The Bubby Chronicles, Volume 2

Well, I said I'd come back with more about Bubby, and that it would be a happy or funny story.

Tonight we discuss the wheelchair at the airport.

Bubby was 87, as I have mentioned. But she was not like your typical 87 year old lady. Bubby was active. Now, I know people say these things about old people - "he was so young at heart"; "she was very active"; "he was young-spirited"; "she was always out and about". This traditionally means that the old fart in question would putt around in the garden for a couple of hours a day and play with his or her grandchildren. Naturally Bubby did these things herself. But she wasn't all old. I have a picture of her that I have shown people, and gotten a response of shock and awe. They can't believe that in the picture, in which Bubby is blowing bubbles on the dance floor of our wedding, is an 85, almost 86 year old lady. I'll have to digitize the picture and upload it in a future edition of The Bubby Chronicles. Bubby took an Israeli dance class with my mother. My mother had a harder time with this class than Bubby, because my mother has had problems with her feet for some time. Bubby, on the other hand, had no such problems and danced her heart out. She danced at our wedding. Bear in mind, we're talking about an Orthodox Jewish wedding. If anyone is unsure just what this means, watch this video of a friend's wedding. We Orthodox Jews know how to party at a wedding.

Anyway, that was all background. This is the story I wanted to tell:

Bubby was once travelling, visiting one grandchild or another. For some reason she was flying standby. She gets to the gate, and gets herself on the list early and is told she's first for a standby seat. It turns out there is one standby seat available, and as Bubby gets herself ready to go, another "old lady" is wheeled up to the gate, and gets the spot. Well, this is unfair. This lady isn't any older than Bubby - in fact we think she may have been younger! Well, from then on Bubby required a wheelchair at the airport. Let me emphasize this point. She did not NEED a wheelchair. She REQUIRED it. In other words, she demanded it. She played the "old lady" card. She went for walks several times a week - miles long. But at the airport she was not going to just stand around while other old ladies got pampered just because today's generation thinks that an old lady in a wheelchair will break if not catered to on hand and foot. After all, she put in her time, and it was time she got something out of all of those years.

Oh, and by the way, this story is only a couple of years old. Yeah, she was feisty.