Going Home

 Leaving Barcelona meant it was the last day of our Europe trip.  We had been through a lot.  From an international incident in Israel to almost being mugged in Paris to taking down a Swiss soldier to having a gun pointed at me in Barcelona, it had been a trip that I would remember the rest of my life.  One requirement on our trip was never to take a picture of Sandra and Talula without makeup.  So, as we were leaving the hotel to get on the bus for the airport, I took a picture of them without makeup.  They were not happy about that.
 We boarded our plane for home.  It was to be an eight-hour flight.  We stopped briefly to refuel in Lisbon before heading out for the Atlantic.  The stewardess allowed us to stand on the tarmac to say we had been to Portugal.  Nine countries in 21 days. 
 The flight home was long.  Some people spent the time sleeping.  I listened to music and watched a movie.  They showed "Ten from Your Show of Shows" in our cabin.  It was very funny.  We could see the first class cabin from our seats.  They were showing "1776" in there, but our movie was better.  I also composed the music to a song that I had written in Israel called "Save the World for the Children".  I used my arm to work out the chords for a guitar.  Other passengers looked at me funny, but it passed the time.  Later on in life, Pope John Paul II blessed my song.
 Exhaustion was creeping in.  Despite being excited that we were going home, jet lag was also kicking in.  On the flight from New York to Greenville, Talula, Sandra and I were sitting on the same row.  Talula's head rested on the window.  Sandra's head rested on Talula's shoulder.  My head rested on Sandra's shoulder.  The three musketeers were together for the last time.  And, we were asleep.
 When the plane landed in Greenville, each family greeted the weary time travelers.  My parents took me to a motel for the night and then home the next morning.  It took me ten days to get over the jet lag.  I had a whole bunch of pictures to develop.  About a month later, I went to Sandra's home in Sandy Springs to get some pictures she had that I didn't and vice versa.  She went on to the University of Georgia.  I went to Presbyterian College.  Talula had one more year at Anderson College.  We have stayed in touch over the years, but there are a few subjects from the trip which we all promised we would never talk about.  I can't write about them here.  Hopefully, they will never be shared outside of what we promised.  It is just something we have to respect of each other.  Maybe one day...