The speakers not far above me was announcing the flight to Greece. I sat still on my bench and deeply inhaled the smoke from my Marlboro in the small aquarium - like smoking cubicle.

I looked at my watch and took a mental note of the time and calculating the time I have left before I required to hand in my boarding pass to that petite but full - bodied and sensual looking ground crew attendant with the high splitting body hugging qi pao dress. I decided that there is still enough time to look for a nice cozy corner table and order a cup of espresso.

I stood up from my bench and carrying my only hand carry luggage which is my backpack laptop case I walked toward the nearest pub and started to search for an empty corner table. I could immediately see all corner tables were empty as if they were waiting for me and watching me smoking myself to death in that see through glass cubicle. I chose the corner table located nearest to the gate and next to the Deli Shop. After ordering my single espresso I again heard the announcement for the flight to Greece.

My mind then formed a picture of one of the Greek island, Santorini and the blinding all white cubism buildings stacked on a towering cliff facing the sea. Opened window to a white cemented balcony with colorful flowers growing from a clay pot. The sound of seagulls was heard together with the sea breeze bringing the smell of the ocean onto the balcony and into the bedroom with oversize bed that has a slept - in look from the rumpled white sheets. The morning sun is accompanying a small breakfast table with white tablecloth and two cups of coffee and plates of toasted bread. I could see the image of butter and a stack of pancakes with maple syrup at one side of the table eagerly awaiting for whoever made it moments ago to taste the rich mix of flour and milk together with sweet honey.

My espresso came and momentarily disturb me from that nice imagery of morning breakfast at that terrace by the sea. I took small sip of my espresso and start looking around my corner table. I stop at the direction of the Deli Shop next to my table and could sniff the smell of the typical delicatessen products being display at the rack closest to me. My eyes then caught the sight of the name plate of the shop, PJ Deli.

I looked closer at the racks and could see a line of small bottled jams that were lining up on the top shelf of the rack. Looking very closely now at the line up bottles I could see a yellow color bottle of marmalade jam. As if knowing I was looking at it the marmalade bottle seemed to willingly opened its close cap and offered the sweet scent of fresh orange skin toward my direction. This flow of smell formed an intimate union of scents with my espresso which made my blood rush and almost unconsciously I started to deeply sniff my espresso as if I worship that small cup of coffee.

I knew now what to add to the white clothed breakfast table in the balcony facing the sea, a bottle of marmalade jam. That fresh marmalade scent will flow inside to the white sheet oversize bed and formed a perfect union with the left over intimate smell from the night before.

As I took my last sip I heard my flight was being announced. I stood up and walked toward that ground crew attendant who was busy checking the boarding pass of the passengers getting into the jetbrige. As the distance to where she stood became nearer, I wondered what she would looked like lying in that oversize bed. Her skin half covered with white sheet in an all white cubism style house by the sea, mixed with the scents of marmalade skin from the breakfast table in a white balcony blew in by the morning sea breeze.

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The noise of busy airport terminal always sounds soothing to me. That female voice announcing flights flying off to cosmopolitan cities like Frankfurt and Prague or exotic destinations like Morocco and Bali is like an open invitation to escape the current dreading reality of my life. The transit terminal that morning smells of freshly brewed coffee from the coffee shops that just opened their doors to the global commuters from all around the world. By now I have a little less than an hour before it’s time to board the plane again continuing the flight to my final destination. I sit there in my usual corner table in one of the coffee shop with a cup of hot coffee in front of me. No, I never set foot in this place before but there was once upon a time that I declared every corner table all over the world to be mine. As expected this corner table in this busy transit terminal has my name on it.

I watched people come and go around me. The rush of business travelers hurried to meet their plane as if missing the next board meeting in some cities will proof to be deadly to their corporate careers. In deep contrast to the business travelers earlier I saw a couple of backpackers with their laid back attitude with all the time in the world on their side. My eyes caught the site of several stewardesses in different color uniforms with their compact hand carrier walked by in fast paced ignoring all the signage around them as if their beautiful long legs know exactly where to go. There is something comforting and intimate about stewardesses in the way they speak to you in a friendly and polite tone attending to your every need. I wonder how these women can manage to look so smart and attractive this early in the morning. Well, maybe I’m just crazy about women in uniform.

I stared at a piece of white form in front of me wondering if I should fill it out now or later on board. I looked at my watch and saw that I still have enough time to leisurely finish my coffee and fill out the form if I wanted to. Secretly I have this longing desire to hear them announce that my flight would be delay therefore prolonging the time I can sit at my corner table. This could well be the reflection of my life at this moment which could use some transit time of its own from its everyday routines. Suddenly, I can just see my life sit at my corner table drinking my coffee in a busy international terminal without a care in the world while deciding which flight it choose to take to be the next destination, may that be an exotic or cosmopolitan ones.

I looked again at the white disembarkation form distributed on board earlier by a sweet looking oriental stewardess in a high split Chinese dress. I decided to just go ahead filling out the form. I filled out all the required information like name, passport number and flight number. After filling out the spaces stating my boring destination I see the boxes to check for Male or Female. This part always amuses me and I wonder why they use Sex as a heading instead of Gender. I felt like adding additional two boxes to choose for, Occasionally and Self Inflicting Pleasure.

Shattering my wish for the delay, I heard the announcement of my next flight. Grabbing my stuffs I start heading towards my gate. Choosing to walk instead of taking the automatic walkway I passed by the immigration counters with several line of people queuing. I noticed separate counters for Foreigners and Resident Passport Holders. They should have made one counter for me that marked Alien as I just didn’t feel like belonging to this universe right now.

Thinking along that line as I entered and smells that familiar scent of an airline cabin staring at the sweet smiles and greetings of the stewardess I wondered maybe I should’ve chose Female in that form before and that might turn my life around a little bit. Emerging in my next boring destination re-born as a new person could be well what I needed now.