I'm going to the states before my my brothers and sisters, and all my mates; America is the place you saw on TV through programmes like Different Strokes, Starksky and Hutch, Kojak, and the Streets of San Francisco. If anything the whole fiasco previously made me abandon my nerves and got me more stoked up about travelling for the first time.
All the family getting up together reminded me of christmas day, everybody rushing about and trying to get into the bathroom first. At that time, i had the smallest room in the house, which was classed as the box room; all the walls were covered with man city posters and pictures of Ferrari's and if i remember rightly all my bedding had the star wars theme. It was even smaller with a big suitcase in there, trying to get dressed with that big daft thing in the way was a right nightmare. I am not too sure what time we had to be at the airport, but i remember it being dark outside when i woke up, all the excitment the night before must have drained me because i was very tired that morning.
There seemed to be a lot of noise in the house and activity we definately could have doubled for sesame street, my sisters giggling as if they had found the lucky ticket for the Willy Wonka factory, and they were not even travelling.
-What you wearing Jean? I'm wearing my new dress, our Marje said as if it was fashion show.
Jean eventually coming out of the bathroom holding a bottle of Clearasil and dabbing her face with cotton wool.
-I'm not sure yet, you know i don't like to rush.
I'm just watching the two of them thinking to myself your only going to the airport. My brother playing some funk track by Bootsy Collins, and doing his impression of Huggy Bear, his afro so high even Chris Bonnington (mountaineer) could not scale. Wearing the widest Lionel Blaire's (flares), with two hugh pockets at the side, platforms (shoes) not even the Bay City Rollers would wear, and wearing tight t-shirt with Brothers Johnson on the front.
-David my man don't forget to buy me some real funky tracks from the states, you dig.
Then spinning around as if he was on the floor of studio 54. I had to laugh because he really thought he was in New york.
Then dad talking as if he was the pilot doing his preliminary checks.
-Handkerchief, Brut, lighter, Brylcream, Fisherman freinds, anyone seen my nail clippers?
My mum just humming to herself like all Jamaican women do before breaking out a variety of psalms and lighting candles as if going to church. Then over anxious and loud relatives banging on the door trying to get in out of the cold.
Going to the airport was a big thing for Black people back in those days even if they were not travelling, i remember back then how all our relatives would come to the airport in a big cavalcade just to wish us off safely. It would remind me of the film Convoy but without the C.B radios, and i'm pretty positive they bought packed lunches with rice & peas with chicken in plastic containers. I'm not sure whether they were actually wishing us off, or they were just going to the airport to have a picnic and watch the planes take off and land.