Per Aspera Ad Astra
Chapter 2:
Oman, 26th May, 2017–645 am
Guess I don’t have to say it out loud that I am in Oman. :D
545 am at the border crossing station and I hear that the senior manager will be coming in anytime. I am restless, asking everyone if the manager is in yet…explaining my situation and requesting them to point me at him when he comes. I am looking hopefully at every person in uniform coming in replacing the people from night shift. And then I see Mr. Rasheed leaving. He looks at me and gives me a sad shrug. I just look down on the floor…sad, disheartened and almost ready to give up. But I needed to fight. Its been hours since am waiting for the manager guy and I MUST SEE HIM. I must give it my best shot and this wasn’t my best yet. So I look up again, walk towards Rasheed and said, “Shukran Rasheed! Thanks for everything.” and shook his hand.
He said back something most of which I couldn’t understand as he was speaking in Arabic. I caught a name though…Sulaiman. My best guess is that Sulaiman was the manager.
I assumed my position back on the marble bench and waited. About 15 minutes after, I see this tall, built and scary looking guy in uniform walk in. Didn’t take me much time to figure out that he was the manager. This guy had the handlebar version of eyebrows…no kidding.
So…this his his highness, Mr. Sulaiman. How do I know? I saw him glare at me as he walks down to the counter and asks one of his subordinates something; still glaring at me as he gets an info update. Then he raises his hand and calls me over to the counter. My thought process can be best explained as a combination of fear (THE MAN HAD HANDLEBAR EYEBROWS FOR GODS SAKE), anticipation, hope and some more fear. Clutching my passport in my hand, I make the loooooong journey towards the counter, awaiting my judgement and he asks,
“Why you go Oman?”, he was surprisingly soft spoken for a scary looking guy.
“Weekend trip, sir! Me and my friends are going to see the beautiful landscapes and hoping to take some of it with us as pictures.”, thinking back about my reply, I should apply for a job at Oman tourism.
Anyways, he looked at me, looked at the passport and looked back at me again, “How many days you stay in Oman?”
“Am returning back tomorrow evening, Sir. I have to goto work on Sunday.”
He didn’t say a word after that. Just opened my passport, stamped it and wrote 30th May, 2017 on it. Then he showed me the date and said, “I give you visa till 30th May. Be back before that.”
Remember that scene from The Pursuit Of Happiness where Will Smith finally gets the job, shakes his boss’s hand, calmly walks out and then celebrates? That was exactly how I felt. I literally had tears in my eyes when I saw him go for the stamp pad. I thanked him, tears of joy rolling down my cheeks, took my passport back, paid the fee, packed up my bag and started walking. Sulaiman saw my face and he understood that this meant a lot for me. He leaned across the counter and kept his hand on my shoulder, said some prayer in Arabic followed with, “ God bless you son! have a wonderful time in Oman.”
As I walked out, I called Prakash and told him that I got the visa. There was a short celebration over the phone before they told me that they are on their way to pick me up and will take about 30–45 minutes. I walked for a bit till the checkpoint. And while walking, I teared up some more. I was happy, relieved and ecstatic that I made it finally.
That visa changed me in a way. My life had been a bit troublesome off late. It felt like I have lost control of everything and every waking moment had been a torture. The physical manifestation of the mental stress I was facing had completely left me in shambles…without motivation and self respect. And that stamp…that stamp was the ONE WIN that I really needed. I needed that one win to know that I am in control of something..no matter how minor it is and that its not all that bad and that whatever happens..its ok. I just need to get up and keep pushing myself and things will eventually be fine, maybe much better than before even. And here I am, sitting outside a mosque in Oman, waiting for Prakash and Akhter and pouring my heart about it. This is just the beginning and I have great hopes about today and tomorrow.
Cheta signing off..
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