Who is the kid?

"Ladies and Gentlemen. For security reasons passengers are requested to bring to the notification of the airport security any unclaimed baggage" announced the akashvani at the Bengaluru International Airport. A lady with streaks of grey hair hiding the wrinkles on her forehead and heavy woolen sweater protecting her from the chill of 4 30 AM in Bengaluru sat on the bench with a basket. A basket full of stuff typical of South Indian outing - A coffee flask, a small tiffin box with upma in it, a napkin and a water bottle. She was neither aware of the eat-outs at the airport nor could figure out what the announcement meant. She asked her husband in Kannada innocently.

"What are they saying ? Are they saying our daughter's flight has come?"

"No. They are saying that now a days it is very insecure out here as terrorists attack any place. So we should be careful."

"Oh My God. I should have lighted the lamp at home and done the Pooja at home before leaving. You said we dont have time even to take bath and come."

"Of course. You were bent upon preparing the breakfast and then leaving. Now lets just wait. I am already tensed till I see my daughter. Don't talk all this now."

She remained silent as she could understand his restlessness. The clock ticked by and an hour passed. It was the time for the arrival of BA 119 in which their daughter was coming. It was delayed by 20 min. The anxious father kept moving to the display board and back to the bench again and again. His feeble eye-sight would not allow him to check the status sitting on the bench. She could not wait longer and she started her questions again.

"What did you see?"

"The flight is going to come soon."

"Can we see the flight when it comes?"

"No, it will come on the other side of this building. We wont be able to see it. But they will write it on the board when it comes."

"Oh. What about all the luggage. She has to bring it from the other side of the building till here. How do they get down from the plane? Kids are also coming. How will she manage?"

"Even I am worried. But they will give her luggage only later is what she told. Then she can get it on those trolleys we saw others going with sometime back. They put some ladder for her to get down."

"Good they have some facility like that. But what if they don't give her the right luggage?"

"I think they will give. She asked us not to worry"

As soon as the display showed - "ARRIVED", he called his wife - "Come soon. The flight has come." She juggled the basket, umbrella and the small purse that had the cash to start running towards the arrival gate. A young girl of 25 sitting next to her waiting for the same flight interrupted and said -"It will take time for them to come out. Immigration and customs formalities will be there." The terms did not make an iota of sense to the lady. Probably she heard those terms for the first time. She gave a smile acknowledging that she heard the girl but continued her sprint.

Among the crowd holding placards at the arrival gate were these old couple with their eager sight hooked on to the farthest point they could see through the glass doors. There was no sight of any passenger till 20 min. But neither the eagerness nor the strength to stand there decreased. Finally after 40 min, the lady exclaimed - "I can see the kids. Bend down here. You can also see their legs." The old man tried to bend down to get a glimpse. It did not occur to him that it is a matter fo 5 mins that they will be standing right in front of him. It was the joyous moment they had been waiting for. Every second from then was like an year. The last few seconds had them slowly sneaking into the area reserved for passengers to hug the kids and their daughter.

There were smiles and there were tears. For anyone who would have observed them for those 2 hours, it was tough to say that the separation was only 3 months and that their daughter is a 30 year old software Engineer who has roamed the world. For parents, it does not matter, does it? For they don't see a difference between the two kids who ran to them at the gate and their daughter who walked slowly towards them. She always remains a kid to them even if they have to figure out the technological world like a kid trying to learn new things.