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.Hamid thought he would surely faint.Without even glancing at Hamid, all-Takriti barked, "Captain, I require you to show me your manifest, the number of crew you are carrying, and their passports.""My co-pilot has all the passports,' the captain replied."I'll see you get them.""Thank you," said all-Takriti."When you have collected them, you will bring them to my office so that I can check each one.Meanwhile, please ask your crew to remain here.They are not, under any circumstances, to leave the building without my permission." The captain rose from his place, walked slowly over to the co-pilot, and asked for the passports.Then he issued an order which took him by surprise.The captain took the passports into the security office just as a bus drew up outside the transit area to take the French crew back to their plane.Saad all-Takriti placed the fourteen passports in front of him on his desk.He seemed to take pleasure in checking each one of them slowly.When he had finished the task, he announced in mock surprise, "I do believe, captain, that I counted fifteen crew wearing Pan Am uniforms.""You must have been mistaken," said the captain."There are only fourteen of us.""Then I will have to make a more detailed check, won't I, captain ? Please return these documents to their rightful owners.Should there happen to be anyone not in possession of a passport, they will naturally have to report to me.""But that is against international regulations," said the captain, 'as I'm sure you know.We are in transit, and therefore, under UN Resolution 238, not legally in your country.""Save ,our breath, captain.We have no use for UN resolutions in Iraq.And, as you correctly point out, as far as we are concerned, you are not legally even in our country." The captain realised he was wasting his time, and could blu no longer.He gathered up the passports as slowly as he could and allowed all-Takriti to lead him back into the hall.As they entered the room the Pan Am crew members who were scattered around the benches suddenly rose from their places and began walking about, continually changing direction, while at the same time talking at the top of their voices."Tell them to sit down," hissed all-Takriti, as the crew zig-zagged backwards and forwards across the hall."What's that you're saying?" asked the captain, cupping his ear."Tell them to sit down!" shouted all-Takriti.The captain gave a half-hearted order, and within a few moments everyone was seated.But they still continued talking at the top of their voices."And tell them to shut up!" The captain moved slowly round the room, asking his crew one by one to lower their voices.A1-Takriti's eyes raked the benches of the transit hall, as the captain glanced out onto the tarmac and watched the French aircraft taxiing towards the far runway.A1-Takriti began counting, and was annoyed to discover that there were only fourteen Pan Am crew members in the hall.He stared angrily around the room, and quickly checked once again."All fourteen seem to be present," said the captain after he had finished handing back the passports to his crew."Where is the man who was sitting next to you?" all-Takriti demanded, jabbing a finger at the captain."You mean my first officer?""No.The one who looked like an Arab.""There are no Arabs on my crew," the captain assured him.A1-Takriti strode over to the senior flight attendant."He was sitting next to you.His upper lip had make-up on it that was beginning to run.""The captain of the French plane was sitting next to me," the senior flight attendant said.She immediately realised her mistake.Saad all-Takriti turned and looked out of the window to see the Air France plane at the end of the runway preparing for take-off.He jabbed a button on his hand phone as the thrust of the jet engines started up, and barked out some orders in his native tongue.The captain didn't need to speak Arabic to get the gist of what he was saying.By now the American crew were all staring at the French aircraft, willing it to move, while all-Takriti's voice was rising with every word he uttered.The Air France 747 eased forward and slowly began to gather momentum.Saad all-Takriti cursed loudly, then ran out of the building and jumped into a waiting jeep.He pointed towards the plane and ordered the driver to chase after it.The jeep shot off, accelerating as it weaved its way in and out of the parked aircraft.By the time it reached the runway it must have been doing ninety miles an hour, and for the next hundred yards it sped along parallel to the French aircraft, with all-Takriti standing on the front seat, clinging onto the windscreen and waving his fist at the cockpit.The French captain acknowledged him with a crisp salute, and as the 747's wheels lifted off, a loud cheer went up in the transit lounge.The American captain smiled and turned to his chief flight attendant."That only proves my theory that the French will go to any lengths to get an extra passenger." Hamid Zebari landed in New Delhi six hours later, and immediately phoned his wife to let her know what had happened.Early the next morning Pan Am flew him back to New York - first class.When Hamid emerged from the airport terminal, his wife jumped out of the car and threw her arms around him.Nadim wound the window down and declared, "You were wrong, Papa.A fortnight turns out to be fifteen days [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]