The answer is… no. 🙂
China came down with a return ticket already purchased. She was scheduled to fly on Friday, July 30, a day after we fly.
We were able to get her on the same flight out of Cusco as we have. She will spend one day in Lima and fly from there. A Dear Friend Who Happens to Live Close to Lima will pick her up at the airport on Thursday and bring her back on Friday.
I may have to add that Friend onto my payroll….
China is rejoicing. She will have me with her to help her board in Cusco–saying “mucho gusto” with varying intonations doesn’t actually work. And she may be able to beg help from friends from Huaral to help her check in at the Lima airport the next day.
Speaking of the Lima airport and help from others, apparently the young men who did not help China six months ago happen to read the blog. One of them reached out to our team. He would prefer to be anonymous, so we will call him Brent*.
Brent and his brother saw the helpless young woman at the Lima airport those many months ago, but there was a great gulf fixed between them that none could cross. Though he may have wanted to be heroic, there was naught he could do but stay in his own line. And so Brent passed by on the other side in hopes that there was a Samaritan in the building. Also, Brent didn’t even know her, so catch him trying to talk to her! As you can see, Brent is clearly innocent. (*Anonymity is something any hero would ask for….)
China will be staying in Huaral with friends–What? Carol!–Thursday night. I hope they make it home before curfew because China has a tendency to find herself locked out-of-doors after such a time at this. She should be able to chat a bit before bed and wash the breakfast dishes before heading back to the airport the next morning.
Our family will be arriving in D.C. about the time China leaves Lima headed for Florida, Lord willing. We do not yet have a return date set, but it will likely be around mid-September. There are a few things at play that may change the exact date of when we return.
I have never posted three blogs in one day. I pledge for this to be the last one. I guess I was just so excited about the tickets that I couldn’t help it.
We told Garralina that we had finally gotten tickets, and she was so excited that just had kittens over it! She had four mostly orange ones and two black and white ones, five boys and a girl, I think.
Juan David 