I don't know whether the combination of a toothache and earache brings the beast out in a person but for me it worked slightly different. The medicines didnt work and I had a pounding in moi ear and tooth as I stood dutifully in the NWA queue to check in for the flight. The NWA dude was ready with the checklist in his hands firing away his top 20 idiotic questions for which I was in no mood.

Questions & Answers went like this:

Q: "What is your purpose of travel?
A: Business

Q: "How long are you planning to stay?"
A: 4 days

Q: Who are you visiting?
A: (me losing patience) A client

Q: What is the name of the client?
A: I don't have to answer that.

NWA is irritated (a leetle).

Q: From the time you packed the baggage, has it been out of sight?
A: (pretends to think a leetle - takes a minute actually) - Umm, yes. Once when I went to the loo in moi house.

NWA is visibly perturbed. Tries his stern stare.

Q: Are you carrying anything sharp, pointed or anything that is dangerous and prohibited?
A: None of those but moi hands are registered as lethal weapons

At this, NWA stops. Is in a quandary at what to do. Confused and pissed at the same time. I hear a stifled laff from the lady behind me. I give her a conspiratory wink.

NWA waves me on. I am free to wander. A pitstop at the bar. The rates are depressing. Are we in depression?? I move on to the trinket/book/shawl/etc shop. Pick Thomas Harris. I could read that guy again and again.

A tiny replica of an auto-rickshaw grabs moi full attention. 400 bucks. I let out a minor expletive. The girl attending to the shop asks me,"Is everything okay?" Would you like to buy anything? I gruffly bark, "Just the book, thanks!!"

I fill the immigration form and move towards customs. Moi brass balls don't set the metal detector off. I am finally free methinx. But it's not to be. Yet another swarm of NWA bees is standing at the last frontier with their questions. A nice looking girl alleviates the tooth ache a little. Shoots:

Q: Did anyone give you anything at the airport after you entered it?
A: Just a kiss. And..a pause..Er.. the boarding pass.

Giggles. Waves me on. By now, moi patience has worn thin and I am ready to crash in moi seat. I remember reading in the 9th standard about Gavaskar batting for the whole day with the toothache. The takeoff lends a new dimension to the earache and I am screaming in moi mind for the hostess to bring in the scotch. 15 minutes later, 2 pegs down, I am down and out.

The encounter with yakkety yak Americano on the flight back in similar condition is in the next post..