Topic: A great experience at the airport

[piersdad]

  A great experience at the airport

 Jane was adopted  and so were some of her  children.. Today was the big day to go to the airport
 “Shall we go now ”
"Have you got everything?" I asked.     
     "Yes, of course I have!"
Jane patted her newest grandson on the shoulder and  threw a loving kiss to her son. Who gave her a quick goodbye wave.
"You kids behave yourselves while we are away."
 The children  grinned at her.  "We are adults now, Mum.  Just you behave yourselves as well!"

“Then we are off to the airport”
It’s a long drive to the airport  through all the traffic  I wonder if the place will be busy  there always seems to have a crowd there  bustling around.
It is an interesting place to visit, even if you are not going any where.
Just getting there is a hassle and then finding a directory screen to find out where you had to go was the next task.
“Gate 21  at 4.55 pm  flight 507  that’s the one”
“Are you sure this is the one said Jane”
“Sure is I wrote it down and  it says the flight is from the capital.”
“Well here’s a seat that is near the gate and we can watch the arrivals while we wait
“Are you nervous?”
“Not really just excited”
The loud speakers blared and the disembodied voice says “flight 507 is delayed 10 minutes”
“Feel like a coffee dear”
“No I will wait here after all I have been waiting 60 years a few more minutes won’t matter
The next 10 minutes seemed like an eternity but at last the plane appeared in the distance and slowly it landed ever so gently and taxied to the nearby gate.
Time always goes slowly when you are waiting for some thing important in your life and this was one of those days.
Gradually the passengers filed off the domestic flight and moved past us sitting there waiting.
One lady in her 50s was looking around as if she was searching for some one she knew.
She scanned the waiting crowd but did not seem to recognize any one.
I thought that has to be the lady we are to meet she is sort of familiar
Yes it’s her she looks a bit like Jane and  has the red purse she said she always carried.
I yelled her name loud enough for her to hear and she turned to see me.
Not recognizing me of course but suddenly she spotted Jane and although she had never seen her before instantly recognised her and ran to her giving a great big  hug and Said.

 
“Oh! --Sister!-- It’s been 50 years and you just look like our mum” 

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[piersdad]

       Picture a 5 year old boy in a village deep in the urawera bush of New Zealand.
There were only 40 houses in the village and the boys there were more or less loose knit groups .
       I desperately wanted to be one of the groups and one day a friend said that to belong you had to go and visit the ‘cave’
      OK that seemed simple enough so with the friend as a guide we disappeared deep in the bush and soon I heard a tremendous rushing sound of very rapid water.
      Oh wow there was this huge ravine filled with ferocious water traveling at break neck speed some 20 feet below, the steep sides were covered with green moss and the rocks were wet and slippery.

      I was very apprehensive and said where are these caves.
My friend, the same age as me, pointed to a cliff face that seemed to have very little to hold on to.
    Scared as I was I was determined to see the cave and as my friend showed me the special places to get hand holds we edged along the sheer cliff face not daring to look down at the water and certain death.
    Soon we came to the difficult part as small horizontal crack in the cliff that only a small boy of 6 could fit and crawl along with out falling.
    No wonder the adults did not know of our cave it would be impossible due to the dense bush and other things for any person bigger than a 5 year old boy to get to the cave.
   At the end of the groove in the cliff was another surprise a drop to some flat rocks and up to onto a small ledge and there in front of me were two supple-jack vines to hang onto and was able to lower myself on to the next ledge and then the easy part to the cave in the side of the sheer cliff.
    By this time I was trembling with sheer fright as I realized I had to go back the same way.
The cave was full of stalactites and after a short explore we edged our way back along the cliff making sure that every hand and foot hold was secure as to slip any where in the 20 meter climb was certain death.
    Back in the dense bush I was elated. I had done what only 3 boys in the village had done and was still alive.
   As we exited from the bush we were met by two very anxious mothers and as I proudly related to my mum where I had been I got the biggest, first, and last hiding in my life.
Since that day I have never been scared of anything, as I knew that if I make sure of every step, I would be safe.
   Sixty years on I had almost forgotten this escapade till I was sitting in the Christchurch airport and looking at a poster of a New Zealand bush and ravine scene and gradually I realized there was the slippery flat topped rocks the horizontal groove, and yes even the two vines at the end of the last climb and the dark patch, yes I knew what was around that corner and only 3 people in N Z knew about it.
    I flew out of the air port to a school reunion and of all the people who were there at the school reunion, was the special playmate, who was the other person who knew about our secret cave of 60 years ago.

   I said “remember the first time we went to the cave ‘
“ Sure do “he said ”it was my first time too”