As soon as Kabir arrived at the airport and saw his reflection in a large glass, he felt a bit strange. The signs of the grand farewell given by his friends in the academy earlier that morning were still visible on his face. The flower garland had been taken off and given to a fruit seller on the way by the three of them, but the large tilak on Kabir's forehead was still there. In fact, it had spread across his forehead a bit more when touched.
Perhaps when Rohan and the younger sir went to the restroom right after entering the airport, they had washed their faces clean with water. Since Kabir hadn’t gone inside, the tilak was still on his forehead. He took a handkerchief out of his pocket and started to clean his forehead.
After checking in, their luggage had gone on the plane, so all three felt a bit lighter. Their attention was now drawn to the other people accompanying them who were also going for the competition. Among them were one player and one official. They had already met the player during their training camp; he was a student from a big city college who was a member of another local club.
As the five-member team moved forward for the security check, Kabir and Rohan were surprised to see that they had to remove not just their watches, phones, belts, and wallets, but even the steel bracelet they were wearing on their wrists.
However, when they noticed that everyone standing there was also being searched, they realized that it wasn’t just them being treated as criminals, but it was a standard procedure for everyone. Rohan had a habit of always keeping the key to his bag tied around his neck with a black thread or attached to the drawstring of his pants, but here he had to take that out as well, as if it could be hiding a dangerous weapon.
With modernity came this heavy burden of technology that kept all travelers unnecessarily busy. It wasn’t that the security check process was meant to be a nuisance; however, sometimes the thought crossed everyone's mind that while only one person out of thousands might have the habit of stealing or engaging in illegal activities, the formalities made everyone bear the burden.
After the security check, when the team sat down in the inner part of the airport, they were astonished by the décor and the dazzling environment. The boys were amazed to see how beautiful and prosperous their own country looked, and they wondered how foreign lands would appear. Seeing the huge aircrafts coming and going, they could hardly suppress their amazement.
After some time, their aircraft was also announced, and like astonished passengers on a heavenly journey, the group entered the plane. Rohan stared wide-eyed at a flight attendant as she greeted him with a slight nod, while Kabir joined his hands in a namaste gesture.
Finding their respective seats, they all settled in. Rohan was particularly delighted to see that he had the window seat, which offered a clear view of the outside scenery. The younger sir cast a smiling glance at Kabir, who was quietly looking around, trying to understand the environment.
Rohan and Kabir were a bit anxious when the flight attendant began explaining safety measures on the plane. However, they quickly relaxed when they realized there was no immediate danger; rather, she was discussing potential future risks. As the plane took off, they felt a sense of leaving their country behind.
