One night @ the airport

A bad ending to a detective novel, deplorable, low marks for an apparently well written exam, a monotonous lecture on an empty stomach and people smoking on others’ faces were what I considered the most annoying things in the world. Well at least until recently, when I spent a night at the airport.

I wasn’t exactly in an elated state of mind. The most awaited, month long vacation was finally coming to an uneventful end. It was during the never ending, tormenting study holidays before the dreaded university examinations that I spent most of the time dreaming of vacations. I had made elaborate plans for the holidays with the subject text books lay open before me, behind closed doors, while the rest of the world enjoyed the freedom. Freedom of sleeping and waking up at the time they pleased, among many others that I envied.

Now, after a whole month of sleeping and waking up late, movies, books, an unending appetite for food and spending hours doing nothing (without the feeling of guilt), it was time to get back home. I had mixed feelings – I was heading back home with eagerness to meet friends, rumours of winning a gold medal, the jittery feeling of getting back to hospital postings and so on. It felt like stepping back into a past life!

After the routine bidding of ‘goodbyes’ and ‘take cares’, Mum and I helped each other heave the luggage into the baggage screening machine. The departure lounge was filled with people seeing off family members and friends. I tried my best to ignore them. I don’t like crowds –kind of enochlophobia you could say. It reminds me of the days when I would go to the vegetable market as a child. I was made to hold either parent’s hand and pulled through the crowds like yet another vegetable sack. All I could see was people’s legs and bags crammed with things. It also reminds me of the bus journeys when the sudden slamming of brakes by the driver would send all the passengers flying to the front end of the bus.

With the formalities completed and the boarding pass in hand, we headed towards the most loathed part of the journey – the long wait in the boarding hall. The hall was furnished with seats in many parallel rows, alternating ones facing each other. We found a couple of adjacent seats and sat there waiting for the boarding announcement. A lady sat on the seat opposite mine. I tried guessing her age. This was one of my favourite pastimes when I’m most bored – observing people, their mannerisms and guessing their age and occupation. She had a stern expression on her face. I placed her to be somewhere in her early sixties and she looked like the teacher/headmistress type. I was still imagining where she must be from, when I noticed her shoot a brief glance at me. That was when I realized that I had been staring at her for the past few minutes. I gave her a meek smile, not realizing how else I could get out of the situation. She chose not to smile back – to hell with you, I thought. On the seat next to mine, Mum was trying to sleep. I left her with that and turned my gaze towards the young man who came and sat next to the headmistress (who chose not to smile) .


Simultaneously a lady came and sat on the vacant seat beside me. I was still battling it out on whom to observe, when both of them took out their mobile phones. The young man dialed a number and began speaking. I wonder if you have noticed how loudly people speak into their mobile phones, particularly in public places like the airport. I was forced to listen to the man’s history, future plans, problems, solutions to problems and what not. The lady beside me decided to annoy me further. She started talking about her mother- in- law, neighbour, neighbour’s mother- in- law, husband, his friend’s wife, etc. I also heard her discuss the latest episode of some saas bahu serial and a recipe. I was so irritated by them and their mobile phones that I made one of the most exasperated expressions and looked away. The headmistress couldn’t help noticing my frustration and she actually broke into a smile. I smiled back.

If you thought ‘crazy frog’ was the most annoying thing in the world, think again. I would prefer traveling with the crazy frog, than with mobile phone users. If you have to use your mobile phone in public – please use it. But not at the cost of somebody else’s peace of mind!