The "Un-Terror Alert!" Story

It was an ordinary day. Last day of our vacation to beautiful Barbados in the Caribbean Sea. Actually one side of the island is in the Caribbean Sea, while the other side is in the Atlantic Ocean. Anyway, that's another story. Off to the Grantley Adams International airport in Barbados for our 3:10 PM flight to Miami before we finally reach our final destination, Philadelphia International Airport. Always enjoy the island airports, since you get more personalized service than in the big US city airports. Friendly taxi drivers, friendly check-in people, and even friendly airport security. Never even weighed our suitcases, since we are spending our money on the island and they are hoping they will weigh heavier than when we arrived. The waiting area at the gates is very comfortable. Food court and a large variety of stores line the area hoping that you will spend your last dime before you leave the island. Off to Miami! Plane is almost half empty for our return trip so we get to spread out and gain more leg room. Upon arrival in Miami, I am greeted with a wheelchair for my journey through Immigration, luggage pick-up, customs, security again, and a lengthy trip to our next gate. I had asked for the chair, knowing that the long distances might hurt my back which I had surgery on a few weeks ago. But, the first chair only took us a short distance to a waiting area with others who were in need of transportation. OK, time to wait for another chair. I sat down in a corner next to a couple from Boston who were waiting for a chair for the woman. We got to talking and then I noticed a black plastic bag against the wall, in the corner, between myself and the man. Asked him if it belonged to him and he said no. Now I'm getting a little suspicious. Finally the other guy called an airline attendant who was monitoring the waiting area. She told us not to touch it and immediately called for airport police. Within a minute two heavily armed policemen arrived and examined the bag. The smaller of the two reached down and grabbed the package. I almost expected an explosion, but was relieved when none occurred. He quickly took it away from us to an airport cart about twenty feet away and sat it on the cart. He then proceeded to open the plastic bag. No way would I have done what he did. I would have called for the bomb squad by now. But then, maybe he was the bomb squad! Someone grabbed their camera (not me) and were warned to put it away or it would be taken. The policeman extracted a glass bottle about the size of a large mayonnaise jar from the bag and sat it on the cart next to the empty bag, then proceeded to open it slowly. The clear jar had a liquid in it that had a slightly greenish color to it. A rather heavy mixture, but definitely a liquid. Slid the top slowly to the side while the other policeman watched. All of a sudden the other cop yelled, "Put the cover back on," as he was putting his hand over his face. Now I'm worried. Didn't take long for the smell to get to us. PUKE! As in vomit, throw up, upchuck, gut soup, ralphing, or barf. Yep, someone puked a whole bunch in a mayonnaise jar, put the top back on, put it in a black plastic bag and stuck it in the corner where I was sitting. And dumb me saw it! I knew every one's eyes would be trained on the adventurous cops and what they were doing so I slowly grabbed my old camera from my pocket and shot a photo from my waist. Didn't take time to set it, didn't take time to look in the view finder and was hoping the flash didn't go off. Photo that I posted here shows the policeman as he is about to remove the top. Didn't chance any more photos after that. Everything worked out, but we could have experienced a "Terror Alert" had the puke exploded!! It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.