A lot has changed since that unfortunate sad day in September, for one I can't travel freely as I could before then. Me and a lot of other people around the world have to deal with the dirty looks and security checks! I go at the check in counter and the smiling lady looks at the passport and suddenly the smile goes away, its like when we play happy face sad face with kids. :P
From then onwards the questions and the wait starts, I am politely told that my passport needs to get checked, incidentally it happens with all names which seem a little too out of place or so I have been told. So after spending 15-20 at the desk I am told everything is good.....which I knew and could have told them if they had asked me!! Anyways by that time people have already started giving me the stares.....the "oh so what have you done?" and the "now why did you have to take the same flight as me!!" ones. You go past the immigration where they check your passport 4 times over and around each way to find something that isn't there before letting you through to security check in. Now this is the fun part. The question "Have you packed this pack by yourself?" always seems to find a place somewhere between the "hello" and "you're right to go", even if they haven't seen anything out of place in the x-ray check. Who do they would've done it.....the tooth fairy?? Last I heard the tooth fairy wasn't even leaving money under the kids pillow for the tooth she took!! (must be because of the housing crisis or the interest rates rising!) Well anyways after you're done with that we have this really nice person standing right there and "you" yes "you" are the winner of the "you've been randomly picked to get the particles of your clothes tested" to ensure you really aren't carrying anything on the plane the bloody metal detector hasn't detected!! And did I mention that the victim....oops I mean the "winner" is randomly selected and this has nothing to do with the appearance........yeah right!!
And all of this is before you board the plane. Yes, now you would understand why you should be at the airport at least 2 hours before departure time!! So anyways you board the flight and are seated in your seat. There is always one idiot (gender independent here) who's gonna stare at you for at least the period of time it takes to make you feel really really uncomfortable or show that person the special finger! You wait for the flight to take off and when it does your your worst fear suddenly comes true...............you have been seated two seats away from a couple with a baby who makes it a point to cry the whole way to your destination!! So you have had a rough time while on ground and rest assured it is going to be a one hell (no pun intended) of a journey in the air. By the time you settle down after the crying baby has been put to rest (no not in that way....for god's sake its a baby!!) you look around to find the "idiot" still staring at you, now trying your best not to walk up and punch the shit of him/her....but you keep control of that feeling. The thing I find soothing is taking one of those push click pens and looking directly at that person and then looking the the pen and slowly clicking it. It somehow scares them shitless and you can sit and enjoy the in-flight entertainment for some time!!
While we are flying I'll take us back to an experience of mine sometime back. I was sitting next this one "idiot" who was giving me the shits since the start of the flight and then suddenly there was some turbulence and the plane went into a frenzy, so here I am clutching the seats and then I turn around and see him looking at me as if I made it happen. I mean how stupid can a person be.
Anyways returning to our flight, so after spending the trip with the crying baby, the irritating "idiot" and the in-flight entertainment we safely make it to the ground. We go through another round of questions and finally make it out of the airport!! Too bad it ain't gonna be long after which we have to do it again!! Till then Fly Safe!! :)