We're headed to Asia, meeting John, Jeri, Phil, Brett, Barbara, and Lisa along the way.
In the Jackson airport, we're caught behind a couple who have never experienced the Wonders of Air Travel before.
"I have to take off my coat?" the wife asks. She shakes her head. "I've never heard of such nonsense."
Her husband is carrying a half-ton of change ("Must go in the bins, sir," the TSA agent says), a laptop ("Out of the bag, sir."), shoes with metal lifts hidden in the soles ("Step out of your shoes, sir."), and several large metal objects ("These can't go through with you, sir."), including a can of Diet Coke ("Yes, sir, you'll have to drink it or throw it away. I realize you just bought it, sir, but those are your options.").
Meanwhile, Wifey steps through the security scanner and sets off the alarms. "It's my metal hip replacement!" she brays. "I've got papers for it!"
A female agent approaches. "I'll have to scan you by hand, m'am. Can you step over here?"
"It's my hip," Wifey says again. "It's made of metal." She waves a yellow form under the agent's nose.
"Don't need to see that, m'am. I just need to scan you."
"I'm not taking off my blouse! My bra is see-through!"
On the far side of security, we squeeze past them. They are red-faced, huffing, half-dressed. They are stunned that it takes so long to get through "this security stuff."
They have taken their first baby steps into the Very Big World.
