This happened exactly one month back.
It was around 7 pm on Jan 1st. I was all excited to enter the United States of America. The BA flight I was in was landing at the Chicago O'Hare International Airport. Sea** coming to an end and the land of Chicago beginning; it was an awesome view outside.
Post landing, I had a successful, hassle free immigration. My next flight to Indianapolis was at 7 am the next day. I headed towards the domestic terminal, confidently catching the airport transit train. All the while I was awestruck seeing the hugeeeeeee airport. Chicago OHD is one the biggest airports in the world. The journey from my arrival to departure terminal took 15 minutes by train :-) At the departure terminal I collected my boarding pass and cleared the security check.
Now I was at the scheduled departure gate, all ready to board the next flight which was at 7 am next day!!!
I went around the terminal, did some window-shopping at the duty free shops and tried to kill time.
It was around 11 pm that I suddenly realised the number of people around me dropped exponentially. There were hardly 10 people to be seen around in such a huge terminal. All shops started closing down except for 2 Starbucks coffee shops.
At this point it struck me! I did a mistake by deciding to stay all alone in a DOMESTIC terminal! OHD may be one of the biggest airports, but why will its domestic terminal be busy during the midnight. There is hardly anyone who flies at that time.
Well, I was already in the cold water and I had to swim through.
I was jetlagged but the situation demanded me to stay wide awake. I went around the terminal thrice again, but had managed to kill just around 2 hours of time. I was tired and couldnt walk anymore with the luggage. I decided to sit in a lounge, near the payphones. I called back home a couple of times assuring them I was safe. I hadnt told them that I was all alone there!
Around 2 am, my fear started mounting up heavily. The coffee shops got closed. There was not even one security officer to be seen around the place. At this point I again called up home, couldnt control my fear, and told them my situation. I took note of some emergency numbers from them. I did not call back home for another hour.
I was still seated at the lounge and I heard a payphone ringing! I didnt know what to do. I picked it up, and hesitantly said a hello. I felt as if my hello resonated back to me! I tried listening carefully and lo!!! it was my sister from Mysore calling me on the payphone!!! Oh my goodness, can you imagine my happiness at that moment?! Getting a call from home on some far away airport's payphone! The telephone number got routed to the payphone behind me, and I, the intended person, picked up the call - so much of a coincidence, ever heard of such fortune before?!
Hats off to my smart little sis!
It was 4 am by then. Every 30 minutes once I kept talking to my parents, husband and sister, in turns. This turned out to be a real confidence booster, for I started feeling secure. Dont ask me how! I know they could have done nothing if something had happened to me. But this is what is called emotion.
Anyway, around 5 am, security officers started coming in and getting set for the routine security checks at the departure gate entrance.
Phew! I had spent one whole night at the huge airport all alone, and managed to swim through safely. I now look back and wonder How did I manage to?!
Now, wasnt this something?!
**It is Lake Michigan, not sea
