It was eight o’clock and there was a seething mass of people inside the airport departure lounge. In front of me, in the fairly orderly snakelike line for the Virgin Airways Desk there were two girls that caught my eyes in excited and animated conversation. One of the girls was dressed very casually in jeans and grey bomber jacket with a grey spongy shoulder bag, with straps over each arm holding it firmly in place on her back. The bag had royal blue piping emphasizing the shape of a violin. I looked at the family of Jamaicans in the line and their precocious little boy and the snake moved on.
On the third turn of the snake the two girls came back into view, who we're now at the counter. I wasn’t staring, but I saw the security going through this special bag that had been designed for the musician, having space for clothes, a violin and two bows. The two girls moved away quickly and the Jamaican family of seven now approached the counter. I counted six large suitcases being checked in whilst I waited my turn. It became apparent that two of the family and the baby were actually flying, as they stood close to the counter as their seats were allocated, and the other four who weren’t travelling departed.
The agents were efficient and, without any checked baggage, I was soon through the checking and passport control. I happened to see the two girls as I was looking to find the gate assignment for my plane.
The girl with the violin was of pale complexion, quite small in stature, in her early twenties with long red curly hair, which had probably caught my eyes originally. Her hair was tied in a single plait down her back. She had bright Irish eyes and an athletic body shape. Her companion was an attractive mixed race girl of similar age. She was slightly taller at first sight with brown waist length, loose, crinkly hair. She was wearing a long black knitted waistcoat over a T-shirt, black skin tight jeans and black high heels.The heels had Jamaican national colour accessories of gold and green. I realized she was the shorter of the two.
I was somewhat jealous of the girl with the violin case, as I had intended to buy a violin for myself during my short stay in England, but had not found an instrument I liked in the time available, and it was more a want than a need as I have a very good violin and a nice electric violin as well. I stood looking at the lighted board and the other girl approached and asked if I was going to Jamaica. I said that I was and asked if they were travelling for holiday or work. She said it was her friends first time going to Jamaica and it was a bit of both. They were to perform at the Ritz hotel in Montego Bay and have ten days in the sun before flying to perform in Washington and Baltimore before returning to Dublin.
I explained I was a musician and music teacher in Jamaica and I had been visiting my parents in London. They looked a little surprised. I said that I liked the bag and the Irish girl told me she had had it made for her last year in London. The casual conversation over, I busied myself with purchasing perfume for my girlfriend and sat down to a nice breakfast with a view of the airport runways. I gazed at the planes departing to different destinations all over the world, and took some pictures of planes parked at gates and taxiing, with the grey landscape and even greyer sky beyond. I noticed it was snowing a little but failed to get a decent picture of it through the slightly tinted glass.
We all moved at the appropriate time to the gate and were ushered onto the plane by row number. I had my favourite seat next to the exit door, so I could get off the plane and out of the airport as quickly as possible, and have extra leg room. I wondered who I would be sitting next to me. I waited for a long time until my row was finally called, and when I boarded I found a somewhat overweight dark skinned Jamaican lady seated in my seat and her things on the other. She was wearing a heavy coat and had three bags including her handbag. I waited as the crew sorted out their things and made sure the passengers were settled. In time the lady cleared most of the aisle seat. I stowed my bag nearby and returned. She asked me if I minded sitting in the aisle seat as she would rather stay by the window where she was already seated. I didn’t really mind so I squeezed into the aisle seat next to her trying not to touch her arm.
Apparently somebody had checked in their bag, but failed to get on the plane, so we all had to wait whilst the ground crew located and removed it, before we could take off. Once that was done we had to wait a further fifteen minutes as we had lost our take off slot. There was still light snow falling as the plane lumbered down the runway forty minutes late. The Captain came on the speakers and told us not to worry as he could make up most of the lost time, as he was expecting favourable winds, and we should reach only ten minutes late.
After two hours in the air I decided to stretch my legs and my eyes caught the red hair of the violinist seated four rows back. She was engrossed in a magazine. Her companion’s eyes were closed with headphones on. I walked down the aisle and back and saw the drinks cart coming so I returned to my seat. An hour or so later, the companion stowed a box of chocolates almost above my head in the locker. She must have purchased it on the flight from the stewardess. I tried to rest most of the flight to the Caribbean. It was a smooth flight and not memorable. I watched two movies and only spoke briefly to the flight attendant. Much of the flight I watched the little animated plane as it slowly moved across the map on the plane’s tablet in front of me.
At the airport in Montego Bay there was a nice smooth landing and I was second off the plane as a young lad came from business class and pushed past me. My pleasure at being quick off the plane was soon dashed as there was a mass of people at the immigration desks due to the arrival of two other planes shortly before mine. The Immigration Officer made me fill out the form again and by the time I reached the baggage area, the girl with the violin case and her companion were ahead of me. There was no further delays and I walked behind them to arrivals. There, I saw as a man in full black suit greet the young couple and he ushered them to his waiting limousine.