One Saturday evening I followed my uncle the airport to pick up his wife and children who were returning home after a trip overseas.
We arrived at the airport at about 8 p.m. My uncle parked the car and we walked to the arrival area. The aeroplane was scheduled to arrive at 7.55 p.m. so we were just in time to meet them, or so we thought.
The arrival area was filled with people waiting for the passengers to come out of the arrival halls. My uncle checked. the arrival times on the electronic screen and found that my aunt’s aeroplane was delayed by an hour. So there was nothing else to do but to wait.
I found an empty seat a short distance from the crowd. So I sat down and prepared for a long wait.
A large crowd of people stood just at the exit from the arrival hall making it difficult for the passengers to come out. Most of the people waiting were from travel agencies. They held up name cards above their heads to attract the attention of the arriving passengers. While they were busy trying to meet their passengers, they did not seem to realise they were also blocking the exit. A security guard appeared to ease the blockage. The exit cleared up somewhat, but after- the guard went away, the blockage reformed. Perhaps the travel agencies should teach their staff some simple social manners.
The limousines (actually taxis) were doing a roaring business. I saw many arriving passengers get on these limousines. Most were foreigners, and they came in various shapes and sizes. There were fit, young businessmen who merely carried an attache case each. Also, there were old tourists who were burdened with numerous pieces of luggage. I wondered if they really enjoyed travelling. Judging from the tired and often apprehensive faces, I was sure, most of them wished they were at home.
Then along came two young men pushing two trolleys laden with what appeared to be computer sets. They were desperately trying to manipulate their things over to the ramp that led to the car park. They presented a bit of comedy to the drab busy-ness of the airport. The boxes that they had stacked on the trolleys effectively block their vision. So they more or less felt their way to the ramp. The stacked boxes wobbled precariously and a few times I was sure that they would fall off, but they did not. Somehow, after a few collisions with walls and kerbs, I saw them disappear up the ramp.
So I watched the antics of human beings all around me for close to an hour and a half until my aunt and my two cousins appeared from the arrival hall. Then it was my turn to present a bit of comedy to the drab busy-ness of the airport. My aunt and her children were pushing two heavily-laden trolleys. They were also feeling their way along. There were bags and bags of who-knows-what. I wondered what sort of junk they had brought from overseas. Anyway, I had to help my uncle manipulate the two towering trolleys over to the ramp and onto the car park. We must have looked just like the two previous jokers.
Anyhow, we made it safely to the car and somehow managed to put most of the stuff in the boot. Luckily the car had a big boot. Then all of us squeezed into the car and we moved away from the airport.