In Her Company
It was the late hours of a dark cloudy evening. The raindrops raced down my window, their melancholic sound lulling me into a trance. My car crawled through the rain-choked traffic, inching closer to the airport. I hugged my backpack tightly, my only companion for the rest of my time at this unknown destination, from which I had no return ticket home. At the airport, I hugged my family goodbye and went on to check in my baggage. After successfully convincing the immigration officer that I would be back someday, I was directed to the security check. Some 20 – 25 people were waiting in the queue ahead of me. I saw this young couple with a restless kid standing behind me. I was trying to be courteous by letting them go past me. But then, I saw this young Canadian lady standing right behind the couple. And it was “Ladies first!!!” 😅 . She passed me with a thankful smile on her face. A couple of minutes later, it was her turn to unpack her bag on a tray to send it for security screening.