The Terminal.....

 New York,  JFK International Airport, Terminal 8 …….

Here is where I waited at Gate No 47, as per my boarding pass issued at the check in counter, to board my connecting flight to San Francisco. After a detailed window shopping  around the terminal and a coffee from Star Bucks (as recommended by my son in law ) , upon confirming the flight details  in  the electronic display board , except for the fact that I was unaware that the flights arrive and depart every second in that airport and the data change according to the availability of the gates and I should monitor the display board then and there …… I settled down to look around me……….until it was 5.50 pm (my connecting flight was at 6.00 pm)

I got my first doubt when I there was no trace of any boarding call at 47 …. Checked with the staff at counter  47…… The staff showed his hand in the air and sounded “OOOOSH” (his gesture made me smile though it wasn’t a good time)..

Rushed to the Jet Airways counter and requested for help. Initially they refused. From nowhere another staff who resembled more like a north Indian offered to help me….. Found out from the control room that my flight was  to depart from Gate 40 , was delayed just for me as a transit passenger  to catch up….. We ran ran and ran……to see desperately ….the aircraft  moving away from the gate .(Mam.. can u see the wings of your flight ??, yeah with my checked in baggage and half of the money I brought in US dollars)

Tried for a ticket to the nearby airports (San Jose, Oakland ) but horrified to know that no flight service is operated from the East Coast to the West coast after 6 p.m after the 9/11 incident……Upon watching my helpless situation , the Jet Airways staff offered to help me out. Offered his hand phone to contact my daughter, got the tickets printed out from his friend and made me wait near the Check in counter  near the departure gate for my bro to pick me up ……..

Around 8 pm ,my  bro, Sree as we call him, picked me up to his house to host me with Dosas and milk for dinner (his wife was away in India then), Sun TV, a nice chat, a little guided tour of his house in Milbourne in the suburbs of New York and of course (en route to his house) about the Brooklyn bridge, Liberty statue and what not..( I heard New York’s night view to be the best , is it so Sree?)

Early morning he rushed me to the airport and I boarded the  flight, of course without missing it this time, with the ticket helped out by the Jet airways staff the previous evening with no additional cost ……. On our way, my bro told me that the JFK airport is closed every night and no one is allowed to stay inside since the 9/11 incident . [What if those guyz were not there for me ? God knows what I would have done with my $ 500 , jet lag, new country,  new culture ……]

To my utter dismay, the flight was delayed due to technical snag……. When it started flying, there was this real rough noise of the engines which scared me throughout…..Except for the cornflakes and milk offered by my bro with tissues to wipe away the puss from my fungal infection in my finger….no food except little orange juice and wadar..(water as they say…..was offered in a tray in bottles to all non white people from where the needy had to pick up the bottle)

Thank God,  landed at San franscisco at last, after 3 days(I guess so or was it 2 guyz?) Happy to go  with grandson’s  sweet baby talks , hugs and good food and what not..

P.S : Guess why I felt so close to my heart when I watched the movie “The Terminal” by Tom Hanks

THANK YOU DEAR BROS….the known and the unknown ….