the lesbian and the dancing poet

my flight home from napa/san francisco was worth mentioning and i hadn't written about it yet. so....
i mentioned i came back to the hotel after the wedding completely exhausted. i maybe had half a glass of champagne and half a glass of red wine. my body just doesn't want to take in alcohol anymore, which i guess is a good thing considering it doesn't do much for my figure.... i went to bed and got up at 6am so that when A came to pick me up in the morning, i'd be ready.
A is one of Ir's oldest friends. I like him, but he needs to be babysat (he didn't know many people at the wedding) and i didn't take the trip to babysit someone i hardly knew. now granted, i am totally grateful for him driving - because you all know i can't do the highway thing - but having to handhold someone through multiple social events gets exhausting and its just no fun. so during the wedding, i may have been a little distant to him. i meant to, the whole sit with me, talk to me, go here with me-thing was getting old, but i did promise to hang around san fran before my flight left on tuesday morning. i kept my promise. we walked the wharf, had breakfast, walked some more. it was nice, but he said something to me as he dropped me off at the airport that really bothered me. he said "sorry if i hurt you or was annoying". it totally took me by surprise. i was like "what? what are you talking" about and he kinda just fidgeted and was like "oh you know, i'm just saying". i just hope that in trying to distance myself i wasn't a complete asshole. i probably was.
anyway, feeling crabby and just wanting to get home, when i checked in the lovely counter people told me my flight was oversold and i had a MIDDLE SEAT. now i fly all the time and when i fly i'm window or aisle. never MIDDLE. i was livid but there was nothing i could do. i almost gave myself an anxiety attack sitting there thinking about how i was going to make it through 5 hours with my 'tude sitting in that middle seat. fortunately, i sat next to some very lovely women. the lady to my left (on the aisle) was a lesbian writer - the only reason i know this is because when she saw i was reading a book, she gave me a bookmark with an advertisement for her latest book on it. when i find it, i'll post the title and her name. she was on her way to the Atlanta Queer Writer's Festival. She was lovely in every way.
I'm a first impressions kind of gal, so when i saw the lady that would be sitting on my right, i was like great, am i going to pass out from the smell of patchouli? when i say she dressed crazy, i'm not doing her justice. she was wearing sock shoes, tights, clam diggers, a skirt over top that and then some crazy patchwork shirt and a very furry scarf. she had long, wild salt and pepper hair. this woman had to have been a hippie - think "free spirited" and you've pictured this woman. she also happened to be a writer - a poet. in fact, atlanta knows her as the dancing poet - i don't doubt that at all.
so when we landed we all exchanged pleasantries and went on our way. i'm really glad these ladies were my travelling companions. seriously, i would have had a panic attack.