Chasing Ruth

Aboard K.A.V., September 9, 1907 Discovered today that we were racing with White Star Line’s Baltic. We’re now ahead of her, but we could see her smoke several times. Mr. and Mrs. George Vanderbilt and party are aboard. Very exclusive, but they attract much attention. Love affairs thick as leaves on the bushes. Many nice men going over, and also many unattached girls. Played shuffleboard for the first time and exercised in the gymnasium. Another day of rain, but not very cold. Outdoors all day, and bridge in the evening. Reading Tom Sawyer in French. Very clever. Gave up Maupassant, though. Paris, France—Thursday, July 3, 2008 “Boston? Anyone going to Boston?” a young fellow wearing an American Airlines insignia asks. Blesséd be! “We are! We are!” I shout heedlessly above the hubbub. The young man hustles us past the annoyed line of passengers whose eyes I scrupulously avoid, and we get our bags checked in and our boarding passes. Then it’s off to security. There, a beautiful young Indian woman looking sleek in her uniform ushers us to the head of the line where we have our boarding passes checked. She then directs us to the line designated for persons needing speedy passage. But no—an officious skinhead tells us we must go to the end of the snaking security line along with everyone else. Only fifteen more minutes before the plane takes off. We argue, gesturing back to the Indian woman who looks back at us sympathetically but can do nothing for us. So back to the end of the line. A girl in black balloon pants and strange-looking black suede shoes that look as if some gnomes in the forest made them, smirks at us. Katie wants to smack her down, and we plan ways to trip her once past security. Liz The bitch! At least she got hers when she had to take off her bunchy-ass shoes at security because they were so overflowing.