13th December 2017
Our family had just come back from our first trip abroad. My father didn’t own a huge bag of gold but his business had allowed me to get my first ride on a plane. Who knew it could make life feel so much more fulfilling? Currently, my brother and I were standing at the airport duty-free, trying to buy chocolates that fit our budget. While we searched for our personal favourite; ‘KitKat,’ my phone rang. I checked the caller ID and noticed that it was our mom.
“Hurry up, your aunt has come to pick us up,” she told me.
“Okay, coming” I replied as I asked the shopkeeper to pack the chocolates my brother had selected. “Papi, I have to go to the washroom,” my brother told me as soon as we were past the cashier’s desk.
“Okay, but come back quickly,” I told him.
“You sure you won’t get lost?” I questioned.
“No, it’s okay, ” he said, giving me a thumbs up and his crooked smile.
I then began running towards my parents trying not to worry about how awkward it might have looked. When I reached them, they seemed distracted as their eyes lay on a little child, crying in little whimpers. My mom was trying to comfort the little girl but she just kept crying, calling for her mom again and again. It seemed like she was lost so I decided to use what I call my dim-witted charm; making funny faces at her, cracking stupid jokes, and trying to elicit a smile. Soon enough, a giggle escaped her lips and I smiled with satisfaction. My hand reached for the chocolates in my bag and I took out one bar.
“Here,” I told her, handing her a Snickers bar.
She was a lot more composed now. My mom then began coaxing out as much information as she could from the lost and frightened four-year-old. Turns out she and her little brother were walking behind her parents. While doing so, the “pretty water “-which I believe referred to as the artificial waterfall – caught her attention and she rushed towards it, without informing anyone. Seems like her brother lost her then, which means they can’t be far away.
My younger brother who had now arrived from the bathroom and assessed the situation had started screaming at the top of his lungs about a lost child. My parents, who seemed fairly upset, realised we hadn’t reported the news to the main airport desk yet. Thus, my father began trying to locate it in the large airport. After what seemed like an eternity, my father found the desk and reported everything we knew about the child. It took some convincing but we managed to bring the little girl to the information desk with us. Her parents found us within two minutes and were relieved to find their daughter safe and sound. Her elder brother put his hand on his chest and nodded. He didn’t speak a word as the families exchanged words.
With all that had happened, I realised what flight I was to take in life; the one that helped others reunite with what they thought they had lost. To make people happy again and to return their lost hopes to them. Reigniting their passions for life.