Gone Home

With all the rush associated with the holiday season, one thing that really worked out well was my homecoming. My flight has been reserved for months, and my plane ticket was bought weeks before the actual departure. I chose the earliest schedule possible to ensure that I don’t get complacent in terms of waking up on time and also to avoid the holiday traffic that I knew was sure to be heading straight to the airport.

Apparently the idea wasn’t that original. Hundreds of people felt the same way. And that almost derailed my most organized homecoming in the history of my homecoming.

My flight time was 5:10 in the morning. I woke up at 2:00 AM but decided to take a quick nap thinking that it was way too early. I ended up waking at 3:30 in a panic. I had to drive to park and fly at a frenetic speed and had myself brought to the airport immediately. The long queu outside the entrance had my bile rising from my stomach. I was resigned to missing my flight as there’s no way I was gonna make it inside within 30 minutes given the queu’s length.

A quick check with a guard however revealed that they have a special entrance for those passengers whose flights are leaving within the hour. I thankfully rushed to that entrance and easily got in, gave my ticket at the counter and was proudly waving my boarding pass to the lady manning mabuhay airport lounge for a quick meal. She was saying something to me but I wasn’t really listening. I just got in and got myself a bowl of porridge and a coke. I felt relieved as I know they will be announcing the boarding time in the lounge. I was gonna go for a second helping when the boarding call came, except that instead of the usual boarding call, I was specially mentioned! Darn, that was what the lounge lady was telling me! My flight was already boarding when I came in, and I was being publicly announced as the final remaining passenger! Gah!

I had to make a run for it to the boarding gate, gave my boarding pass, entered the plane and purposely looked down to evade the burning looks of the passengers. I instantly fell asleep the moment I buckled my seat belt. Sometime during the flight somebody was nudging me for the food but I waived the person away wanting none of what he had to offer. Go away, I’m cuddling with a playboy bunny, no time for your thirdworld snack. Heh!

I got out of the airport feeling refreshed and savoring the sweet, unpolluted provincial air. I was hoping that my ‘sundo’ was already waiting for me. But there was none. I was secretly hoping for the whole brass band but I guess that was too much to hope for. So I waited, and waited, and waited. Of course after almost 30 minutes I suddenly realized I did not tell anyone that I was arriving that morning. Argh. Can you say senile?

Oh well, I had to wake up a lot of people and beg them to pick me up. So much for a dramatic homecoming.