Our Zebra Angel

MY ZEBRA ANGEL

It was Sunday 14th December 2014 and my husband and I were flying home on Caribbean Airlines after a wonderful two week vacation in Miami. Our four suitcases were very heavy. They were packed with a number of the eight books I published, and which I was bringing home to sell. All during the vacation I was worried about how we were going to get them down the stairs of my daughter’s house and into the car for the trip to the airport. My husband is not as strong as he used to be, and neither am I. We never expected our daughter or her husband to undertake such a burden.
However, when we were ready to leave the house my husband started bumping one of the suitcases down the stairs. Our son-in-law who normally is on call with his job happened to be home and he rushed to assist. He took the four suitcases to my daughter’s car and packed them. We were ever so grateful. One hurdle had been crossed.
When we arrived at the airport a porter came to our assistance and offloaded them at the web- check-in counter. The clerk weighed them and they were not overweight. Another hurdle was crossed.
We boarded the flight and sat in our seats 22 D and 22 E. We wondered who would be sitting in 22F. We did not have to wonder for long because a cute, petite girl with braided hair, dressed in a zebra outfit smilingly approached us and said that she was sitting there. She told us not to move and she glided into her seat by the window. It was remarkable the way she did that without stepping on our feet.
After the flight took off and we were 37000 feet in the air, the air hostess announced that dinner would be served and she requested that we turn down our tray tables which we all did. However, our zebra friend fell asleep while dinner was being served but we told the air hostess to put her meal on the tray table so that she could have it when she awoke.
She slept through almost the entire flight and only woke up when we had almost reached Trinidad. She spoke to us and said that she could not eat anything and she only wanted some tea. My husband called the air hostess and requested tea for her and she had enough time to drink it before we landed. The only other communication she had with us was when she wanted her hand luggage from the overhead compartment and my husband and another guy helped her to lift it down.
We then proceeded to Immigration and did not see her around for a while. After my husband and I collected our suitcases, my husband placed them on a trolley and we went to the customs area. Our zebra friend suddenly turned up and was behind us in the customs line. There was no green line that night. All passengers were required to lift their suitcases and place them on the conveyor belt of the scanner. When our turn came to place our suitcases on the conveyor belt of the scanner my husband tried lifting one and could not lift it.
I attempted to help him and a voice shouted, “Do not lift anything. You stand aside. I will do it.” I looked around. Our zebra friend was addressing me. She then helped my husband lift all four suitcases and he helped her lift her two suitcases and placed them on the conveyor belt of the scanner. She helped to lift them off the scanner too and placed them back on the trolley. I could not believe that petite girl was so strong. She kept telling me that I should not lift anything. I am really not good at lifting heavy stuff. I get muscle pains in my arms and legs, and dislocate my knee joints, when I move heavy stuff, but I wondered how she knew that. Both my husband and I thanked her sincerely and wished her a Merry Christmas. My son was waiting for us at the airport and he helped with taking out our luggage to the car and taking them into the house when we arrived home.
I decided to write this article in the hope that our zebra friend would read it. We appreciated her help so very much and we did not take her name or phone number. My husband and I call her our Zebra angel.

READ BOOKS BY BRENDA MOHAMMED HERE