bjournal::juxtapoz

A few days ago I packed some Christmas presents into a box with the intention of mailing them to Florida. The morning I was to send them off, I decided I’d rather bring them on the plane with me. The primary reason was that in the box I had packed a six-pack of special Coke bottles, and I thought they’d be handled more roughly if they were shipped rather than if they were checked as baggage. I actually didn’t have high hopes for the survival of all the bottles at any rate, but I did my best to protect all the other items in the box (lots of stuffing, double plastic wrapping, labels all over the outside of the box).  

So, I check the box at the airport, and I point out that it is fragile. He asks me what I have in there, and I say glass bottles with liquid. He gives me this look like I’m crazy, and tells me there has been a lot of turbulence today. I told him that I could deal with breakage from turbulence, just as long as the box was handled well. He said he’d do what he could. Still, I didn’t have high hopes. 

So, waiting for the box to come off the luggage carrousel, I was fearing an upside down, beat-up box with a soggy side, and all the items therein ruined. Much to my relief, the box was right-side up and fine. Even after I arrived and inspected all the bottles, all was well. I set up the box, put the bottles in, and hid it… just waiting to sneak it under the tree on Christmas Eve- the prefect gift for an unsuspecting Coke memorabilia fan. 

Not ten minutes after doing that, do I walk to the kitchen and see a six-pack of the bottles sitting on the counter… oh well, at least we get to enjoy the coke inside them now!