I Became Mean at Prat Airport

Yesterday you said I was mean,

that I don’t care about people,

that I only think about myself and what’s convenient for me…

And it is true…

I became mean at Prat Airport.

I used to work boarding and disembarking

passengers with reduced mobility.

I had to “hook” them in Terminal A,

that’s how the whole thing started…

A horrible polyester uniform,

four summers ago,

hitting 102 degrees,

and getting poorly paid,

I depended on tips

to afford my little luxuries.

Arabs knew how to tip

but old Spanish ladies didn’t,

so I ignored them

and kept on going

pushing an empty wheelchair.

It is the small needs that

twist our moral values.

 

Blanca Haddad, Venezuela