That Moment (Шинель)

Arrived at Jakarta airport this evening.

I was 4 hours late due to a flight delay from Hanoi ... which then made me miss my connection in Singapore ... which then meant that I ... I ... you get the idea.

By the time I got to the front of the Customs queue I was quite tired; feeling a little Kafkaesque, even. I was also a distracted by am impossibly yellow shirt beside me and as I was recoiling from its glow I missed my cue to step forward.

The person ahead of me had already finished. When I turned around to the front, away from the yellow glare, I enacted that little startle that customers do when they suddenly remember where they are. I think it’s called “and then he came to”.

As I scuttled towards his desk the Customs Officer stared at me, gently unimpressed. He was about 25 years old and looked quite normal. He is midway through growing his beard, which in Indonesia can take anywhere from 6 months to 3 years.

As I handed over my passport and Arrival card he was looking around distractedly, like he was at a cocktail party looking for better people.

Or perhaps he, too, was avoiding the glare of the yellow shirt? Perhaps it was a random hunt for chicks? Either way for a few, long seconds he seemed unaware I was there.

Eventually he looked down at my passport and started flicking through the pages.

He located my entry visa and then came the photo-face-id check.

He looked up at my face, solemnly. I stared back, also solemnly but trying to appear kind. I always go for 'kind' in Customs.

He looked down at my passport again and then back up at me. This time he took a more detailed scan. As his eyes darted across my face I tried to hold my head still; to make it easier for him. I always go for 'easy' in Customs.

This identification process was taking much longer than usual and I was getting confused as to why. He looked down at my passport again -- this time for just a couple of seconds -- then quickly back up, like he was trying to catch me doing something wrong. I stayed still, staring directly at him with glum kindness. He stared back at me for a while. I stared. He stared.

Then it happened.

We both burst out laughing.

It was as if - in that moment - we had suddenly realised how ridiculous both our lives were. Or at the very least, how ridiculous this moment was.

We continued giggling, mildly to ourselves, until three stamps from him gave me my cue to leave.