Occasionally checking her watch along the way, she was a bit worried the ride was taking too long. At last she saw the familiar airport watch tower. Once inside, she lined up at the check-in counter and confidently handed over her travel documents and the online check-in confirmation to the representative. The time was 4.40 pm.

The attendant looked her over and said "You are late for check-in." In her head she thought, "Surely 45 minutes is sufficient time!" Unfazed, she waited a moment while the attendant asked for her supervisor. Once there, the supervisor irately asked "Do you know what time your flight is?" The girl said tentatively, "5.30?" "No! It's 5.10! Check-in is already closed and it’s a long walk to the gate - you won't get there in time anyway. You'll have to get the next flight out."

Her enlarged eyeballs said it all. Knees shaking a bit, she asked (although she knew what the answer was) if there was an evening flight. No, they said, the next flight available was tomorrow morning; go change it at the ticket office. Mentally computing how far her remaining money could take her (what a perfect time to have intentionally left all her credit cards at home, too!) she made her way to the ticket office.

Luckily the nice lady at the ticket office changed her flight without extra charges, and even allowed her to check-in her luggages for the morning's flight. Maybe her I-am-strong-but-breaking-deep-down-inside look helped but it could also be that the lady was just plain compassionate. "How wonderful and efficient!" she thought. One down, another problem to go. So she sent an SMS to her friend: "You're gonna love this…. I'm still here! Blah blah blah..." Her friend lives close by and offered to let her spend the night. "Whoohoo!" For a minute, she regretted having accepted the morning flight too soon - she should have gotten the afternoon flight out so as to spend a little bit more time in the place. Anyway, she'll just take what she can get.

And so she lived happily ever after.

All I can say is…. IT COULD HAVE BEEN ME. It could have been ME ON that darned plane that fateful Monday afternoon!!!

And this is the true-to-life story of why I went home from Singapore on a Tuesday, instead of a Monday =)

+++++

In retrospect, that was REALLY embarrassing! But I am a firm believer of 'everything happens for a reason' and 'you are where you are supposed to be' (especially when it suits me hehehe!) so something good did come out of my extra night's stay: good views, good talks, good moments, all of which I needed at that time =)

Tenchu to my friendly friend for saving my ass! And for feeding me that night. And for taking me to the airport the following day (buti na lang kasi kulang kulang ang barya ko pambayad ng taxi!) to make sure I got on the plane. Her loving, parting words to me, which I will remember until the day I die, was: "Langya ka, pag nakita pa kita mamayang hapon ah!!! =P" hehehe huggies-mwah, khapsy! =D