Going Solo

I turned twenty about a month ago. It didn’t feel different or old. I was excited. Not just about the day but the days to come. Because, my parents (cool that they are) gifted their (now responsible) little girl a holiday in Sri Lanka. So, on the night of my birthday instead of partying I packed with much anticipation. Looking forward to two weeks on a little island.

Obviously, I couldn’t sleep. At the airport just before I was about to board the plane, I felt a sudden rush of happiness, and also gratitude. I strapped myself in and noticed a white band on my bare wrist. Perfect! I who meticulously plan and pack, had forgotten my watch. Secretly, I was glad. It was a sign. I was going without an itinerary, wanting to discover each place, and unwrap it like a surprise.

I had to take two flights, first to Chennai and from there to Colombo. On both flights, women who sat next to me, chatted me up; curious and a little surprised that I was travelling alone. At Chennai Airport, the Immigration officer looked at me with beady little eyes, and unsuccessfully hid her suspicions (juvenile delinquent, running away from home?!) after checking with another officer, she reluctantly stamped my passport. I was a little annoyed with so many people assuming I was too young to travel alone.

As I sat reading my book, occasionally glancing at the departure terminal, my mind hovered, as it tuned in and out of conversations around me.

A young couple, most probably Punjabi, newly married, were busy taking pictures, lost in each other and their newfound love, even wilting flowers in a vase seemed to hold their interest. An old man was speaking really loudly into a tiny phone, repeatedly telling his son/daughter that there had been no problem at the airport, afraid that they couldn’t understand. He fidgeted for a while, walking up and down, then, resigned he sat down clutching his bag tightly and stared at the departures screen. A foreigner in salwar- kameez walked past me and flashed a brilliant smile. I smiled back and sudden loud wailing made me turn around. A child had overturned her cup of hot noodles, the father was shouting, and the mother looked pained and embarrassed. I stuffed my book in my bag and thought about the time when I was little, and had spilt boiling tea over myself in a train.

As the boarding call was announced I looked forward to my first holiday alone, across the little strip of water, in the middle of the Indian Ocean, and felt a little old.