A day with the Man [ bwwm ] | DISCONTINUED

PART 3 ♦ FLASHBACK 2.9 ♦

PART 3
♦ FLASHBACK 2.9 ♦

Primo

As I stepped forward to hand my ticket and passport to the lady at the airport patrol counter, I felt a chill run through my nose then to the base of my spine. There was only one thing that could cause this, and that was Percy. He must have been really angry or shocked at something. Which reminds me, I needed to call him to see if he was on his way so that he can pick me up.

But......maybe not right now. Answering a phone call when you're about to go to passport patrol was really suspicious and I just came back from Trinidad and Tobago. I haven't got time to be stopped by the police and border control!

A few minutes later, I was headed out of the airport, lugging my luggage after me. There was nobody inside that had a placard for me that said my name. Maybe Percy was waiting outside? Finally after careful deliberation, I took out my phone and pressed 2 on speed-dial for Percy. Normally he picks up no matter who he's with or what he might be doing, but in this case, it kept ringing. Once, twice, three times...... After five times, I hung up. Then promptly rang again.

Why wasn't he picking up his phone when I need him the most?

It went to voicemail after a few times of the ringing sound. I groaned deeply. I did not have the time or money to get home. Time, as the longer he waited for, the more he felt like collapsing from exhaustion and the time it took to get to the taxi rank, or even call a taxi, was exasperating. Money, as the going rates of taxis, even Uber, was too costly for the little amount he had left from the trip. It's true what they say. The British Sterling Pound is the strongest currency in the world.

As I pulled my phone up to call Percy again, a car screeched to a halt in front of me, startling me so much, I took a quick step back. The car looked familiar but it nearly tried to run me over! In front of an airport with security no less! I was about to walk up to the car and knock on the window when the window I was about to knock on rolled down. Um, okay...

What confused me was the hands that reached forward to open the door. Their hands were familiar, and the person had a small tattoo that looked familiar to the one that I got with Percy...... Hold on.....

I bent down to see inside the window and I saw a face that technically reflected mine.

"Percy!"

"Primo! You took your time!"

I laughed and opened the back seat door, dumping my suitcase inside instead of in the boot. It was good to see his ugly face again after two weeks. It was almost weird not hearing his voice and his jokes, no matter the circumstance. Once I got into the passenger side, I stared at the side of his face. I swear, we could have swapped lives and I could see my lovely fiance but if only he wasn't so ugly.

"You're thinking of my face again, aren't you?"

I looked up to look at his eyes. He seemed to glance at me and his eyes shifted back to the road, the corner of his mouth doing a small lift.

"Yeah. I was thinking of how ugly it is. And how we could have traded lives if not for that."

At first, I thought he was crazy for stopping in the middle of the road, but when I quickly looked up, I realized that it was a red light. Dumbass.

He stared at me and I stared back. It was a good five seconds, give or take, when he started smiling at me and I, unconsciously, started smiling back. I was back... He held out a fist and I held out mine, fist bumping his. We then raised it to our mouths, coughed twice and did the reverse abracadabra hand movement, where you start with raising your pinkie first, all the way to your first finger.