July 12, 2004
This is in no sense a Hollywood blockbuster movie. Stuck in an airport terminal for 5 hours. Now I haven’t even seen Tom Hank’s new movie but I am far from expecting the romantic escapade that is supposed to unfold in his… or the all dubious events… As mine is just a resultant error of stupidity that makes me miss my flight on the busiest of travel days. With the combination of that and canceled flights, I have really put myself into some sort of predicament. Anyways, I am on a plane sitting here eating crackers, cheese and fruits, up where the air is a bit fresher. Seat 2C in business class…. A class far from where I should be, but somehow this has become my punishment… it does beat having to stick it out waiting with the other standby passengers all stressing out about their missed flights, mechanical errors, and connections to paradise.
So the airport terminal is a really the interesting place, because where else can you have this much congregation of souls from around the world with different backgrounds and different purposes with just one thought… “these damn seats are too small”.. well maybe not that, and of course I can not complaining because my seating up here is definitely not peasant like. But this is where the ultimate people watching can occur. The maximal of diversity and thoughts and wonder.
Looking at all these faces, all these stories, it really does feel like a different world. Once you check into that terminal, you no longer belong to any city, or state or country, it is its own entity. When you make a transfer, no more security gates, no more passport checks. It is a neutral zone, just like when you are on a plane. Before you get through those departing gates, you are in there with every other face and personality. Waiting to get on those winged wonders or waiting to get into your new undiscovered country.
So finally contending that I have to spend the night in some unknown transfer point with no idea how to get home or where the next stop is, I illicit the help of friendly faces. All I can do I smile. All I can do is leave things to them… and to my surprise…. 5 hours later, I am finally on a plane. Not to another transfer point. Not to nowhere. To somewhere. To home. And in class. Among all the stressed out faces I see. Among all the rushed feet. The bitching and complaining. The cruel anguish that are negatively passed. These people can and do appreciate some brightening up. Maybe it was just the passive attitude. A smile. Or maybe they found me pathetic. I am thankful that there are some very nice people out there who are just here to help. The world ceases to amaze. And my heart is grateful…
So I sit back in my seat, glad I’m out of that terminal. Eyes beginning to heavy, and I await for the fasten seatbelt sign to light up signifying the decent. Ah, on a plane on Saturday afternoon… what beats that…