Arriving in Germany

The flight from New York, New York to Dusseldorf, Germany on August 9th, 2010 was relaxing and surprisingly fast for a seven hour flight. As soon as I stepped onto the huge Air Berlin aircraft I was taken back to the beginning of August 1980 and the day my fellow classmates and I boarded the Lufthansa airplane to fly to Germany. Air Berlin's aircraft was similar in size with a wide middle seating section that had five seats in each row. The middle section was flanked by two smaller seating sections on each side with two seats in each row. I walked toward seat 25K, on the left side of the airplane, and could see in my mind's eye exactly where I had sat in 1980 with the other foreign exchange students around me.

I took my window seat and a man sat down next to me. I would find out later he was traveling to Turkey and had a three hour layover in Dusseldorf. I'm proud to say that I spoke only German to the flight attendant during meals and when asking questions. The only word I used in English was "chicken" because I had no idea how to say "chicken" in German. After a surprisingly delicious airline meal of chicken, potatoes, fresh bread, green beans, lemon cake and white wine, I closed my eyes and dozed on and off for 3 1/2 of the remaining six hours of the flight.

At 7:15am, Germany time, the plane landed and I was back in Germany for the first time in thirty years. The entire summer that Mario and I had spoke on the phone and made our plans I was never nervous but, now as I waited to exit the plane, butterflies flew frantically around inside my stomach.

Mario waited for me to the left of this area.

Because I was entering Germany from another country, I had to first go through customs and collect my luggage before I could see Mario. A large milk glass partition was all that separated me, standing in the baggage claim area, from Mario who was waiting for me behind the glass. Separated only by a glass partition and a distance of thirty feet, I knew he was there but couldn't see him. Anxiousness, excitement and an enormous sense of relief the day had finally arrived welled up inside me.

Suitcases of all sizes slowly came out onto the baggage claim conveyor belt. I watched, hoping my two suitcases would be amongst the first to show up. Minutes later, I was standing there still waiting for my luggage to come out when I heard the doors open behind me. At that moment, I knew if I turned around I would be able to see Mario but I also knew how difficult it would be for me to stay in the luggage area and continue to wait for my suitcases when I could so easily leave them behind and walk through the milk glass doors. Hard as it was, I kept my back turned and watched for my luggage until both suitcases were firmly in my hands and I could walk toward the doors.

My right hand grasped the handle on my large suitcase and my left hand curled around the handle of the medium-sized suitcase. I tilted the suitcases forward, onto their wheels, and simultaneously took my first step toward the waiting area while looking up and in that direction for the first time. Immediately, I caught Mario's wide smile and beautiful eyes. He waved at me and called my name and I couldn't believe I was finally there in person....not on the phone and not on the computer, but in Germany.

Mario stood there looking as handsome and wonderful as he did the day I left Germany thirty years ago. He wore a navy blue dress jacket and light blue button-down shirt with jeans and black dress shoes. But the thing that looked best about him was his beautiful smile. Finally, the gap of 5000 miles between us closed to ten feet, then eight feet, then six, then four and then he stepped forward, leaned down to hug me and in a heartbeat I was wrapped up in his arms. Mario and I were so giddy from finally being together and finally seeing each other that we kept looking at each other and laughing and smiling. The phrase "I can't believe it!" must have been repeated by one or the other of us several times between our first embrace and the moment we exited the airport.

I sat in Mario's car, holding the beautiful red roses he had given me and we chatted and held hands as he made his way out of Dusseldorf toward the small town where we would live together. From the highway, we weaved through the winding streets of the small town until, at last, we turned down the street to arrive home. Together, finally, we were home.