Dispatch This

There aren’t too many people I know who are particularly thrilled to drive to the airport. I’m not referring to the excitement one experiences when picking somebody up, someone you love who’s been out of town for an extended period of time and you’ve just been missing heck out of them. I refer to the drive itself. It entails freeway driving and no matter what time you make that trip in Los Angeles, there is always, always traffic. LAX is the International Airport of a very big city, after all, so there’s no wonder there. What is difficult for me to believe is that I convinced myself that taking a job located in close proximity to the airport is any kind of a good idea at all. Especially for $9 an hour. But only because after several dozen resumes out, they were the first to call.

Curiosity got me out of the house. For some reason, when I read “Dispatch”, I thought I’d be fielding 911 calls and helping to save the day. Exciting stuff. Someone’s getting car jacked. There’s been a stabbing, blood everywhere. People in shock can talk all crazy. Good adrenaline junkie material. But the location of my interview gave way to a whole different animal. I would be the voice you hear when calling for your cab. Good grief. How many times had I utilized this service, to take me to that same airport, to fly me clear across the globe of my own volition because another continent was calling me. How I had fallen so far from my dream tree is beyond me.

Too be fair, the recession has hit nearly everyone hard in the guts. And as we continue to gather the wind that was knocked out of the collective us, we must do what’s necessary as individuals to make our ends meet in these difficult times. Rest assured, my priorities are intact. A shitty temp job is no bread line with hungry kids in tow.

The pretty, young manager was very nice and I liked her immediately. A real go-getter. As I sat there staring out the window, half listening to the fascinating details of my responsibilities as a potential future dispatch, out of nowhere flew an enormous plane directly overhead! Because we were so close to the airport, the plane was as low as it could be in the sky without shaving the roof off the place.

After I picked up my jaw from off the floor, I gave my full attention to the Hispanic maiden. All of a sudden, and for whatever reason, I wanted this job. If I can’t afford to take a trip (me - who loves to travel more than anybody) then I can damn well take part in making the experience more enjoyable for others along their journey. It takes so little to be kind and helpful. It’s arrogance that takes real energy.