I was given a vintage Omega watch as a present, which was inscribed with my name in case I forgot whom I was. It was given to me by the family and therefore, it is very dear to me. So much so, I wear it occasionally and only when I am certain I will come home with it safe and sound. I had to assume this extra cautious approach when I nearly lost it at Amman Airport a little while ago. The watch and I were separated for no more than an hour but it seemed like a lifetime of agony.
On that day, I went through security checks in the usual manner of putting my briefcase through the X-Ray scanner and then placing all objects with metal contents such as mobile phones, reading glasses, belts, and of course the precious watch in the plastic tray. Everything went through the scanner and I passed through without triggering the alarm, YESSS! Why I feel so elated when I do not trigger the “peep, peep, peep” alarm is beyond me; it’s not as though I am hiding anything. I suppose I just don’t want to be squeezed and groped by a security man with bad breath.
As there was a big queue of passengers behind me, I decided to be sensitive and hastily collected my bits and pieces to go somewhere quiet and put everything back to where it belonged on my person.
There was nowhere immediate to do this ritual so I decided to go through the e/Gate passport control first and climb the stairs to the business lounge where I can get on with the task in question. 10 minutes later as I was finishing my drink in the lounge I noticed the watch was not on my wrist. So, I rummaged in my coat, in my briefcase, in my coat again, then back to the briefcase, to no avail. My blood ran cold! I began a frantic set of activities from asking for “Lost Properties” to making phone calls to my brother back in Amman, what he could do to help, I could not imagine. Nor could he for that matter, other than to send out electronic messages as far away as Japan, telling anyone who cared to know what was happening. The other thing he did was to keep me company by exchanging messages with me as I began my frantic search around the airport.
All of this was happening at the weekend and the Lost Property people do not do weekends in Jordan; the assumption being that people never lose anything over the weekend and if they do, then tough!
Having failed to find anyone or any office at the airport that could help me find out if some decent person had handed a missing watch, I decided to go back to the security line to see if the watch had fallen out of the little plastic tray they provide for passengers’ small items. Easier said than done! Once you go through passport control and security in an airport, you cannot casually walk back there, this is a strict one-way system! A thickset security officer stopped me.
Officer: Where are you going sir?
Me: I am looking for my watch, which I think I left at the security gate over there
Officer: You can’t go over there; you are now in a security-sanitised area
Me: I understand but, this watch is important to me, I would really appreciate your help
Officer: Is it an expensive watch?
Me: Well it is but, it is not the money, it is a special watch
Officer: I will have to send you with someone to accompany you
Another officer and I walked back to the X-Ray security point and asked if someone saw a watch. No one had! The man behind the screen made a good suggestion, he got me to put my coat and briefcase through the X-Ray again to see if the watch was hiding in a pocket or a corner. I was ecstatic with his clever thinking and dared to raise my hopes. Sadly, no watch was hiding anywhere within my belongings.
I was handed back to the big officer manning the point of no return who sympathised a little with me and urged me to come back in a couple of days to check with Lost Property. We both knew that was a crap suggestion but it was the only thing he could have said to get rid of me so he can go back to stopping people from breaking other security rules.
I went back to the business lounge and kept busy exchanging text messages with my brother and feeling sorry for myself. As luck would have it, the airport announced a 30-minute delay to my flight, which completed my misery for the day. Now that I had that extra time on my hands and I did not fancy another bland sandwich or a tasteless drink, I decided to go for another walk around the airport in the hope I might find someone brandishing an Omega watch and calling my name out, which they could have read on the back of the watch. No one was doing either of these things.
Out of frustration, I went back to my big security officer who was stationed between the various Passport Control Windows and the two e/Gate lanes. I have to say: he did not look pleased to see me but having departed the last time on good terms, he still kept a small amount of sympathy and good will towards me.
Officer: Did you find your watch then?
Me: No I didn’t
Officer: So why did you come back?
Me: I am not sure, I just wondered if I might have dropped it on the floor somewhere
Officer: I am sure someone will have seen it by now
Me: Maybe I dropped it in the e/Gate chamber
Officer: I don’t think so
Me: Can I have a look?
Officer: You can only walk through the e/Gate in one direction; you cannot walk back
Me: I just want to look through the glass
Officer: Okay, look but I don’t think you will…
Me: Here it is!
Officer: Where?
Me: on the floor, in the chamber!
Officer: Are you sure?
Me: I am positive, see for yourself
Officer: that old watch with the leather strap?
Me: Yes, can I have it please?
Officer: How are you going to get it out?
Me: I was hoping you would call someone to open the gate for us
Officer: That’s not possible, we have to wait for someone who wants to use the gate to come through and ask them to bring it out with them
Me: But this may take a long time!
The officer looked around and suddenly got inspired. He saw an airport employee pushing a wheelchair with an old man sitting in the chair looking very nervous and generally unhappy with life, twirling his walking stick wedged between his knees. The beefy security officer leapt towards the wheelchair bound man and whipped the walking stick from his fragile hands and returned to the e/Gate. The old man yelped and began to shout at no one in particular, demanding his precious walking stick back. The security officer attempted to reassure him he would get his stick back shortly but focused most of his efforts on pushing the stick under the bottom of the gate doors. I was watching his retrieval attempts with excitement while keeping an eye on the old man who was getting more hysterical by the second; the stick must have been some sort of comfort blanket for him and he was getting a separation anxiety attack. The watch proved to be very stubborn, it did not wish to be retrieved, but so was my hero security officer; he was determined to get it back.
When finally the watch gave up the fight and allowed itself to be hooked out, the officer picked it up and reverted to his well-trained suspicious attitude.
Officer: Is this your watch?
Me: Yes it is
Officer: Are you sure?
Me: Yes I am, look it has my name and date of birth on it, which match my passport!
Officer: It doesn’t look very expensive; it is very old
Me: Oh it is indeed. Thank you officer!
Officer: You are welcome sir
By this time, the old man was beyond hysterical with anxiety so, the officer turned around and gave the stick back to the old man and told him not to make so much fuss over an old stick.
There can’t be many jobs as rewarding as reuniting two inanimate objects with their loving owners within a few minutes. That officer must have felt like a hero for the rest of the day. He sure was my hero.
