A Perfect Pick

Years ago, "Seinfeld" taught us that a certain subset of people, neurotic Jews, took great pleasure in arranging a perfect pick -- that is, an efficient and successful fetching of someone arriving at the airport.  Well, early this am, I accomplished this.

Wifey and I met D1 and Joey for a lovely dinner at Spillover in the Grove. D1 and Joey alternate Friday night dinners with their parents. Joey's Mom Jacqui hosts actual shabbat dinners, and we take the kids to local restaurants. What can I say? Wifey just ain't no challah back girl...

So we met in the Grove, and caught up with them. We're seeing them again on Sunday for a one week early dinner for D2's birthday, but we learned about their upcoming trips -- they're headed to Bogota on Thursday to visit Joey's family, and Joey then has a series of golf and business trips, followed by a visit to Spain.

Joey and his brothers learned they can become Spanish citizens, along with US citizens. Since they can trace their grandparents' time living there, they are eligible. They all studied and took difficult tests, and then have to be sworn in in Spain. The benefits are Euro passports -- they can travel freely on the Continent, and it makes other things easier, too.

D1 told us that her friend Rebecca, granddaughter of Polish Holocaust Survivors, became a Polish dual, too, but had birth certificates proving her grandparents nationality. Wifey doesn't have those from her parents, and besides -- I'm not a fan of re-pledging allegiance, even partially, to a country so complicit with the Nazis...

Wifey is automatically Israeli, being born there, and the Ds are, too -- if they so choose. I guess I can always claim dual citizenship, too -- I can be a US citizen as well as one of The Bronx...

Anyway -- we walked the happy young folks to their car, and headed home. D2 and Jonathan were due into MIA at 1130. Then politics became local.

The Trump shutdown caused major delays. Fortunately they eased as the day went on, but the flight was still going to take off 2 hours late. New arrival at MIA was set for just after 1 am.

I took a nap. And then I went upstairs, where Wifey was falling asleep, and took another one. Now I was ready for the early am pick.

I made myself a cup in the Keurig, and checked my FlightRadar app. The plane was landing in 5 minutes, from over the Bay. As soon as I saw it touched down, I texted D2 "Welcome Home!" She responded with a "Ha."

She said they had no checked bags, and so I left for MIA. There was no traffic at all. It took about 15 minutes. Just as I arrived, D2 called -- she and Jonathan had just stepped outside, on the Departure Level.

I swooped in. We all hugged. I told Jonathan to come home with us, and drive to Aventura in the am. He declined -- his family wanted to see him, too.

It was a perfect pick -- worked out splendidly.

And D2 and I caught up -- she's been traveling a lot, too. Last week was Mexico City, for a wedding. She's here this weekend for another wedding, in Parkland, along with a Bar Mitzvah, for her future nephew, up in Sunny Isles/

We glided home. The dogs were happy to see D2, but after a short while wanted to be allowed to go back to sleep.

Today it's a cool, rainy day. D2 is sleeping in. She'll borrow the car and drive to Aventura. We'll reconvene tomorrow night.

It's always wonderful to get the Ds both back to the 305. And last night I did it with a perfect pick.