This new year is a big one in my family.
My younger son turns 28 on February 2, and, 12 days later, he's
getting married. It's hard to forget the date. It's Valentine's
Day. He's the first of my kids to get married, so it's a pretty big
deal. I'm seriously thinking about buying a new suit for the
occasion.
He and his bride-to-be want a honeymoon in Europe, and I told
them I'd be only too happy to pay for it. That was just a slight
exaggeration. I'm willing to pay for it. I'll let you know when I
get the bill whether I'm happy to pay for it.
At first, I thought I'd handle the arrangements myself. After
all, I've been hanging around the travel business for almost 32
years, so why not?
But the more I thought about it, the more I felt that I would be
foolish to take the full responsibility for something as important
as this. I'm not the best person for this job. This is a job for
Super-Agent.
For the next several days, I wracked what's left of my brain to
come up with the name of an agent in my son's home area who would
be the beneficiary of my generosity, as well as the person to blame
if anything went wrong.
Finally, I thought of someone. I won't name the agent here, to
protect both of us, but I can tell you that it's someone I know
personally who's been around a long time and has a fine
reputation.
I called and explained what I had in mind.
"It was nice of you to think of me," the agent said, "Besides,
you'll have someone else to blame if anything goes wrong."
"I'm not sure," I said, "how this works exactly. I want you to
help Todd and Lori plan their honeymoon, but I want to pay for
it."
"It's really easy," the agent replied. "They come and talk to
me, I book them, I send you a bill, and you send me money."
"Gee, why didn't I think of that?"
So the deed is done.
I have hired a travel agent to plan the wedding trip for my son
and his wife-to-be. I know everything will be fine.
I probably could have done this myself. I could have called the
airlines to get the cheapest fares and found those unforgettable
little out-of-the-way hotels they want.
I could have booked the rental cars at the best rates and gotten
them information on sightseeing and restaurants. I could have given
them good little tips on other things to do.
But I'm pretty busy these days. I can't take the time to do all
that. And how would I know that I was really getting the best
deals? I'm just an ink-stained wretch who writes for a travel
industry newspaper.
Besides, if I did it myself, whom would I blame if anything went
wrong?