Five hours and counting

We arrived at the airport at 3 pm, and we both excited and surprised to see three people holding NAF signs. We explained that Ros told us to head come to the airport to catch a ride to festival. Now they were all reasonably skeptical, so Marcus took one of the men, Wilson, to the pay phone and called the transportation office to confirm. After Wilson spoke to Ros, he turned to Marcus and said, “she said I have to take you.” Well, now, that’s pleasant… we are paying customers. Each of the drivers had a 6-passenger van and a list of names of people to pick up. Two of the three drivers had at least one vacancy in their vans. Wednesday was a “very cold” day in Port Elizabeth, and it actually snowed for the first time in many years in Durban and Johannesburg, so most of the afternoon flights were very late. Wilson told us at 3:30 we would have to wait until the rest of the people on the list arrived. Fine. Great. No problem. Around four o’clock two older white women arrive for NAF transport and sit to wait as well. Around 4:15 pm a young black man arrives for the NAF transport and sits to wait as well. There are now five of us waiting to go to Grahamstown. Some of us are on one driver’s list; some of us are on another driver’s list. {Our names have been added by one of the drivers to Wilson’s list} Now as we are sitting, I’m wondering why they don’t consolidate the lists and let one of the drivers take this car load of people to the festival while the other waits on delayed flights. Five o’clock rolls around and they have reprojected the flight arrival times and we are all still waiting. I noticed Wilson come in to talk to the ladies and then saw them gathering their bags. I also saw the man walking towards the door. Marcus had just left the airport to go outside, so I decided to follow suit. By the time I got outside I saw a white driver walking away with the 2 women and the man. I approach Wilson, who looks like a guy caught with his hand in the cookie jar, “what’s going on?” It is now 5:28. “ We are going right now. Right now.” Marcus and I go to get in the van and wait. 6:00pm. Wilson comes back, “he says I can not leave and take just the two of you, I have to wait for the other passengers who are coming at half past 6.” Who is HE? And, why weren’t we taken in the car that took the three people to Grahamstown that arrived at the airport after us? What aren’t you telling us? Why hasn’t anyone figured out a better way to handle this situation? What are the other 2 drivers doing that requires all three of you to wait at the airport with no passengers? Now there is no way we are catching a 7:45 greyhound bus to Cape Town tonight… and I am not very happy. 7pm rolls around and the more I think about how long we’ve been waiting in the airport and all of the things we could be experiencing in P.E., the more angry I get. 8 pm. The two white South Africans from Durban arrive and at 8:30 pm it is Finally time to head to Grahamstown.