(… continued)
As the story goes I had missed my flight and there was nothing I could do. I mean not quite. I found myself trying to persuade the airline officer to get the gates open. Precious minutes lapsed and I could see the plane back up onto the runway.
Nope, it was nothing like in the movies! If I had been anyone but myself ( as in a movie), I probably would have had a humorous showdown keeping the flight delayed while I miraculously hustled into it. Well, I blame the movies for letting me down, for nothing of the sort happened.
I was perplexed. The plane had gone and I was unsure of my next move. Whom was I to ask what to do? I scanned the departure hall and wondered whom to approach or worse whether I was to call my dad! I shuddered at the thought.
My dad is not a talker so perhaps I was not going to receive a ” How could you miss the flight lecture”. However, I sure could picture his face when I told him what happened. And that was not good.
To me, it seemed like my brain needed more time to digest the information. I finally got myself talking to an airline official who felt bad for me. She volunteered to help, or so I thought.
She made a few calls at first and then guess what? She wanted to speak with my father! There was no escape for me now. I swallowed the lump in my throat. My heartbeat quickened. This was it.
First I miss my flight in a most bizarre manner and then now, I have to speak to my dad about it. I figured it was a day in Abaddon.
I dialled my dad’s number and handed my phone to the lady. She spoke with him and then said the words I had been dreading, ” your dad wants to speak with you.” My hands trembled. All my energy draining, I managed to mutter ” Hello”. I was preparing to encounter a poltergeist.
I heard a soft, cool and calm voice on the other end. Was that my father? Yes, it was. He was quick to give me instructions. He asked me to stay alert until he figured out how to help me. His voice was especially firm when he said, ” Don’t daydream.” He asked me to hold on until he called back and cut the line.
Talk about being surprised! That was not what I had expected.
The kind official who called dad led me to their staff quarters and asked me to wait outside. She was talking to a man who had a stark resemblance to Rowan Atkinson. He lifted his eyebrow and gave me a sideglance. He would perfectly fit the role of the Indian movie comedians who often became sidekicks to the hero. The lady kept referring to him as Peter, and Peter was not interested in ‘funny’. Apparently, he was her boss.
The lady came out and said, ” No seats dear”. They were out of seats on every other flight. There was no flight for me not only that day but every day for the rest of the week. It was, after all, the holiday season.
My luck could not go drier. Like everyone else at the airport, I wanted to reach home too. I glanced at my watch and it was already five hours since the time I missed the flight.
My dad called and I filled him in on the bad news. He said he has arranged for my uncle to pick me up. I was to spend the night at my uncle’s. There was no point anymore in staying back at the airport. It was another hour and a half before I could stretch myself on a bed.
As I lay there, I thought to myself, ” When was I going home and how?” Just then dad called again. He had arranged a car to transport me from my uncle’s house in Bangalore to my grandmother’s house in Kerala. I looked up the route on the GPS. It was going to be nine long hours to my destination.
The plan was that my mom and sister would join me by the time I got to grandma’s house. When I did get there, my sister was the first to receive me. She immediately said I looked like a walking zombie.
Well, I don’t blame her because the bumpy ride had turned my stomach into soup. My facial expression must have amply reflected how I felt.
It really was quite something that happened to me but then, in the end, I did learn something.
There may have been bad roads, but the scenic beauty was almost worth the journey.
What could have been a fifteen-minute flight, became a journey of gigantic proportions. It was fateful but could have been avoided if I had been more careful.
If anyone was to ask me about a memorable experience, this one could truly be called ‘the king.’
Little Banyan Tree Kids 