15 minutes of eternity!

20 minutes were left in departure as we finished eating our Pizza-slices which we bought from food court at Buffalo NY airport on November 10^th 2010. That’s when I realized I had to check the presence of my belongings. Laptop- check! Backpack- check! Cap-check! Am I missing anything? Shoes- check. I felt like I am missing something. What it could possibly be? Um… clothes? – Check- double check. What! After 3 long minutes of distress and meditation, my tension eased followed by an everlasting worry. The very next moment, I started hunting inside my backpack. No it wasn’t there. I asked everyone nearby but nobody seemed to have a slight clue. In next instant I found myself rewinding my memory tape around last half hour in a flash.

As I entered from the front door and made my way toward boarding counter. I had it over there. After passing security process I held it in my hand… then? I went to restroom. RESTROOM!!! I put it near wash basin and No! I didn’t pick it up. OhmyGod! I glanced at my watch. It’s been nearly 35 minutes since I left the restroom. Still lost in thoughts, with my exchange sister I headed for restroom. Somebody must’ve gotten hold on it, may be some criminal! He will sell it for big bucks or change the picture of me and use it for committing some severe criminalities. What else they could possibly do? Perhaps throw it in garbage? Or… I fondled with a gentleman. “Sorry!” I said and kept on moving. I was panicking.

 How can I be so irresponsible? I am going to miss a grand trip to NY City. How enthusiastic I was for it. I ought to miss all other trips which are waiting for me in upcoming months. Disney, Virginia, Ohio and what not! Even if I don’t go to any trips, how am I going to fly back to Pakistan without it? May be my dad can pay embassy to make a new one for me but is it even possible? ...Million thoughts were rushing into my mind but not a single one of them was optimistic. No hope. I shed some tears of regret as I saw the restroom sign. Without wasting a single second I ran inside and rifled every single spot. As expected, it wasn’t there. But what should I do now?

 Finally my mind indicated a diminutive smartness and commanded me to ask the guard standing right across the hall. I did it and his answer ignited a light of optimism in me. “Yes, we sent it to gate#3”. After struggle of 2-3 minutes and answering a million questions, I found it back. My passport! - A green little book of several pages with my name and some more information on it. I brought it closer, hugged it tightly with care and went to look for my host family. It was nearly time to board and they were waiting for me. Their faces conveyed emotion of satisfaction as soon as they got aware of the fact that I found my passport back.

Everything happened posthaste. An adventurous experience of only 15 minutes although ended with an ecstasy but left me with ceaseless cogitation. I never knew that my gray matter can work so fast. As I recall the dreadful experience, I am unable to catch-up with the pace of the thoughts that were making me sick before. Really! human body can do dramatic things which we don’t realize until or unless we go through some particular experiences. Those 15 minutes also led me to agree on a point that we don’t realize how worthy something is 'til we lose it. This hypothesis implies with everything-including humans! I flew in 13 different planes afterward but every time I kept a nimble eye on my passport. Those fifteen minutes also rewarded me and my host family with an inside joke that “Don’t take your passport to restroom ever again or if you leave it there again and it falls in the commode, you’ll have to carry a stinking one with you”.