Heidi and the Tube by Heather

It was 1994 and I was attending Lancaster University in England. For the first two weeks of Easter Holiday (spring break), my Mom (Grandma), Eric (Grandpa), and sister Heidi came across to visit. It was the full rainbow spectrum of personalities, with my Mom trying to keep everyone happy, polar opposites Eric and Heidi.........and then me.

Eric was super-focused, speed-walked everywhere we went, the ultimate man on a mission. Heidi was also focused.....on doing her own thing.

Hiding in corners of the Egyptian Artifacts room of the National Museum to do word searches, buying loads of books that had to be carried around in her luggage, crocheting hats out of yarn that she actually brought all the way across the sea ...... and then the Tube Incident.

The Tube is the underground subway system in London and the main form of transportation for getting around the city. We were switching hotels and had all of our luggage with us, needing to board the next train. We knew that we would have to be on the ball because the cars are often crowded, the doors open and close..... and if you don't get on with all of your things, well.......too bad, no one is waiting.

The train arrived, the doors opened, and we all started climbing in with our huge backpacks and luggage. Eric, Mom and I were all on and loaded when the doors closed.........on Heidi. When this story is retold, the highlight is everyone's very different personal reaction. Heidi's look of pure surprise and bewilderment. Mom frantically pulling on the doors, trying to prevent them from closing on her 'baby'. Eric rolling his eyes in extreme annoyance. Then me, laughing and waving goodbye to my sister.

Why was I laughing? I don't know....it was one of those special moments in time that are just so silly. The looks of the native Londoners witnessing the spectacle of the dumb-ass Americans trying to board........the small adrenaline rush of something happening that could be a big deal, the fact that it was Heidi, and watching my Mom try to claw the doors open . All of us bring up this story multiple times during the year because it is something we will all remember forever. I am laughing right now just thinking about it.

So what happened to Heidi? We left her standing on the platform watching our train pulled away. Like other times that would come later (leaving to hike the PCT by herself, backpacking the mountains in the Czech Republic alone), I wondered if this would be the last time I would ever see her. All would turn out OK, for Heidi waited and Eric went back to get her. It's a good thing she stayed put, if she had tried to find us she might to this day still be wandering the streets of London.