Aboard Royal Air Maroc

• Wareameye's Profile
• About this blog
• Entry from Atlantic Ocean

Trip Start Feb 16, 2006 Previous
Entry Trip End Feb 28, 2006 Next
Entry

  Atlantic Ocean, Morocco
Friday, February 17, 2006

Friday, February 17, 2006
Aboard Royal Air Maroc, Somewhere Over the Atlantic

Dear Readers:

Another brush with celebrity, and another breathless departure! I am collected promptly at 2pm by the town car that is to transport three of us to JFK airport. One client was already in the car, and we head out to collect the third. On the way across town my cell phone rings, and it is just the sort of call I am dreading . . . two clients in Chicago with a delayed flight, and it was looking like they would miss the flight to Morocco.

We arrive at the address where we are to pick up the third client. I see him approach the car, and I try to pop out so that I can say hi and give him a hug, but the driver has the door locked and has already gone out to help with the luggage. I'm trapped, so I settle back to wait until the client is in the car before I introduce myself. He gets into the front seat, and is waving back to the person who was seeing him off. I don't bother to turn around and look-a choice I will forever regret.

As we are driving away I ask him what kind of work he does, and he says that he is a personal secretary, and that he had been waving to his employer, who had threatened to come out to the car and give my client a deep soul kiss in front of the rest of us. I'm thinking, I wonder what sort of person you would be a personal secretary for, and I blurt out "Oh, do you work for a writer?" He says yes, and that he works for someone who writes plays. "Oh," I say, "has he done anything that has been produced on Broadway?" My client gets a huge smile on his face, and says that yes, indeed, his employer is a very big deal, and has had many plays produced on Broadway.

Well, I am burning up with curiosity. "Who do you work for?" I persist. "Anybody I might know?" He casually responds: Stephen Sondheim. My jaw drops and my heart practically bursts. Jonathan and I are huge fans of Stephen Sondheim's musicals, and I had just missed what would probably be my only chance to see him or maybe even meet him!

By this time we are a block away on a one way street, but I immediately shout to the driver: "Put the car in reverse! I have to meet him!" Of course I am joking. We are on our way, and there is no time for turning back, but I am kicking myself for not at least craning my neck around to see who was waving goodbye.

So we're driving to the airport, and the phone rings again, and this time it is the secretary of two of the gang who are coming from Toronto, Canada. They are also delayed. I'm thinking: "Why do people, in the wintertime, when delays are so common, trust the airlines enough to try to arrive on the day of international travel?" It just isn't worth the headache and nerves.

There are anxious conversations with Royal Air Maroc staff at the check-in counter, and they assure me that if the guys don't collect their bags, and just walk right over to the proper terminal when they arrive, they will likely make it on the plane. It comes right down to the wire, but just as they are closing the doors on the plane everyone makes it with a mad dash for the gate.

Now we've just been fed dinner, but that too has had a bit of drama. I have one vegetarian in the group, and I had been very emphatic with my operator that he must have a vegetarian meal on the plane (I had been a little less than vigilant about this on his previous tour). Somewhere the wires got crossed, and here they come with a long list of everyone in my group, and they are serving us all vegetarian meals. What next?

We'll have to wait until we arrive in Morocco to see. I've just popped a sleeping pill because the flight is surprisingly short - only six hours and fifteen minutes - and I want to arrive somewhat rested. The mileage to Casablanca from NYC is only 3,635. Who knew?

Hugs,
Dan

Print this entry Share Marrakech hotels

Previous Entry Next Entry