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Gabon

from inveRNario by Nino Rivera

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This tongue in cheek drama comes from a time I travelled from SA to the UK on Air Gabon, the cheapest flight I could get. On the journey there I was able to have my guitar with me on board as the plane only filled up in Libreville with Gabonians (people from Gabon) on their way to Paris.

The return journey was completely different. I pleaded with the check-in counter hostess to let me keep my guitar on board, but the flight was full from Paris. Once the Gabonians were disembarking in Gabon, I asked the steward if I could retrieve my guitar from the hold. No chance! I peered out of the window to see if I could see luggage being unloaded with my guitar in their midst as I was absolutely sure that it was being unloaded in Gabon. The next 8 hours of flight were a hell of insecurity.

Sure enough once at the baggage retrieval in Johannesburg – no guitar. Lost luggage was no help , so I went to the Air Gabon office in Sandton City.

Brenda, the only person in the office, told me that there is only one flight a week from Libreville to Johannesburg, but she was sure the mistake would be discovered in Gabon and they’d put my guitar on the next flight. During the week of waiting I wrote the words for “Gabon”.
When the turnstile once again revealed no guitar, I returned to Brenda and read her the poem telling her that she must understand that losing my guitar would be equivalent to losing my arms.
Brenda’s phone calls to Libreville paid off and my guitar was on the next flight.
Her remark of “Why didn’t you tell me that your guitar was in a case?” left me speechless, wondering about the broken telephone syndrome that happens in Africa. Brenda was white by the way.

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from inveRNario, released April 22, 2017

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