My first time alone.

In an airport. All by myself.

I remember some people telling me, “Oh, wow! That’s amazing! I’d do ANYTHING to go on an airplane alone!” Well, I have four words to say about going to an airport alone for sixteen year olds like me who’ve never done that before.

Hell must be better.

I wish I was exaggerating. Maybe it was my luck. Maybe it’s my fate that everything I did until I reached Mumbai went wrong some way or the other.

My grandparents had asked their go-to guy the day before for a driver to take us to the airport at 11:45 AM, since the flight was at 1:30. Either the guy had a memory problem or he was already mad, ‘cause when he called at 12:00, he simply replied that he had forgot, and that he was on a boat in Kodaikannal, @##$#%@&%$.

So we caught two autos, one for the luggage and my grandfather, and another for my grandmother and me.

It was HOT. Hot would be an understatement. Hot air blew through my eyes, and the sting lasted until the night, even after I got my sunglasses out. We got there on time, thankfully, and but there was a small confusion on the way to the gate I don’t even want to say in detail. Stupidest thing ever.

So I got to the ticket counter with my FIITJEE IDC, somehow already tired, and I start stammering in the name of telling what place I’m going to.

“Baroda. Vadodara. I mean, Mumbai. Jet airways?”

That’s precisely what I said. I got an eyebrow raise.

*facepalm* “Bombay.”

“Are you sure?”

And I blinked for a while, wondering whether that was just a polite way of laughing in my face. I finally got the ticket, a printed string of letters, and I said goodbye to my grandparents.

I remember thinking that the tough part was over.

*laugh*

“Move!” someone behind me shouted. My trolley was too heavy to meet his requirements, though.

The bag I took was… complicated. It wasn’t your average pulling thing with the pullable long handle. It was something like a large ball with lots of straps and four wheels underneath. A heavy ball. I had to check that in all by myself with a huge line of grumpy people.

The phone in my pocket started ringing when I tried to lift my bag to get the tag thing. I had to ignore it, but before that could even register in my mind, I got shouted at yet again. :| :|

Then I pushed the trolley to the check in counter to what I thought was the end of the line. 

Well. What I thought was terribly wrong. I don't even have to say what everyone behind me in the actual line told me.

So after a long time, I went to the place they check hand luggage, and that was probably the only place nothing drastic happened. I first took my cell phone with me to the patting-down area, though, but that was no big deal. Just had to run and give it and stand in the line again.

It was 12:45, and 12:50 was the boarding time. I ran with a heavy school bag on my shoulders and a laptop bag in my hand.

I went to Gate 5 and stood somewhere around since the sign said that they were boarding passengers on the flight to Hyderabad. I called my father and told him everything I could until I noticed a new line start to form. I went there, and the time was around 1:00, so I was sure it was the line for Mumbai.

Until the whole line started dissolving. I stared blankly.

A lady with a pink shirt said some gate number and "First floor!" and I STUPIDLY thanked her and ran up the steps. Stupid, stupid, stupid. That was one mistake I could have avoided.

After I ran up the steps (the escalator actually wasn't working. I mean, come on, it's an airport!), I stood at that gate for two minutes.

Then my senses came back to me, 'cause I tapped the shoulder of the person in front of me and asked him/her, "Chennai to Mumbai?"

Head shake. "Delhi."

AAAH!! I ran like a lunatic. It was a miracle that the plane I was boarding was late and I could make it two minutes before the boarding. 

Don't ask. I don't remember where this is. 

i plopped down on my seat. I must have looked terrible, 'cause someone in the plane helped me put my bags up and offered to buy me a drink later. I fell asleep while I was talking.

It was a two hour flight. I woke up about ten minutes before the plane landed, and my ears hurt for a good one hour afterwards. I talked to my parents, and then Kaushika for twenty three minutes, which cooled me down. I remember her asking me why I was talking that softly. I simply couldn't hear anything at all, and I really didn't want to shout in that quiet Mumbai airport.


The second flight sort of made up for the first flight. There were two hours between the two flights, so I settled down with the latest Reader's Digest, two paneer wraps and a cup of awesome hot chocolate. 


The hot chocolate was extraordinary. :) I loved it. The second flight wasn't that bad. It was delayed by 45 minutes, though, as though it just had to satisfy the way that nothing went smoothly in the whole trip.


So. To all those people who think going on a flight alone is exciting. Well.


It sure is.