Airports Part I

"Love Actually" movie said something like you only have to go to an airport to see that love is actually all around. To me, airport means good-bye. And it also means long agonizing wait. I have 3 stories about airports.

The first story is back in 1997. I'm fresh out of tech school and on my way to my first station. I got in Oakland International Airport at around 10 or was it 11 AM. To my dismay, nobody was there to meet me. I just thought, maybe they're late. An hour later, still no sign. I am now beginning to fret. No big deal right? So, nobody came to pick you up, big deal. It is. If, when minutes before boarding you realized you lost your wallet. Yes! I lost my wallet. And of course, your wallet has everything that you need. Money. ATM card. ID. Luckily for me, I have a 20 in my pocket and that's all I have.

I waited another hour, this time crying. Who wouldn't be? I'm in this city, I don't know a single soul and apparently nobody knows I'm here. I asked information if there's a USO in the airport, and there is but it's on the other side of the airport. A very long walk. I would have gone but I have 2 luggages with me and since I didn't have quarters I can't get a pushcart. I was hoping somebody will leave their's in front of me and of course that didn't happen.

I finally got an idea that worked. I called the travel agent and they were able to help me. They called a taxi service to pick me up and said it would cost 20 and will be there at 2 PM. Only another hour to go.

3 PM rolled around and still no taxi service. At 4 PM, I finally called the travel agents back. The taxi service was stuck in traffic and will be there in another hour. Did I say, that I didn't have breakfast and it's now 4 PM, I couldn't get anything to eat since my 20 is now alloted to the taxi. Finally, the taxi showed up.

This is not the end of the story, I still have one problem. I don't have any sort of ID. How am I going to get on base without an ID? We got to the gate and everybody else in the taxi started getting their wallets out for their ID except, of course, me. The cops are checking IDs now and they came to me and I have to explain my story. I have my paperwork with me but it's sealed, the only people allowed to open it is personnel. They let me in.

Now, we get to the billeting. And, once again, I have to explain about my missing wallet. They let me stay the night but they said, this needs to be sorted out first thing in the morning. Oh, this happened on a Sunday, the receptionist had to call her supervisor on what to do with me and the supervisor had to come in to work at 7 PM on a Sunday for this.

Finally, I have a room. And that's all I have. I am so hungry now. I stepped outside. I must have been looking really lost cause this guy asked if I was OK or maybe he was just being polite but I went ahead and told him what happened to me. Luckily, he asked me if I was hungry. I AM. He fed me.

The last embarrasing thing. The next morning, I realized I didn't have any toothpaste. I knocked on this guy's door, toothbrush in hand and asked for toothpaste. And then he helped me look for the place where I was supposed to work. Yeah, the work number that I have was in my wallet, too.

Wait! I forgot. After dinner that night, my phone rang. It was DAD.

ME: How did you find me? (relieved that somebody knows where I am)
DAD: Where's your address book? (sounding pissed)
ME: My what? (thinking to myself, why does he want to know about that???)
DAD: Your address book, where is it? (he's sounding really pissed now)
ME: Here, somewhere (bewildered)
DAD: Go, look for it (still pissed)
ME: Huh! I can't find it... (after looking for it)
DAD: You left it on the phone booth!
ME: How did you know? (amazed... my DAD has ESP!)
DAD: Cause I called you back at that number you left and somebody else answered it.

In my desperation at the airport I tried to call people, how they're going to help me when they're in the east coast and I'm in the west coast is beyond me but I was running out of ideas.