Missed my flight

My wife was at her parent's place for delivery of our kid. I had booked a 17th.Feb flight, but in order to surprise her I told her that I have booked a 18th.Feb flight. Telling the same lie over and over again, does its damage - it camouflages the truth. It was set in my mind that my flight was on 18th. So, on 17th morning I came to office, and I was working on my workstation, as usual. My coworker Ravi was sitting behind me in my cubicle, working on my test machine.
I was excited to be going on a 2 week leave, the next day, to welcome the baby in the world and to enter the world of fatherhood. I opened my air-ticket, to fire a print. Once the ticket was open, I checked the flight date and time, and to my surprise my flight had already departed in the morning. My eyeballs started bouncing like ping pong balls between the flight date on the ticket and my system date. I froze for a moment, and then exclaimed – ohh no, I missed my flight. It took me a while to realize that the damage had been done.

After some time, to add insult to injury, my wife called me and said that the doctor had advised them to go for the delivery, the same day. She was sobbing, and I felt helpless and so damn stupid, for missing my flight – when I could have made it on the birth of my kid. I called up the airline, asking them for a partial refund and to book my ticket on the next flight to Baroda. The airline stated that the airfare won’t be refunded since it was a “no show”. So, I booked the next flight, which didn’t leave till early next morning. I spoke to my parents and booked them on the evening flight the same day.

But, the Delhi attitude had gotten into them to the core. Reaching the destination on time, is a strict no-no for Delhities, whether it be a marriage or the airport. They left home at leisure, and didn’t make it to the airport on time, thus missing their flight too. The worst part was that instead of cutting a sorry figure in front of my Mom, my Dad went to the airport coffee shop, and bough himself a nice hot coffee. My Mom was fuming with anger. Hadn’t it been winter time, the whole airport would have experienced corona temperatures.

At around 3pm my father in law called me and said that a boy was born. But, his underlying tone had a crisp and clear message – “now that you have become a father, come out of your boyish attitude, and grow up”. I was super excited to hear the news but felt equally miserable for missing my flight. My friends came home to congratulate me in the evening, but, most of them hurled abuses at me instead of congratulating me. Well that’s friends, they show you the real mirror.

I took a late-night bus to the airport the same day, to catch my early morning flight, but, the airport security wouldn’t let me in, because there was still a long time for my flight to depart. So, I occupied a bench in the airport waiting area, and slowly and steadily I stretched my legs till I covered the whole length and breadth of the bench. It was chilly outside, because it was Winter time, but I managed power naps, constantly keeping a watch on my watch.

Next day I reached the hospital in Baroda and looked at my baby sleeping in the pram. It was the best moment of my life. I just couldn’t take my eyes off the little chubby, Chinese looking reddish infant. I bent down on the pram, and kept staring at this most beautiful thing, I had ever seen. I picked him up in my arms and hugged him gently. I then went to my wife and said, “you did a great job”. My parents too reached Baroda the same day, thankfully nobody missed the flight.