Mr Islamic Shalwar sighed, "We are 40 minutes late for boarding; I hope the plane reaches in time."

Uncle Dardiwala joked, "Array miyan, time chordo, plane sahi jaga ponch jaye yahi badi baat hai!"  (Oh mister, forget time, the plane reaches the correct destination, itself is a big thing).

I had to laugh with the uncle; travelling alone makes you want some company, however old or odd.

Soon horribly clad green shalwar kameezes with floral mismatched dupattas and caked-with-red-lipstick aunties greeted us. They showed us our respective seats.

If your bladder doesn't cooperate, avoid taking the window seats. The menu is a scam. It's bigger than the illuminati. That overboiled rice and leftover korma pieces isn't biriyani. Strange, I was expecting a lohta in the washrooms.

Luggage was not a problem (once it was: the conveyer belt came to a halt, and cargo was shifted suitcase by suitcase manually). But there is a very bad collection of movies, and not enough good songs. No stickers, no souvenirs.

There is gossip, clatter, smelly babies and duas among the plane turbulence. The relaxing chairs will give you osteoporosis if you sit for a few hours longer.

When you land, be prepared to walk a mile to customs, see them straighten up as they glance at your blue passport, and wait a lifetime for your bags to come. Don't wear skinny jeans and put on your fake Gucci glasses. But when you reach the glass doors, you will feel the heat, smell the earth, and see the very unfamiliar, familiar faces.

Welcome home! PIA flight PK 703 has landed in Karachi @ Jinnah International Airport.

- The writer, Fatima Kazmi, is an aspiring journalist with extraordinary ideas. Opinionated, patriotic and highly creative, she seeks to "provoke thought and defy norms."

LITERARY VIGNETTES

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