Chapter Three: At The Airport

Finally, the long-awaited departure date came. On 31 May 06, after 10 years of working in Singapore, Don and Poh packed their lives up into four over-sized luggage and two hand carries, and struggled to get Tibby, their cat prepared for the journey. She was too big to fit into a cat cage, and the original one Poh bought had to be returned and exchanged for a dog cage that would house her. Even the pet shop owner shook her head in disbelief. Don and Poh long knew that Tibby was overweight, confirmed with every veterinarian visit. So, the months leading up to the departure had seen Poh trying to get Tibby to lose weight in the hope that her air-ticket might cost less. Apparently, some airlines went by the weight of the pet and every kilogramme meant an extra $100!

Tibby wailed daily in protest at the reduced food portions. That was, until Poh decided to purchase their tickets from United Airlines which did not charge according to the weight of the animal. She would simply fly as a piece of excess baggage -- which was a flat rate of US$100. Poh had wanted to keep her on the flight with them, but again, her size was not small enough to fit under the seat, which was the regulations from United Airlines. In any case, Don and Poh were only glad that she would not be too costly to fly with them.

It was 4a.m. by the time the family of three arrived at the check-in counter of Changi Airport. In the distant background, the couple's family members and close friends, Edmund and Stephanie, stood with hopeful eyes, praying that they would clear the customs uneventfully.

The couple and cat stood with palpitating hearts before the customs officer. The former were afraid that their luggage, oversized and overweight, would be charged with exorbitant amounts of excess baggage; the latter was undoubtedly terrified of the unfamiliar surroundings. In all other circumstances, Don and Poh believed they would have been fined for pushing their luck with their suitcases. The dour-faced customs officer was already announcing to them the irrefutable fact that their luggage was overweight. Then as if by some magical fairy dust in the air, the tensed atmosphere cleared when the customs officer heard that they had a cat in tow. Her dour face softened and her ramrod neck and back replaced with a softened, relaxed pose. She stepped out of the counter to look at Tibby in the cage and broke into an amused smile. Just a while ago, she was scrutinising the couple with disapproval, but Tibby seemed to have found great favour before her eyes. She called for the porter, almost laughing on the line, whilst she issued Tibby her very own air ticket. The apprehensive couple did not know quite what had happened, only that within minutes, their trunk had all been hauled down the conveyor belt and they had not been asked to pay a fine. Tibby had also been escorted away to the cargo area by a porter, amidst excited chatters amongst adjacent customs officers.

The couple heaved a sigh of relief, and praised the Lord under their breaths. So far, so good. It was a divine decision then, to bring the cat along despite being frowned upon by their parents. Both of their family members had just had the opportunity to witness the customs clearance and realised, to their chagrin, that some things were just not as bad as they thought they would be.