Leaving Barcelona

Tuesday October 13, 1992 Leaving Barcelona

We're up at 6 a.m. to finish packing, have breakfast, check out and be ready when the car comes for us. We have our own private car and driver to take us to the airport. He is dressed in a business suit. His diesel car is low on oil so we go to where he lives to get some oil. He has to park illegally in an alley as there is no place to park among the tall apartment buildings. He drives so fast it scares me, about a 25 minute ride.

We have plenty of time to wander around the airport and run into our friends June and Bob. She's been sick 2 days. A lady named Grace sits on the aisle next to Frank and talks to him endlessly. Thank God I had the window seat. When we reach L.A. from London she tells me how wonderful he is. He has been so sweet to her.

After customs we catch the bus to Van Nuys to get our truck. It's 8 p.m. L.A. time when we arrive home, but 4 a.m. Barcelona time. We've been up almost 24 hours. Frank calls his folks and we go to bed.

Mom was such a people person, I know she would have loved to visit with Grace on the plane, but to have someone talk for 12+ hours on a flight where she was a captive audience would have been too much even for Mom. Frank displayed amazing generosity letting Mom have the window seat and then amazing patience with Grace talking his ear off. I'm sure they were both exhausted and would have liked nothing better than to get some rest. I'll bet they slept well this night after being up 24 hours! But before he could hit the sack, being a good Italian son, he checked in with his Mom first to let her know they were home safe.