A Wanted Woman

I returned VERY late on Saturday night from the Colorado Christian Writer's Conference at the YMCA of the Rockies in Estes Park, CO.

Getting through the airport for this trip was an interesting experience. I have only traveled by plane with my husband, who bless his sweet heart, usually handles everything for the trip. He gets us to the airport and in the correct parking garage; he gets us to the correct airline counter to check our luggage and get our tickets. I am the trip planner; he is the doer. Well, this trip, I was the doer, and not sure at all what to do.

My friend Erin and I had to be at the airport by 5:30am to catch our 7:00am flight to Denver. We get to the check-in for our airline, and try to e-check-in. We get halfway through the process, when the computer stops and tells us we must see an agent of the airline before we can proceed. We go to the counter, wait fifteen minutes for a girl who is trying to check-in and well on her way to missing her flight, and finally get to the agent.

I am on the Watch List.

I know my jaw almost hit the floor. Little country-bumpkin like me (wife, stay-at-home mother of three, shy to the point of breaking out in a cold sweat when I have to meet a new group of people) am on the Watch List.

I started to stammer, "What? How could this happen? Are we going to make our flight? Will I be able to get though security? Are they going to pull me aside and do a search? What will I do on the way home?"

The agent held up a hand to stop my constant stream of babbling and said, "I just need to see your ID."

"Oh. Okay." That was simple enough. I gave him my driver's license, but couldn't help asking again, "How could this happen? I haven't flown in over four years."

"Oh, it's probably just someone trying to use your name," the agent tossed out oh-so-casually.

"What?! Someone stole my identity?! What am I going to do? Am I going to have to go through some long and tedious process to correct this horrifying travesty?"

"Ma'am, no one has stolen your identity. They just tried to purchase a ticket at some point using this name, but probably couldn't produce positive identification."

"Oh."

Now through all this, Erin is trying to decide whether to laugh at me or slowly back away from the crazy terrorist lady. We get our tickets and go to security. I expect a huge hassle because I am a wanted woman, but we get through no problem. We go down the concourse to find our gate, and sit down to wait.

Then Erin asks, "So, how did you plan to take over the plane? Were you going to beat the flight crew into submission with a book, or what?"

And so our adventure began. More on Wednesday!