A better decade for Simone Jennifer Smith: reliving my past traumas Part IV

BY SIMONE J. SMITH

“Sometimes in life, a sudden situation, a moment in time, alters your whole life, forever changes the road ahead.” ― Ahmad Ardalan, Baghdad: The Final Gathering

I have never liked connecting flights. I find them tedious and annoying. You have to get off your flight, and sometimes sit around an airport for hours waiting for the next flight. Our flight to Costa Rica was a straight flight, but for some reason, we were unable to book a flight straight back to Canada.

Hey! Are you just joining me? This might be a good time to go back and read the last couple of articles in this series. It will make sense as to why I am talking about connecting flights. I don’t want to lose you. If you are a new reader, it is all about context, especially with my story.

Okay! Where was I yes! We were on our way back from Costa Rica, and I had a connecting flight in Panama. Before we boarded the plane, we had stopped into the Duty Free to pick up some liquor and small souvenirs. Peter (my boyfriend at the time) spoiled me quite a bit. That day I wanted perfume, and Juicy Couture was one of my favourites. “Can I get this please?” Duty Free had a sale on Juicy, and I knew that whatever I asked for I would get. “Sure! Why not? I know you like it so go ahead.” Peter smiled at me. He enjoyed spoiling me because he always said that he liked seeing me smile.

We picked up our purchases and boarded the plane. It was about an hour flight to Panama. So, we strapped in and chatted about our plans for our return to Toronto. Peter was starting a new job, so he was excited to get back and jump into his role. I had just started my business, and it was doing very well. We knew we had work to do once we got back, and we were ready to get going.

It didn’t seem to long after our take off that the Captain announced that we were going to be landing soon. When I look back at it now, it all seemed normal. I had no idea that everything was about to change for me, and this change would set the course of my life.

Once the plane landed, we grabbed our hand luggage, and exited using the tarmac. We were told to have our passports out so that the Panamanian authorities could check our information. As we neared the door, I noticed that the authorities were already there to greet us. The one thing that I found odd upon approaching them was that there seemed to be such a large number of officers. I swear there was about twenty of them standing at the gate entrance and they were systematically checking everyone’s passport.

A female officer came up to me and took my passport. She quickly looked down at it, looked at me. She gestured to two other officers who were standing nearby. She said something to them in Spanish, and then one of the male officers who she had gestured came up to me. “Simone Jennifer Smith,” he said in broken English. My stomach knotted up instantly, and for good reason. “We are putting you under arrest and holding you for the United States Government.”

My whole world stopped. I swear. In that second, everyone around me seemed to freeze. I looked back at Peter’s face and he was white as a ghost. He just stared at me with such pain and shock in his eyes. I wanted to run, but where was I running too? The officer took out the handcuffs and put them on my wrist. I felt so helpless. I couldn’t talk. My mouth went dry, and in that moment, every emotion disappeared.