My 11-year-old granddaughter and her 9-year-old brother left yesterday on an airplane to visit their aunt in Bozeman, Montana. All by themselves. Yoiks.

Since they seem to get on each other’s last nerve much of the time, I was having a bit of difficulty picturing them sitting happily next to one another, actually, well, touching. Still, as siblings tend to do,

When no one’s looking Alastair and Addie actually hold hands!

Addie and Alastair stick together when necessary, so I expect they were there for one another

while traveling on the plane. Maybe even had some fun.

Free at last, free at last, thank God almighty we’re free at last.

And I KNOW they’ll have fun at their Aunt Julie’s house. It’s more fun than being at camp because they each get their own bedroom!

Preparing to board. Still smiling.

I don’t know why I was so disconcerted that they flew by themselves. My son Court was much younger than they when he flew unaccompanied the first time. I think he was only 5 or 6. His dad was at a work conference in Tampa Bay, and he flew out at the end of the week so that they could spend the weekend at Disney World. I think it might have been the first time he was ever at Disney World. I would venture to guess, by the way, that Court would say Disney World is his favorite place on earth.

Anyhoo, back in those days anyone could walk all the way to the gate with someone leaving on a plane, and be at the gate when they arrived. I was a nervous wreck because Tampa Bay is far away as you know, and the plane ride was several hours long. I had total confidence that his father would be at the other end as he had promised, but still – very scary.

I remember working very hard (and I think successfully) at acting calm and grown up. As for Court, he was a bit nervous, but not overly so, and I wanted him to stay that way. When it was time to board the plane, he boarded last. The flight attendant came over, took him by the hand, and led him away. I waved goodbye, fake smiling until my cheeks hurt. But just as soon as the doors closed, I sat down on one of the chairs and bawled like a baby.

He made it safe and sound and his father called me just as soon as he had him in his keep.

Court flew as an unaccompanied minor one more time, and randomly, it was again to Tampa Bay. This time I had a work conference, and our plan was the same as the previous plan. Pick him up at the Tampa airport, rent a car, and drive to Orlando for the weekend. Court was maybe 8 by this time. I was less nervous, even though this time he had to change planes.

But when I retrieved him at the airport, he had a very funny story to tell. On the first leg of the flight, he sat next to an elderly woman who spent the entire flight telling him about all of her experiences with aliens. She had, she said, been abducted several times.

Being only 8, he was forced to be polite and listen, but even though a mere youth, he knew the woman was cray-cray, and couldn’t wait for the flight to be over.

But here’s the thing. The woman was so pleased to have a captive audience that she took it upon herself to get her seat changed so as to be next to him for the second leg of the trip. Yes Friends, he had to listen to another hour of alien stories.

So, the point of this mostly pointless rambling story is that even though they might get on each other’s nerves, what you know is often better than what you don’t know. I don’t think either Addie or Alastair has ever been abducted by aliens. As long as they can put up with, well, touching.