“So let me get this straight, being up for that long has consequences? Who said coffee was the cure to end all cures!”
Landing in an airport, where they don’t speak your language, is eye opening to say the least. There are signs to read in four different languages, conversations going in half a dozen more, and somewhere is the proper place to go. Often times, it really is hard to find your desired language. Being a slave, traveling alone, I wanted to blend in as much as possible. Sadly, that’s hard to do when my main language is English, and I’ve barely started to learn German. What I did know of German, which I happened to be quite proud of, was sadly at this point useless. Despite the German flags, trinkets, and signs, the main language I heard being spoken was French. Not only that, but I’d then been awake officially for close to twenty hours. I was tired, way too tired to remember the proper nouns, let alone their proper tenses.
With a five-hour layover though, there was plenty to explore within the airport. Despite my poor use of langues, I managed to find out the airport offered free wireless internet. I had been clinging to my iPad in hopes of this being possible, and with a wireless connection I could call my Master. To say we were both overjoyed by this surprised communication is an understatement of the highest kind. There was a desperate nature, especially after having flown for so long, to communicate with my Master. We talked about everything under the sun, but I found myself extremely proud. When my Master said I’d accomplished something amazing, I accepted it as fact. No longer did I try to suddenly play things down, or think myself unworthy of such praise. My Master’s compliments were mine to enjoy, especially feeling that I’d done something to earn them.
Being honest, those five hours went by quicker than I ever imagined they would. I do have a tendency to get lost in my Master’s conversations. When my iPad finally died though, I had about an hour to occupy my time alone. By then, I actually knew my way around the airport. I managed to find a place that would accept my currency, and even got a few coins back in local currency. That coffee was the only thing I really wanted, despite being hungry. Flying is best done on an empty stomach, well, at least when nervous. It finally started to dawn on me that the next few hours, I’d be with my Master. There was an immense excitement that took over. Nothing in the world could honestly have calmed me then. After getting on that plane, it’d only be another two hours…a long two hours.
Spending time in that airport though, I realized that I was finally living. Everything had a new sense of wonder, a new way to look at it. Dozens of shops were in that airport, and I went through many of them twice. I aimlessly just took in various trinkets, looking at them with a slave’s wonder. My mind understood that for the first time in my life, I was suddenly free. There was nothing limiting me other than my Master’s intentions, and my own mental ability to accept my wants. I bought nothing, despite having set out to do so. For me, the true wonder was in the experience, and I didn’t have to buy that…I couldn’t buy that. Confidence just flowed through me, and this was greatly showcased by how others treated me. I knew by the end of the day, my Master would be exceedingly proud of me all over again.
There were plenty of things that could have gone wrong in that last hour. My plane was late boarding, taking off, and arriving. The gate was extremely hard to get to, within a short amount of time. Irony was not being able to tell my Master whether I was on the plane or not. The original problem, after all that communication, was still there. Despite that though, I knew at the end of the day, I’d be there with my Master. The bed I would sleep in, finally, to get some much needed rest, would be my Master’s. There was great excitement, so much so that I thought I’d never be able to sleep. To my surprise though, once aboard the airplane, I was asleep shortly after takeoff. Thankfully, I wandered in and out of sleep, staying roughly aware of just how few hours of waiting was left.
Phaedras Submission 