Small Story 713.

 Small Story 713

Life is Beautiful — 58

The next day, exactly at 7:00 a.m., Raj came to Ram’s house and picked him up with his luggage. Tommy was standing on Murthy’s balcony, wagging his tail. Ram felt sad to leave him, but he was also happy knowing that Murthy’s family would take care of Tommy as one of their own family members.

As they drove along, Raj asked Ram, “I hope you have taken everything with you.”

“Yes,” Ram whispered.

On the way, they stopped for breakfast in Maddur and then continued their journey.

“You are lucky to see Dubai, the much-talked-about city of tall buildings and modern wonders,” Raj said.

“Yes, Raj. I have studied about Dubai and the neighbouring Emirates. I never expected this opportunity to come to me, but I am worried only about the ongoing escalation.”

“Don’t worry, Ram. I hope it will come to an end soon.”

Exactly at 11:30 a.m., they reached Kempegowda International Airport. Raj wished Ram a happy journey and asked him to keep in touch.

Ram said goodbye to Raj and entered the airport. He went to the Emirates Airlines counter, checked in his luggage, collected his boarding pass, and then went to the lounge.

After a few minutes, a lady from Emirates approached him.

“Are you Mr. Ram? May I have your passport, please?”

Ram replied, “I have already checked in and received my boarding pass.”

“I know, sir. You have been promoted to Business Class, so I need to verify your ticket and passport.”

Ram was surprised. He wondered why his ticket had been upgraded to Business Class.

After about five minutes, the lady returned with his upgraded ticket and passport.

“Happy journey, sir.”

Ram thanked her and proceeded to the Business Class lounge. He spent the next hour enjoying the lounge and its beautiful ambience.

Then he went to the boarding gate. Soon, he entered the aircraft and found his new seat. It was an amazing Business Class seat with additional comfort and facilities.

The flight began its takeoff from Bengaluru. Ram fastened his seat belt and settled comfortably in his seat.

At that moment, one of the crew members came over to him.

“Are you comfortable, Mr. Ram?”

“Yes, I am. But may I ask how my earlier ticket was changed to Business Class?”

She smiled and said, “Mr. Atkinson, the sponsor and Chief Executive of Dubai Channel, is one of our regular customers. Because of his recommendation, we upgraded your ticket.”

Ram was pleasantly surprised.

“Happy journey, sir,” the crew member said with a smile.

Ram whispered to himself, “Emirates—the finest in the sky.”

The staff member was delighted to hear his appreciation of the airline.

As the aircraft soared into the sky, Ram looked out of the window, thinking about the exciting journey that lay ahead.

The journey continues...

K. Ragavan

25-8-26