Luggage

I have it! After 5 days of no luggage I have it. It's the little things you miss when traveling/living in a foreign country--clean clothes, Fusion razor blades, Noxema--it's great to have it all now.
So here's what happened. I flew out of San Angelo 29 Apr on Continental with my baggage checked to JFK. When I finally arrived at JFK--hours and hours later--my luggage didn't come off the plane. There I was staring at the convayer belt as if by magical powers I could summon my luggage to appear out of nowhere--the belt just going and going and I'm the only one standing there. I went to the Continental luggage office--closed. I went upstairs to information--sent me to the 4th floor. Went to the 4th floor--couldn't help me but called the luggage people and told me to go back to baggage and someone would help me. Back I went.
Sure enough someone helped me. She told me that my luggage would be on the next flight and wouldn't arrive until 830 that evening--my Air India plane was leaving at 745. But I was assured the luggage would catch up with me. So I got on Air India with confidence in Continental and the baggage system. By the way Air India is awesome! Lots of leg room and head room. TV for everyone and you play whatever you want. Enjoyed it.
I get to London and decide to call the European 800 number for Continental. The nice lady told me that my luggage had been sent back to Houston! Houston! I was sure she meant Heathrow--but she said Houston. This nice lady told me that my luggage would go back to JFK and then London and finally Riyadh--all I had to do was log on to the internet and I could track my luggage since I had the special code.
I arrived in Riyadh with my carry on, suit jacket and 2 sport coats. I had one pair of jeans in the carry on and two shirts and one pair of ...you know...along with two pair of socks and some travel size shampoo, toothpaste, etc... I was good for two days.
I looked at the internet on Day Two and it showed my bags were here. So I had someone take me to the airport. We went to Terminal 1 and explained--they kindly let me in. I looked and looked--no luggage. Of course not because Terminal 1 was BMI--silly me I was supposed to be in Terminal 2 for Saudi Air--the airlines that brought the luggage.
Terminal 2 there were more nice people. They allowed me to look. No luggage--and if you're a type A you're going crazy. They looked in their computer--my luggage was in Terminal 1 with BMI. So back I go to Terminal 1.
The nice guys in Terminal 1 made me explain myself all over. Asked me about my flight. Why would BMI have my luggage? And so on. Finally one of them looked on their computer and printed off the flight information of my luggage--it had more travel miles than I did--and they gave me the name of the supervisor.
Day Three without luggage--I call the supervisor and explain everything to him. Well it's obvious my luggage is in Terminal 2 with Saudi Air and there is nothing he can do. Call back tomorrow and he'll have more information for me.
Day Four--I call back. Now I have to fax him all my flight information, baggage claims, etc.. So I do--but he was gone by the time I faxed it--my fault I should have known he was leaving early.
Day Five--I call again--he recognizes my voice and calls me Tim. No he did not get the fax--of course not because I faxed it to his secretary and he hasn't given the fax to his boss. The boss looks it over and tells me he will do what he can but that it will take time--hey I've got plenty of that. A few hours later I get a phone call--my luggage has been found! "Tim, your luggage has been located and it is near the women's toliet in Terminal 1. No I cannot deliver it." So I get someone--Lenny my new boss--to take me back out to the airport. I get to Terminal 1--why would my luggage be there? It is probably in Terminal 2. I convince the guy to just let me look and he does. There's my luggage--and I forgot my baggage claim tickets--but no one asks for them. I get my luggage x-rayed, track Lenny down and say "Let's get out of here."
I know I told Laurie it was just stuff. But it wasn't just stuff. It was framed pictures of her andTimmie and my Mom and Dad. It was book that Timmie gave me for my birthday with his signature in it. It was a powercord for my new laptop so I can communicate with Laurie and Timmie (I still haven't hooked that up but that's another issue). It was comfortable sheets for the bed that remind me of our house in San Angelo. It was my scriptures and a Church hymn book that my Dad and Myrna gave me as a gift years ago. It was a smells and memories of San Angelo, my family and my friends. It was more than stuff--it made me feel better and closer when I'm so far away from all that is familiar. I got my luggage!