"The Terminal"

"Your flight doesn't leave until 12:00 noon."
"What?!!!!" "Impossible!! It's supposed to depart at 9:00 o'clock in the morning" "Are you sure?"I ask.
"What's your destination again?"
"Texas, Laredo, Texas."
"I mean...your next destination." The guy asks me, he seems like he couldn't sleep well the night before and his tongue is too lazy to move to say a word.
"Oh, umm, Florida...Miami."
"Yes, it departs at 9:00, go and make that line to check up your luggage."

I go and take the luggage to the "check up" area, after that I go to make another line to get the tickets for my flight. My uncle is with me in the line, I get my tickets: "Good, reserved seats, I don't have to wait until the end to be seated at the airplane", I say. After I got my tickets I say good-bye to my uncle and my godmother and my cousin, I go inside the airport and get into another line to put on the table all the bags I'm carrying to be checked up through the monitors.

"The stroller Ma'am, you have to put it there, too."
"But, the baby's sleeping."
"You have to Ma'am." Says the lady in a firm voice.
"O.K."

I take the baby out of the stroller, he starts to cry.

"Your shoes Ma'am, you have to take them off."
"Oookay."

I go back, feeling tiny already after the way the lady talked to me and take off my shoes, I walk through the metal detector or whatever it's supposed to detect. I put my shoes on and put the baby back in the stroller, take all the bags and start walking what it seems to me like a mile to get to the terminal, I'm finally there, my daughter takes all her toys out of her bag and puts them on the seat and starts playing, the baby wants to get out of the stroller so I take him out.

8:30 A.M., the lady starts to call on the microphone the group of people to start boarding the plane. At the end of the hallway to the plane I have to take the baby out of the stroller and leave the stroller there. I take the thirty bags I've been carrying, actually about five: my purse, the baby's bag, my daughter's bag with all the toys plus another backpack with stuff inside that didn't fit in the luggage. Once inside the airplane I look for the tickets in my purse to check my seat number, I can't find them, I keep looking and looking, and looking, then I feel this huge pressure on my back, I look back and there's a line of people behind me waiting for me to move, they look at me and give me the fake smile, I keep looking and finally find the tickets and show them to the flight attendant and start walking through the narrow way between the seats.

"Oops." "Sorry." "Excuse me." "Sorry." "Oh, I'm sooo sorry Sr." I keep hitting with the bags all the people that are already seated, my daughter is reading the seats' numbers out loud while heading to our seats.

"Mom lets seat here."
"No Nicky those aren't our seats, keep walking."
"But Mommy, I want to seat here." She insists.
"Nicky, those are other's people seats!" "We can't seat there!!!" You can notice on my voice I'm getting stressed out and anxious to sit down so I don't have to see all the people faces staring at me.

We get to our seats; I still have the line of people behind me so I get out of the way and stand between the seat rows. The space between the rows is too narrow so I have to lean towards the back of my seat with all my bags still on my shoulders and carrying the baby at the same time and lowering my head because the bag compartment at the top is way to low so I can't stand up straight. I wait until all the people are sitting down so I can start putting away all my bags into the bag compartment, I open the first compartment, is full, the second compartment, full, the third compartment: "O.K. there's a space here", I say, I try to accommodate my bag all the ways possible but it doesn't fit in there. So I have to go back to my seat and put it under the seat along with my purse and Nicky's big stuffed bag that is about to explode.

"Aaaaahhhh" I sigh in relief as I sit down.
Already up in the sky my daughter's playing with her dolls and I'm trying to keep the baby distracted so he won't cry.

We get to Miami. At this airport you have to go through the "check-up" before going anywhere outside Miami, even though my bags where checked before I left Puerto Rico, so I have to go through all the process again, after that I check my next flight time, I go to the monitors they have at the hallway with all the flight numbers to see which gate we have to go, but my flight is not showing yet because it's too early. So I check my tickets to make sure of the departure time and I still have like 2 hours before the airplane leaves.
I go to Starbucks, "Mmm", my favorite place to have a nice hot coffee with a banana nut cake.
This is the place where a small coffee is a "tall" and a single piece of cake costs as much as a dozen powdered doughnuts at the supermarket.

"Shikinnnnnng" $$$$$$$$
$7.25 : Says the cashier.
"What!!!" I exclaim in my mind, "Geez!!" I pay.

As I'm seating down to have my coffee and my cake I look at my watch and realize it's already an hour before my next flight. Ok, so my "relaxing time" lasted about 5 minutes and I have to drink all my coffee as fast as I can, after all the darn cup cost me $4.00 so I can't take the luxury to waste it, and then almost run to the monitors to see which gate we have to go to catch up our next plane. I find out the gate number; then I have to walk 30 minutes, yes! 30 minutes to the gate, no train, no shuttle, no nothing to get there, the baby is extra happy since he doesn't have to walk that long, easy life, huh?! Nicky, ohhh, the poor thing is literally running with me and asking me every 2 minutes when are we going to get there.

"Phew". We finally get there, I make sure I'm at the correct gate and then I sit down on the floor with my daughter and start coloring with her in the coloring book she brought. About 15 minutes later I look at my watch and it's almost time to board the plane. I put everything back into the bag and into the stroller and when I get to the gate I see in the monitor that that airplane was heading to Las Vegas.

"Las Vegas?!" "W-what" "This must be wrong'. I go back to the monitors at the hallway and check my flight.

"Oh, peanuts!!!." Our flight has been delayed an hour and 30 minutes and the gate also changed. "Darn!!" I think. Since we have enough time now and Nicky's starving I decide to go to the food court. She sees the ice cream booth and asks me to buy her ice cream, I go and make the line and I ask the lady for a small cup of vanilla ice cream:

"Uté quiere otra cosa señora?" the lady asks me with a Cuban accent.
"Um, no, that'll be all" I answer back in English.

Then I think: "Oooyeme pero que cosa maj grannde caballero!!" You talk to them in English and they answer you back in Spanish, what's the deal?!

Then after Nicky finishes her ice cream, we start walking and she sees the pizza restaurant. "Mommy I want pizza, pleeease". I buy a piece of pizza for each of us, we finish eating and then we head to the gate where we were supposed to take the next plane. We're walking and walking and at the same time I'm reading the signs along the hallway trying to find the sign with my gate number, finally I see it, but I notice there is a line of people going through a "check-up" area.

"Excuse me Sr., my flight to Atlanta was delayed and the gate number changed but I already went through the check-up area when I got here, do I have to go through all that again?" I make emphasis on "all" and "again" hoping that he would have mercy on me and let me pass without going through the process. But as I thought the answer was a definite NO.

"Sshoot" I mumble. We finally get to the gate about 15 minutes before boarding time.
We get on board, here again the line of people behind me waiting for me to seat, the "Sorrys" and "Excuse me" an "Oooouch" here and there and the bad looks all the way to our seats.

Our flight from Puerto Rico to Miami was about 2 hours long, "piece of cake". This flight heads to Atlanta, Georgia, and it takes about 4 hours to get there, after this one we still need to take two more flights to Laredo and to top it all we are already an hour and 30 minutes delayed which means we are going to miss our next flight from Atlanta to Dallas, (I think and take a deep breath).

My daughter grabs her toys again to play and my baby falls asleep on my chest. I feel like we've been flying for 8 hours. Finally we get to Atlanta, you can see through the window it's really cold outside and also there are people wearing coats and mittens. O.K. so once again I check at the monitors to find out the new schedule for the next flight to Dallas...it has been delayed 2 hours.

"Whaaaaaaaaat!!!!!" I exclaim this time out loud in disbelief. "I can't believe this" I say. By this time I was very tired and feeling misserable.

When we get into the airplane and everybody is sitting down we wait for the airplane to take off. 5 minutes went by, then 10 minutes, 15 minutes, after 20 minutes the captain announces:

"Uhh, Ladies and Gentleman we just received a notice from the control tower that the weather conditions are not proper and we have to wait on land until the conditions improve, will be departing within 30 minutes, please remain seated, Thank You."

His voice sounded like that from a D.J. talking on the radio station.

30 minutes later the Captain goes again and announces that the situation hasn't improved at all and that we have to wait another 30 minutes.

We've already being seating in the airplane for an hour. I'm thirsty, sleepy and seating in this tiny seat next to this "gringo" that's so tall it seems like he's standing up when he's sitting down and his legs are so long he has to stretch one leg out on the hall way and the other one is resting on the wall in front of us blocking my way out, his arms are taking all the space on the arms' rest so I have to seat with my arms glued to my body. Our seats are in the row right behind the 1rst class area, and then I think: "these people are having Champaign and loafs of bread seating in their executive-like chairs chatting and laughing like they are having the best time...meanwhile we are all seating here in these uncomfortable tiny seats and thirsty and the flight attendant doesn't even care to offer us a drink!!", "Would you like something to drink Ma'am?"-the flight attendant interrupts my thoughts.
Finally after 2 hours waiting inside the airplane we take off.

Derek has been crying for the last hour during the flight and there I find myself making all the silly faces you can imagine to distract my baby and swinging him and singing to make him stop crying, nothing seems to work. It's already dark when we get to Dallas; I'm standing up in front of my seat with all the bags on my hand and the baby on my arms waiting for the people to get out of the plane so I can get out of there without having to say "sorry" or "excuse me". I'm facing backwards and looking at the people to see if anybody has the dignity to let me pass.

"Wanna pass?" A man asks in a sarcastic tone and then keeps walking.
"Oooh youuuu @#$@#$^$%^$^%" I think to myself. My face turns red and suddenly I feel like crying, but I'm not.

"O.K. so we are in Dallas, only one more flight and we are home." At least that's what I thought. Ha! Silly me...

My hair's a mess, my make up is all faded and I'm starving to death and I only got a few bucks on my wallet. Here we walk about 20 minutes to the next terminal, then take the shuttle to the next level of the airport which take us about 5 minutes, and then we walk for 10 more minutes and then we get to the terminal where I think I'm taking my last flight to Laredo, but...

"Um, excuse Ma'am, I'm heading to Laredo and my ticket says gate A2, is this the gate?" I'm seeing a sign that says 'Gate A', so obviously this wasn't it.

"No Ma'am, you have to take this shuttle and it will take you to the gate 'A2' "

So here we go again, another shuttle that goes all around outside the airport. Finally after 15 minutes we get to the terminal A2. All that without mentioning the stairs and elevators we've had taken to go to one level to the next.

"Mommy I'm hungry."

"You want some chips?" "There's a bending machine over there." I say.

When I get to the bending machine there's a bunch of guys with laptops on the floor right in front of the bending machine so I can't reach it, I go around them but no can do, I start walking through the empty spaces between the laptops, and the guys keep working on their machines and don't even bother to move one inch to the side so that I can walk through.
I get 2 packs of chips and a bottle of soda and go back and seat down right in front of the gate exit. I look at the monitor that displays the flight information and see that the plane is departing at 9:00 o'clock, it's 8 P.M.

Derek falls asleep in the stroller and Nicky's eating her chips. I seat and take off my shoes and lean back on the chair trying to find a comfortable position and start eating my Doritos.

I look at the monitor again and then I see that the time of the flight has changed, now is departing at 10 o'clock.

"Ay no!" "This is not happening to me, this is a nightmare!" I say.
Every time they changed the flight time people around me laughed out loud to let out their stress.
It's almost 10 o'clock, I look at the monitor and I see they change once again the departure time to 11 o'clock.

"This is a joke!" I say.

I felt like I was never going to get home. Finally at 11 o'clock I stand up and get prepared to be called to board the plane.

"May I have your attention please?" Says a lady over the microphone talking like if she was doing a commercial on TV. "Flight number 1234 to Laredo, Texas has been canceled, the next available flight is tomorrow at 12 noon, we are sorry for any inconvenience we may have caused you, Thank You".

Aaaauuuuuuuuuuughhh!!! I scream...in my mind.
"Yeah, right! That's easy for you to say since you're not the one who has been up since 4 o'clock in the morning, taken 3 airplanes, having all the flights delayed and having walked like 10 miles between gate and gate, and thinking that you were supposed to be at home like 3 hours ago but instead you're stuck in this airport until tomorrow with two kids!!!" Well, actually that was my mind talking.

"Oookay." So I'm seating there with my hands on my head looking down trying to figure out what I'm going to do. Then a man asks the people with registered luggage to make one line at "this side" and the rest who only have "carry-on" bags to make a line on the "other side".

There's a couple in front of me in the line and while the lady is checking in her computer for the next available flight they are making out right there, doing noises and giggling and laughing. "Get a room for Christ sake!!!!" I think. When it's my turn the other man attending in the counter asks me for my flight tickets, I hand them over to him, he starts checking in the computer, I'm waiting, then he makes a few calls and talks really low so I can't hear what he's saying over the phone, and expecting the worst he gives me 2 tickets for me and Nicky with reserved seats at a flight to Laredo that departs the next morning at 9 A.M., then he gives 2 more tickets, one of a free over-night stay at a hotel and the other one with a free breakfast and 1 free meal at the airport. "Oh my God!!!", "Thank you, thank you, thank you so much." I just can't stop saying, I almost hug him and my eyes get watery. So he explains to me where I have to go to wait for the cab that the hotel sent to pick me up.

I call my husband and tell him all about what happened. Then I go and take a shuttle back to gate where I'm supposed to wait for the cab.

In the shuttle a nice woman offers me her blanket because she's not going to use it anymore. I say:

"No, no, keep it, thank you, don't worry"
"Here, take it!" She insists.
"No, really, don't worry".

I get to the gate and I seat there on the floor, it's already 12 midnight, Derek's still sleeping in the stroller and Nicky crawls to my lap and lies there in fetal position. It's really cold and there are hundreds of bugs out there biting me and I am hungry. An hour goes by, and nothing, during all this time I'm seeing these two guys on wheel chairs going across the street back and forth, "Are they just bored or do they really wanna get hit by a car?" I think. I wake up Nicky and go inside to use a phone to call the hotel to see what's happening with the cab. The call never went through, so I go outside again.

I see the wheel chairs empty and within a second the two guys come walking from inside and seat on the chairs again. My stomach's growling really loud, then this two young people pass me by, then come back towards me and offer me a drink from Starbucks that was left with few other things after they closed the store. "Ooooooooooh" I hear the celestial choir from the angels. I take the bottle and in 2 seconds the liquid is gone. I wait for 2 hours there, I can't take it anymore so I decide to go back inside and spend the night in the airport.

"Sr. do I have to go through the "check up" to go back inside, I just came through there a few hours ago" I ask this old man with twisted eyes so I'm not sure if he's looking at me or the people behind me.

"You have to go through gate D, that's the only gate open at this time to go inside." He tells me.
"But that's the "check up" area" "Is there any other open gate?" (Hello! He just told me that's the only open gate at this time, but I'm just refusing to process the information..)

"NO!" Says the old man.

Right there I brake down and cry like a baby, Nicky is frustrated because she's tired and wants to sleep so she tells me to stay at the airport and sleep there like the rest of the people. And I'm like "No, no, no, no". After about 5 minutes sobbing I compose myself and start walking to the gate D, I have to take Derek out of the stroller and instantly he wakes up. We walk for about 15 minutes, "I want to be near the gate tomorrow morning when I wake up" I say to myself, but when I get to the elevator and to the next level I find out that I have to take a shuttle back to the gate I need to go. So "never mind" I say. "Lets stay and sleep right here".

I take a look at the place and it looks like a refuge with people sleeping in every corner. I search for a"nice" corner and I go sit down by a column, the poor baby is like ice so I take out of the bag a T-shirt and cover him, Nicky lies down on my lap and I cover her with a small blanket. Me, well I'm freezing and then I think how stupid I was for not taking the blanket from that woman on the shuttle so I wouldn't be here freezing to death and not been able to sleep. Right away I feel like a vagabond putting all the bags around me to see if I can get a bit warm, not working! I lean over Nicky trying to warm my body by being really close to her, not working either, but anyways I stay like that and close my eyes and try to sleep. After a looong while suddenly I feel something that falls from the sky over my back, "Ooooooohh" I hear the celestial choir from the angels again, it was a blanket!!!! I look up and I see a man putting the blanket over me.

"Oh thank you so much Sr." I say

It's almost 5 o'clock in the morning Nicky's still sleeping on my lap and I can't feel my butt or my legs. Derek wakes up and starts walking around wearing the huge T-Shirt. I put Nicky on the floor and go to the food store that just opened in front of us, I ask for a small cup of coffee which of course is as big as a big soda from McDonalds, and a sandwich. I go back and sit on the floor and start enjoying my breakfast, I eat half of the sandwich and I'm trying to drink my coffee but Derek is running around back and forth and I have to go after him every 3 seconds, I take a few more sips of my hot drink and throw away the rest of it in the trash can. I wake up Nicky and we head up to the gate...

"Ahhhhh, finally, we are almost home." I say.

At the gate, the kids fall asleep again, and I put my blanket over the baby, Nicky's using her blanket, I seat on the chair with my feet on the seat and my arms around my legs and I rest my head on my knees, my head starts to swing from side to side, I'm falling asleep. Finally I fall asleep and suddenly I wake up because I was about to fall off out of the chair and when I open my eyes the place is full people and half of them are staring at me, my face turns red and I feel a burning sensation on my ears. I'm pretty cold and a woman notices that and offers me her blanket, this time I accept without thinking, then after a while I notice she's getting cold and I'm thinking of giving back her blanket.

"Naaah" "I'm keeping it!!!" I think. "I'm really sorry, really." I convince myself.

It's almost time to depart and like 10 minutes before boarding time they announce that the flight has been delayed 40 minutes and that the next flight is leaving at 9:40, and, that the gate changed, good thing the new gate was right next to this one. So we move to next gate and sit there, and yes, just as you're thinking right now, the flight is delayed again 50 more minutes, now is departing at 10:30. And the gate is a different one, so you keep seeing all these people, including us, moving from gate to gate like nomads. At 10:30 the lady announces on the microphone that the captains that are supposed to fly this airplane aren't here yet so we have to wait until they get here. "Qué pán-talones ah!!!" I think.
And again they announce that since the captains haven't arrived yet that the flight is departing now at 11:00 A.M. I have to laugh, "This is unbelievable!!!" Well, so about 10 minutes before 11:00 I go to the pay phone and try to call my husband to let him know I was getting home by noon, I deposit .50 cents and start dialing, then I hear the machine saying: "Please deposit .50 cents, if this is a long distance call, blah, blah, blah", and then I hear the lady saying something on the microphone so I hang up right away and run to the gate, I don't want to miss this flight.

Finally we get into the tiny airplane, only 9 people are in it and there are like 4 empty seats, so the flight attendant suggests me to sit in the front seat so it's easier for me to accommodate with the kids, 30 seconds after I sit down I have to move out because these people that appeared out of nowhere tell me those are their seats. I move to the back seats and sit down. When the airplane takes off Nicky starts pushing the front seat with her feet and the guy seating there looks back and gives me "the look". An hour later I get to the airport at Laredo and there I call my husband from a payphone, he was going crazy since I couldn't call him earlier to tell him when I was getting there so he had no idea where I was, he told me he called his sister who got me the tickets in the first place, that he was about to fly to Dallas that morning, (imagine that, him flying to Dallas at same time I was flying to Laredo), but her sister convinced him not to, so then she called her friend at the travel agency who then called the airport to find out if I was still in Dallas or not. "Ufff" But thank God they found out that I was already on my way to Laredo.

"Ahhhhhhhhhh" I got home and kissed the floor, and I wanted to stay there and not move a finger for the next 10 hours!!!!!!!

A minute later I was feeding the baby, then bathing the kids, then....haaaa yes, back to life!


"The Terminal"

Sandra