever! Dix reassured me that it would move faster than it looked, and as we moved up in the line, I realized he was right. It was moving along nicely.
Disney sure knows how to move masses of people.
We inched our way forward, and I suddenly realized how well the kids were behaving! Normally I would expect some complaining or whining in a slow line like this, but they both sat quietly in their stroller. I checked to see if Sis was sleeping. She was not.
As we approached the monorail platform, I heard a commotion, and realized it was a child throwing a temper-tantrum. She soon came into view and I realized that her family had stopped to deal with her and was being passed by the masses.
As we sidled up next to them, the line suddenly stopped. There was a loaded monorail on the platform that had obviously stalled.
We stood there and waited.
And waited some more.
Meanwhile, the little girl was screaming louder than ever. The father looked like he wanted to be anywhere else than where he was at that moment, and the mother was desperately trying to console the girl. Im sure they were terribly embarrassed and self-conscious. I wondered if I had a sucker or treat in the backpack that I could give the girl, and then realized that she already had two suckers in her hand. Her mother had obviously tried that.
I feel for you, sister.
It became evident that the little girl had dropped a Stitch something-or-another way back there. I heard the mother promise to get her another one, plead with her to forget it, and finally, to agree to go back and search for it.
What? Was she going to push her way through this HUGE throng of people back into the park? I couldnt imagine how long it would take her to go back into the park and return to the monorail platform through that horde of people.
The father looked like he wanted to cry.
The loud and boisterous voices of the crowd had slowly become hushed and tense, and I felt a bit of anxiety over whether the monorail would start soon or not. I looked around me. There was nowhere for us to go if we decided we didnt want to wait anymore; the monorail sat closed in front of us, and people were crowded tightly behind us.
I was relieved I wasnt claustrophobic, because this felt incredibly confining.
Finally, the monorail started and left the station. Another one arrived shortly thereafter, and we finally started moving forward. As I passed the father of the lost Stitch something-or-another girl, I nodded to him and wondered how long he would have to stand there with his children before his wife made it back.
It was going to be a long night for him.
By the time it was our turn to board the monorail, it was already quite crowded. Dix carried the folded stroller and the kids and I squeezed on behind him. When we were all finally loaded, Dix was standing away from us and I was in charge of both children.
I picked up Sis and Boo stood close to me. Two very nice older women on the bench squeezed together and offered Boo a seat next to them. He shyly declined, and they reassured him they were grandmothers and loved children, but he still didnt feel comfortable sitting next to them.
I took the empty seat instead and placed Sis in my lap. I was relieved to get a seat; Sis was heavy, and I worried about keeping my balance while the monorail moved.
Space on the floor had been created when I sat down, and it tempted several people on the platform to squeeze on as well. One woman started to board our car backward, and I do not remember if she came in that way because she was pulling something or someone. At any rate, she pushed her way in backward and as her body bumped him, Boo was quietly pushed out of my reach.
He didnt even realize he had moved away from me. He was just going with the flow, daydreaming about something or another.
I couldnt reach Boo to pull him closer to me, and the woman just kept moving toward him, bumping him more and more. I became a little panicked at the thought of him falling or getting stepped on. His body shape looked so small and fragile against all those big legs!
My inner Mama Bear came out, and before I knew it, I had said, Please dont trample my son.
I regret that now.
One of the kind grandmothers next to me was able to reach Boo and she gently grabbed his arm and helped lead him back in front of me. Stay near your mommy, sweetie, she told him.
When he was in front of me again, I held his hand while the monorail moved forward. The two kind grandmothers and I chatted back and forth, and they told me they had been shopping for their grandchildren.
During a lull in the conversation, I thought I heard the backward woman whisper, Id never hurt a child. Was she talking about my comment to not step on Boo? I listened intently, but couldnt make out any more of her whispers.
It took our family a little while to unload the monorail when it stopped. By the time I finally stepped out the door, I noticed a group of people standing on the platform intently staring at me. At first I assumed they were waiting for someone else to exit the monorail, but then I realized I was the subject of their attentions.
I looked closer. The woman of the group was the woman who stepped in backward.
Dix exited the monorail after us and immediately started to set up the stroller. By the time we had loaded the kids in the stroller and adjusted the backpack on the handlebars, the staring family was gone.
As we made our way to the tram, I told Dix about the backward woman and her staring family. Dix told me he had heard me ask her to not trample Boo, and reassured me that I had not said it in a mean tone.
He told me he thought I sounded scared, and he had thought at the time that he wished he was standing closer to us to help hold on to Boo.
As we stood in line for the tram, I was surprised to see the group again. They had loaded a tram ahead of us and were waiting for it to leave. Backward woman and her gang were still giving me the evil eye! Even her children were participating!
Had she instructed her entire family to act as one big unit and stare me down?
Dix noticed them staring at me, too, and immediately knew it was the family from the monorail. He and the father made eye contact and their eyes locked.
My mind raced to think of why that group would spend so much effort on this. I could understand feeling insulted by my choice of the word trample, but I could not understand the lengths this woman was going to express her displeasure, with the participation of her husband and kids! This was not reasonable or rational! Normal people do not act like that!
Had I been rude enough to warrant such anger, I seriously doubt those two grandmothers on the monorail would have been so kind and chatty with me.
I hoped their tram would take off soon. What was taking so long? Dix's eyes were not wavering from his stare-down with the father. He does not like to walk away from fights.
The only fight Dix has ever walked away from was his last dose of chemotherapy.
He claimed he just couldnt do another round.
He did relax a bit when I whispered to him to keep his cool and not make any type of scene in front of the kids. So far, they were oblivious to what was happening.
The children of the other family were not oblivious to the conflict. I glanced at one of the little girls. She was glaring at me and looked as if she might cry. Im sure this little girl felt the same way I did when I was about nine and a man screamed at my mother about the way she was driving. I was incredibly upset that my mother would be so mistreated! Ive never forgotten that, even though my mother has no recollection of it at all. No one wants to see their parent be slighted, and this girl was feeding off of her mother's indignation.
Why would that woman burden her children with her own conflict? I wonder if she realized that the memory burned on her childrens brains of their night at the Magic Kingdom would forever be one of conflict and upset. Of the lady at Magic Kingdom who hurt their mothers feelings .
Their tram finally left the waiting area, and I breathed a sigh of relief. Dix was still bothered, and my heart was pounding.
It was not the good type of pounding that would clean the fat from my arteries.
We finally boarded our tram and as it drove us to parking lot, I made a mental note to NOT let this be my big memory of our night of Magic Kingdom. I decided that my ultimate memory of this night would be of the butterfly woman whispering Happy Birthday to Boo.
Still, I couldnt forget the conflict, and as we packed up the car, I hurried to buckle the kids in their seats. The intensity of that group had unnerved me, and I wanted to leave the parking lot as soon as possible.
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Part 15...Get your finger off my flab!
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Part 13 The German Hottie!
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