False Labor

All of us are so ready for Allan to be here! Every day, we gather together as a family and pray for the days events that somehow end up unfolding the exact opposite of our desires. We have now rescheduled his flight 7 times. I know all the airline numbers by memory and can whiz right through all the telepromts. We sleep with our cell phones by the bed each night and often awake to Jamil calling around 2 or 3 a.m. My Dad has been more than gracious not to even mention the phone bill, but I know it can't be pretty. Thanks, Dad! As if preparing to go to the hospital each day that we know a flight is scheduled, we get so excited and then count down the mintues until we know the plane will be leaving, just waiting to get that phone call that Allan is on board. But yet, each time, to no avail, we pace back and forth, back and forth knowing in our hearts something must just not be right. Then mentally, it's an about face and we're back to square one.

Yesterday was another one of those days. We were so confident that he would fly! And then early yesterday morning we received a phone call saying that a man in the airport who checks the visas had asked for $90. Jamil self admittedly told me that he didn't know why he needed it but that it was such a bad problem over there that even if somone wanted a $1 they would ask for it and not allow you to board without it. So I quickly money grammed him double the amount, just in case someone else who was exploiting Allan's departure would ask for some. We paced and paced waiting to hear from Jamil. He finally called at 2:15 p.m. and said that he had waited in line for nearly 5 hours but did not get the money in time!

Mark and I were just devastated. Again, we knew the children would be coming home from school soon and we would have to explain once again what had happened. I had taken the day off of work just because it's been so hard for me to be there concentrating on days when we expect him to fly. The children were very upset, especially Max. He ran out into his new room where I was working and said, "Mom, this just sucks." I looked at Mark with a look of disapproval and said, "aren't you going to correct him?" to which he quickly replied, "well, it really does!" Obviously not a response I always want my boys to have but at that moment it summed it all up.

Jamil called this morning to say that he had gone to the airport very early to get in line to get the money, and now has it in hand. I have once again rescheduled his flight for tomorrow. They are staying with a friend who lives less than 5 miles from the airport so will get there very early tomorrow morning to get in line and process all the paperwork. I hope and pray with all my heart that the next posting I place on here will happily inform each of you that our sweet boy is on a plane headed to Texas.