Tuesday, March 21, 2006

Jacqueline, 44, Flight Attendant, Mother

Jacqueline was mauled by a gang of angry rotweilers while out on a walk last Thursday.

Jacqueline was born in Dearborn Michigan and knew from the age of approximately 3 years she would be going places. A lot of places. She decided not to finish high school and quit while in the tenth grade to help out her family make ends meet by getting a job. She worked mostly low level service jobs until a help wanted advertisement lured her to American Airlines. She was only 18.

Twenty years ago, flying was infinitely more special than it is now and the role of a flight attendant (or dare I say stewardess) was considered a position of some prestige. The patrons dressed nice for their flights and received substantially more than a bag of peanuts on their voyage.

The next year was busy for Jacqueline; she married her boyfriend, Hector (whom she had been dating for some years), had a baby girl (Carmella), finished flight school and made the bold move to pursue her dream of travel.

Hector was stably employed as a carpet installer and their daughter was cared for during the day by a neighbor and good friend of the family.

Initially, Jacqueline made short stops just flying about the Midwest. Although the flights were only brief hops, Jacqueline found the job exhilirating. The hectic pace, constant interaction with the travelers and hustle and bustle of the airports was something Jacqueline thrived on. She slowly moved up the ranks and by her fifth year, she was flying cross-country and staying in some exciting cities. Once, when her daughter was only 5, she purchased her a seat and took her to San Francisco. Together, they flew, dined at Chinatown and took the trolley about the city. Her daughter seemed to like to travel as well.

Interestingly, the more Jacqueline flew to other cities the more she grew to like Dearborn, the city she swore from an early age she'd leave. Gradually, it became more of home than she'd ever imagined it would be. It is where she stayed with her family the rest of her life and where her survivors will remain.

As Jacqueline grew older in the skies, she felt some sadness toward her profession. The newer flight attendants seemed more surly and she sometimes felt like a peanut distributor. The travelers weren't interested in the excitement of the air transport but simply wanted to get somewhere. Although she never lost her passion for motherhood, Carmella grew up and went her own way and Jacqueline's lust for life seemed to have fallen through the cracks. Her greatest joy was and remained her stably employed, rock-of-stability husband who would hold down the fort in her absence and always be there for her. She will dearly miss her family.

4 condolences:

Anonymous said...

rofl.
stewardess.

Anonymous said...

This woman sounds amazing. I hope she knows that.

Anonymous said...

she looks amazing, too! not to be too shallow.

Dave said...

She is (was) a babe.

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