Going Home Part One - Chasing the Evening Sun to Norfolk

August 10, 2004

I was sitting in my favorite row - second from the back on the right side. It had the yin and yang of comfort: next to the toilet and the engine noise. For the comfort of an empty bladder, I wore earplugs.

The Southwest flight from Baltimore to Norfolk would last a brief 40 minutes. The storm-tossed flight from Phoenix to BWI had taken four and a half-hours. This puddle-jumper flight was just as bumpy as the pilot did his best with the remnants of a tropical storm.

The rain was normal for this time of year. It was hurricane season. One of them was expected to hit our area within a few days. I knew it would rain and flood in more than one way for the next 8 days of my visit.

Towards the end of the flight, the clouds broke away for a few moments and I looked down at the water as we chased the evening sun to Norfolk. It was slowly turning the small harbors and estuarial pools of the Chesapeake Bay from black to copper. One by one, they rhythmically caught fire and glowed for a few incandescent seconds before turning black again.

I felt a calmness come over me. So, this is how it's supposed to feel. I've been feeling this way for a few months now, but this moment made it real. I've wanted to feel this way ever since I left 24 years ago.

I didn't belong here. This was my past. This was no longer my home.

I suddenly realized I wouldn't be coming back here for long visits any more.

I didn't need to.

I was myself again.

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