The Gatwick Drone Debacle: Part 5

Quick recap; Drones are terrible, people are sometimes terrible, one should not run in airports but I did anyway because no one stopped me, nurses shouldn’t be awake for twenty four hours any more than anyone else should, and I got my hot chocolate just in time to have it ruined by an unpaid rent notice.

Beverage interrupted, I made a panicked series of calls to the people who managed my property who did not pick up.

I spent a good portion of that delay sat cross legged on the floor in full view of a flight board, waiting. My eyes kept flicking from my phone, the time, and the flight board. Every ten minutes I’d phone again.

It was unpleasant for everyone involved.

A few maintenance workers passed me, likely wondering if I hadn’t lost my wits.

When the office finally did pick up I explained to them the situation, and tried everything I could to resolve it. Naturally, all my attempts failed.

I explained to them that I was in the airport, and would be home in a few hours, so if I could please call back then and get the information I needed to send a wire-transfer. The woman who answered seemed displeased, as if she had been forced to listen to her phone ringing off the hook for a solid half hour, rather than, say, just answer it.

With that assurance and my gate having come up on the screen I made my way over. Knowing how the past day had gone I double and triple checked that thing.

As I was making my way through the line to board the flight I called my parents. Naturally, there was no answer. I left a message telling them about my rent, and that I would be home in a couple of hours. If they could pick me up, fabulous. If not, I’d take a cab.

I tried again as I was on the tarmack, boarding the plain, but to no avail.

A couple of rocky hours in the air, and I arrived at the airport, anticipating that my parents would have gotten the message and would have come to get me.

When I came out of security, there was no one there. When I called, I was directed to voicemail.

My bags were just coming out on the carousel, and I was planning my cab ride home when Dad called.

“Hi sweetie! Just let me know when you leave Toronto, I’ll come pick you up.”

“Dad … I’m home already. Like in the airport.”

“YOU ARE!?”

Both Mom and Dad came to get me, I got a big hug, and was assured me we would get the rent taken care of.

In the end, it was uncertainty, delays, stress, yelling, a sprint marathon, missed connections, and a panic attack all sunk into a little under forty eight hours.

Am I glad it happened?

Yes. It let me know that I handle stress well, at least when I travel. It gave me a sense of competency. If I could handle my way through that, I could handle a good deal of what my life would throw at me.

Would I do it again?

Not a chance!

The End