tea with tanvi

“Please stop that plane now, I will miss my brother’s wedding!”

It was December 2008.

As I stepped out of the cab at the Glasgow International Airport, I had to push myself against an icy blast of wind. I had been in Glasgow since August of that year to be taken aback by such a horrid weather. A usual cold Winter morning for that Scottish city but an unusually exciting day for me.

I was returning home, to New Delhi, for my brother’s wedding! Every cell in my body was jumping with joy.I hauled my luggage inside the Airport and got the check-in done. It was my first international flight all by myself, so I was not relaxed, and a mental checklist was going on continuously. Finally, I took a sigh of relief after the security check, gave my boarding pass a glance and safely tucked it in my black overcoat’s pocket.

I could imagine my fashionable younger sister cooing over my ensemble as I checked myself out in a window glass. The knee-high chocolate brown boots, the overcoat with a Scottish scarf and a warm burgundy beret. “Shit! I better take something for her otherwise I will have to come back with an empty suitcase” I thought.

I had exactly half an hour before the boarding commenced at Gate No 12 A. And I started looking around for souvenirs.  Suddenly I came across this grand shop for makeup with amazing Christmas deals. I picked up perfumes for my to be Sister-in-Law, some nail paints for my younger sister, a set of perfumed toiletries for my older sister and two lipsticks for my mom.I was running out of time and rushed to Gate No. 12 A for boarding feeling happy and content with the shopping. I looked at my watch thinking that the boarding should have started 10 minutes back, but these gates were shut. I moved around and enquired from a British Airways Staff, who asked for my boarding pass. I took it out and bit my tongue as it clearly mentioned the Gate No as 21 A. Then she politely told me to hurry as fast as I could because that gate was in the opposite wing of the Airport, almost 20 minutes away!

My face turned red, and I felt like I could not breathe properly, but I RAN (the fastest sprint of my life!) I reached Gate No 21 A finally and saw the British Airways plane standing outside. But the staff refused to let me go as the plane was ready to take off and my luggage had been offloaded. “PLEASE STOP THIS PLANE RIGHT NOW, I WILL MISS MY BROTHER’S WEDDING” I tried my best to argue, plead, reason with the staff (all while crying inconsolably like a baby) but to no avail. My dad called to check if I was on board, but I think my mind had stopped working. I had become numb. With fear and embarrassment! I went back to my university accommodation, dumped the luggage and decided to hit the gym. Waiting for a call from British Airways to let me know my alternatives was excruciating.

Of course, I got to attend my brother’s BIG FAT INDIAN WEDDING in full style.

The BA Staff reached out to me in the early evening and informed me that there was another flight, same time, the next day and a last-minute cancellation had made a seat available. I just had to pay the difference in price. I continued to stay embarrassed by this incident and my family made sure that there was no opportunity left to pull my leg over it.

I used to get nightmares about missing a flight for many years to come.  And I became an over cautious traveler. But it is funny how I can write this story today without feeling the intense emotions I felt at that time. In fact, I can laugh it off now!

I learnt to accept the good, bad and ugly that life has to offer. I learnt to take decisions myself. I also learnt my lesson to not take myself so seriously after all what looks so big and important starts looking ridiculously small and trivial after some time.