Remember those "tickets?"

It was 9 am.  My co-worker came in to my classroom and sat down as she often did to have a chat first thing in the morning, but this morning a worried expression was inked onto her pretty Irish face.
"Who was that travel agent you told me you used?" she asked
"Zenith tours" I replied
"I just read an article... it said that he's had a lot of complaints lately."
"Hmmm..."
"You might just want to call the airlines to make sure your flight reservations weren't canceled."
"I'm not too worried.  Kate and Shelly are in Thailand right now using his flights and Jacob is currently flying using tickets he purchased from him as well.  Jacob has used this guy for years and never had problems.  I'm not too worried"
She nodded.
"Those tickets"

I did call the airlines though.  I mostly had just said those things to reassure myself.  My heart had been beating like a bird flying rashly into a clear window pane over and over again.

Our tickets were through several different airlines.  It took us a few days to get a hold of  all the airlines, but once we did that bird within my chest hit the window pane for the last time, and sank to the cold concrete floor stunned, unable to move.  Our travel agent, to whom we had sent over $3000, had not yet paid our tickets. He'd made reservations, but he hadn't paid the airlines.

We emailed, we called... no answer

The next day, Kyle came to my classroom. Its rare that Kyle comes to my classroom.  My heart which had not taken the events well shuddered at the site of him. Not because I don't like seeing my husband during the day, but because I knew he was there because something had happened.

"He's in jail." Kyle told me
"What!" I exclaimed
"They've arrested him.  He's in jail."

He's out of jail now on the condition that he keeps in touch with the law, and liquidates his assets to pay the 40 something customers he cheated.

Kyle filed a police report, and entered a class law suit, but currently the police think that he's skipped town because he hasn't responded and they haven't been able to find him.

So Kyle and began the search for our tickets again.  We are hopeful that EVENTUALLY we will be refunded, but there are concerns.  By the time the law suit is over, we will not be in Korea which will make things difficult.  And, the guy owes hundreds of thousands of dollars.... he convinced the judge that his real estate was worth what he owed...I don't know if it is...  So only time shall tell...

If we don't get it back, its a lot of money that we're out, but in the end, we have each other, we have our friends and family and really that's whats important in life.