Clare’s Excellent Adventure
The first rays of morning sun shone through my rental car window. It was the middle of August. I was in a small black Ford in a giant parking lot at JFK Airport in New York City.
I had no idea what I was going to do next.
It was 6 a.m. Five hours earlier, I’d been at the boarding gate for a transatlantic flight, on my way to Italy for a long-anticipated retreat at a monastery in the town of Assisi.
Except I’d fallen asleep at the gate and missed the flight.
I awoke with a start to an empty terminal. My airplane was taxiing. I rushed to the gate agent.
“Can I book the next flight?” I asked in a panic.
“The next flight is in 24 hours, ma’am. I’m sorry, it’s full.”
“Can I get my ticket refunded and try a different airline?”
“I’m sorry.
