SourceIt was her first time going outside the country. She had done endless research on the internet and made checklists, something that her impulsive self had avoided for the last 25 years. It was a business trip, but she had extended it to take in the views that Ireland offered.
D-15Since she had just gotten married, she encouraged her husband to apply for a visa so they could spend some time together after her business conference was over. The husband applied for the visa with the assurance from the visa agent that he'd get it in a week.
D-7Still no visa for husband. She started feeling the onset of a cold.
D-3No visa, and no reply from the visa agent.Her cold had gotten worse. Normally, she would ignore it, but the cold had brought along a friend—ear pain.
D-2Sadness took over as she gave up on a visa for her husband."Concerned" friends told horrific tales of ear pain and protracted air travel.This was followed by frantic googling on how to combat it. Her husband tried a folk remedy and poured heated almond oil in her ear. She wanted to catch hold of the folks whose remedy it was.
Still excited about going to Ireland, though.
D-1She had figured out the foreign exchange, and although the trip was clouded over by the lack of a visa and the pesky ear infection, it was still free.
D DayShe booked a cab, took her passport and papers, and rushed towards the airport.
There was a pileup on the way, and the cab driver took a detour.She glanced at her mobile for the time and kept it on the seat beside her.
She was a bit late, so she rushed out of the cab, taking her luggage and handbag.
As she stepped inside the airport, she reached for her phone to let her family know that she had arrived.
She had left it in the cab.
She rushed towards airport security and asked for information on how to retrieve her phone. She tried calling the driver through customer care, but to no avail.
She started hearing announcements for her name as the last call for flight boarding. Luckily, the airport staff took pity on her and helped her process her papers faster and whizz towards the boarding gate on a golf cart.
D+0.5
She stepped into Schiphol Airport for a layover,