india interrupted

we left for india on the evening of eid.
i was excited with the expectation of seeing the taj mahal.
about 15 hours later
– at least 12 of them on a plane –
all we saw was dehli airport’s immigration terminal.

our travel agent told us we could get a visa to visit india
at the airport.
liar! liar! pants on fire!
we ended up getting deported!
poor aya. only 7 months old and she’s already been deported!

the “deport-ure” process was a whole bunch of
“come with me” and “stand over there” and “wait right here”.
airport workers took our passports.
then they were trying to make us get on the plane
saying they would give our passports before the plane took off.
we weren’t cooperating with that,
delayed plane or not.

10 minutes later a man walks by us with some passports wrapped in a white sheet of paper.
someone else tells us to follow him and board the plane.
we get on the plane,
and as we’re standing just inside the plane’s door
a flight attendant says salaams,
but won’t give us our passports.
we get off the plane,
cause we don’t know if it’s a scam just to get us on the plane
so it can take off sooner rather than later,
being that it was already late.
they show us that the passports in their possession
are indeed our passports and we comply
and take our seats.

back in amman’s queen alia airport we continued the mysterious deporting process,
but other than our passports being handed from person to person
like a track and field distance medley relay
and us trying to keep an eye on each runner in the process
while they tell us to wait-there and come-here,
it was uneventful.

alHamdullilah, our bags were waiting for us at baggage claim.