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"No," he continued, "it was the kiosk this morning. I TOLD the girl," (this was said with such inflection I wondered if the girl was an amoeba or perhaps a leper or worst of all...*gasp* a zombie), "that there were 7 of us and 14 bags...2 for each of us. But she insisted on trying to match them up with us. I told her again..."

His tale of woe droned on, but fortunately only as the line was moving. Since I like to be among the last people to board I did not have to hear the fascinating conclusion to this tale of heartache, trials and tribulations in trying to fly internationally in a climate of high security when you don't have your luggage matched to your party.

Oh, the indignity of it all! Heaven forfend the airlines do their job and do their best to keep every traveler safe! I am sure the loss of his business will be felt keenly. Of course, I myself intend to always use this airline in the faint hope it will keep me from having to encounter him again, but probably not for long as doubtless the loss of his treasured business will drive the airline out of business. That is, if he survives customs.

Because naturally there was a problem there, too. Would you believe Mexican customs officials had the unmitigated gall to do things their way instead of his? After all, if he wanted his three or four or five families from various parts of the United States of America to be treated as one group traveling together, then they had jolly well better accept the forms the way he filled them out regardless of what the instructions said!

Meanwhile, our party was just happy to be inside the building and away from the cloying heat of the tarmac. The only hitch was when a lady asked me to push a button that registers each person's entrance into Mexico through this particular airport. My insignificant knowledge of Spanish never allowed me to comprehend what she was saying when she wanted me to push the button. However, in mere seconds, with patience and sign language, we got the task accomplished and the three of us were officially in Mexico and ready to go.