Short Stories: The Rubber Glove

During a trip to Venice in March 2003, I decided to catch a cheap Ryan Air flight to the UK to visit a cousin. Lining up at the check-in counter at Treviso airport, one of the smallest airports in the world I’m positive, I was told I had been singled out for an extra bag inspection and I was to report to a room off to the side where my luggage was to be taken.

I entered the room and standing there was a very large muscley security lady with my backpack on the desk in front of her. As she walked over to the door and shut it I looked around and there on the desk was a pair of XL rubber gloves. You can imagine what went through my mind! I was already a nervous passenger as I’m 54 and travelling on my own for the first time in foreign countries, all I could think about was ‘body cavity search’ and cringed.

The story ended well, the inspections lady, although burly, turned out to be very kind and just wanted to search my pack with the rubber gloves on. PHEW! was I relieved.