Night views of Cannes from the after party

(Continued from Cinderella in Cannes Part 2) Having slept but a few hours, I boarded a shuttle bus to the Nice airport. On the flight back to NYC I was seated next to an adorable couple. I discreetly admired their holding hands and obvious affection for each other. They were having the best time and eventually I got drawn into their mischief. Norwegian Air was fantastic and had a touchscreen at each seat where you order food and drinks and the attendants bring it to you. My row-mates were enjoying keeping a tab going and sending wine to my seat as well. I don’t know if I have ever laughed so long and hard on a flight and I’m sure we were innocuously absurd to the other passengers. My new friends kept trying to hook me up with the guy in the seat ahead of me, well, you can only imagine the giggles and snorts that were produced.

A terrible pic of my adorable companions on the flight home

We talked about our love for dancing, they told me about a gay club in Stockholm they had just visited. As we all deal with the tragedy in Orlando I think of them and their zest for life and their willingness to display their affection publicly and share that with me on this transatlantic flight. As we were getting ready for touchdown in NYC, my new friends, with their matching fancy, noise-cancelling headphones plopped a pair on my head saying “Oh, this is for you! You HAVE to listen to this as we fly into NYC.” It was Adele’s “When We Were Young”.

Everybody loves the things you do
From the way you talk to the way you move
Everybody here is watching you
Cause you feel like home
You’re like a dream come true
You look like a movie
You sound like a song
My God, this reminds me
Of when we were young
Let me photograph you in this light
In case it is the last time
That we might be exactly like we were
Before we realized
We were sad of getting old
It made us restless
It was just like a movie
It was just like a song

Coincidentally my mom had just shown me a beautiful recording of Adele singing this song live in NYC and I was touched watching her breakdown in tears at the end because her supportive fans gave her a standing ovation.

Now tears started streaming down my cheeks, as the sun set with an orange glow, and as the lovely gay men were singing the lyrics in the seats next to me. The song finished EXACTLY as the wheels touched down on the tarmac. It is an understatement to say it was the perfect ending of a magical trip…“It was just like a movie, it was just like a song.”

Flying into NYC listening to When We Were Young

This would be a great place to say THE END, but it doesn’t end there. I left the plane in a teary daze, and breezed through border control and customs.

My girlfriend, Joan, who I adore and share many delights, insisted that she and her husband were going to drive 3 hours from the Berkshires to pick me up at the airport and bring me home. She knew that I was stressed about being on time to catch the last train, so they wanted to take that stress off my mind and treat me like a fairytale Princess.

So walking out of the airport with Adele’s song on my mind and in my heart, there was my best friend with her open arms to welcome me home. I got to share my trip with them on the long drive and Peter had made dinner for us to eat in the car, so I munched on tuna and fruit salad, and re-lived the last days’ events with my favorite people.

It was the perfect finish of a flawless trip that started with an Adele song (see the First Cycle) and ended with one. What a gift, I will be forever grateful for the friends, family and new acquaintances that cross my path. “Cause you feel like home. You’re like a dream come true.”