Our flight was to leave Saturday August 7 at 4:15am. We conducted last minute checks throughout the house in case we left anything behind. Ruby dutifully followed me in the bedroom, handing over items as I packed our carry-on luggage. She kept her head down and did not utter a single word. I saw a glimmer in her eye as she bent down to hand me a towel. I could not imagine her sadness - she had worked laboriously for three straight weeks looking after our family. If I were in her place, I would be jumping for joy. Yeehaw, those foreigners are leaving and I can relax now, I imagined her telling her family while kicking her heels. Instead, she looked at our 12 pieces of luggage lined up in a row downstairs, sorrowfully.
As one of my many treats, I ordered in McDonalds for everyone. Ruby was baffled why I ordered her a BigMac but I demanded her to eat it as a goodbye gift from me. Every time she did our laundry during our three week stay, she would come to me to announce her findings. She had retrieved an accumulated amount of 100 rupees from the pockets of my husband's pants and tried to hand it over to me. I told her, FINDERS KEEPERS. Serves him right for not checking his pockets, I would explain. She told me that she was going to miss my sarcastic humour. I told her I had learned more from her than I could ever imagine. She bit her bottom lip and scurried off into another room in embarressment.
Everyone polished off their food but I could not eat. My mind was already at the airport. Our Dubai cousin had announced that we would have protocol service when we reached Lahore International. I rolled my eyes. The protocol service was not what I expected on our arrival and I made a point of mentioning this. He reassured me that our cousin would help us bypass custom officers who were notorious of demanding the opening of all luggage and asking for bribes to have it go through. He promised that he would go in until we reached the gate for our flight. My stomach had butterflies and I told him that this had better be the case when we got there. "Don't worry. I know people," he replied as he adjusted his Gucci belt on his Louis Vutton jeans. And I believed him because everywhere we went, the craziest looking people seemed to react to him. Call them hot-shots, informers, the Dubai clique - whatever we wanted, he got it. "I feel like cookies. Chocolate chip," I demanded. He looked at me with confusion. I don't know what came over me but I craved cookies despite my lack of appetite. Everyone stopped talking, waiting for his answer. I don't think he realized my intent. I had to test him. He looked at me quietly for what seemed like an eternity but then got up suddenly and announced that he was going to get my cookies. It was 11pm. I had no clue where the hell he was going to find cookies at this time of night but something told me I was not going to be disappointed.
An hour later, he brought my cookies and rice pudding for everyone else. He walked in as if he had just won gold at the Olympics. I nodded in acknowledgement but inside I was doing the Happy Dance. If anyone was going to get my family out here alive, it was the Dubai cousin...
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