Marylin is Going to be Late for her Meeting

Marylin placed her keys and phone in the plastic tray, sliding her case onto the belt leading to the scanner. She hated air travel nowadays, all the waiting, the noise, having to remove your shoes and being treated like a criminal just because you have to go for a meeting in another city.

There weren’t always sniffer dogs, but today the security gate had a handler with a large Alsatian standing near the metal detector. Marylin always felt nervous of the dogs, it all just seemed so unscientific relying on a dog not to get distracted. What if somebody had a sausage in their pocket?

Marylin glanced over to look at the dog whilst waiting in the queue. For some reason it ran forward to her, its lead pulling free from the guard’s hand. ‘Bollocks,’ she muttered under her breath. She looked down at herself, wondering what could have interested the animal. She was dressed in a smart blue business suit. Skirt, white shirt, jacket. There was no logical reason for this.

Two burly security guards approached, asking her to please step this way whilst the handler secured the dog. She was led a few paces away from the line of passengers and was asked the usual questions: had anybody given her anything to carry? Was she in possession of anything she wanted to admit to? Had she used any illegal **** recently?

Obviously she repeatedly answered ‘no.’ She hadn’t used **** since her youth, and had no idea why the dog might have targeted her.

One of the guards produced a metal detector wand, advising her that he was going to check for weapons before they proceeded, and Marylin dutifully parted her legs and raised her arms in a T shape. He started at her shoulders, working down her body whilst the other guard observed. It beeped twice, once in the middle of her back, once at the front just below her waist.

‘Madam, do you have any metallic objects in your clothes?’ the guard asked.

Marylin was confused. ‘No,’ she said. ‘I can’t think of anything.’

‘Please remove your jacket,’ he replied. ‘Do we have permission to check your pockets?’

She complied, handing it to the second guard. ‘Yes, of course.’

He found, of course, nothing in her pockets. He folded the jacket, placing it on a white table behind him.

‘I’m going to conduct a physical search now,’ the first guard said. ‘Do you consent?’

‘Yes, fine.’ Marylin was becoming annoyed. ‘Let’s just get this over with.’

The second one instructed her to hold her hands together with her thumbs extended. He gripped both thumbs in his big fist as the other guard moved behind her. She suddenly felt very small, stood between these two burly men. ‘Madam, do you have anything sharp in your clothes which I should know about?’

‘Nothing,’ she replied.

‘Okay. I’m going to conduct a physical search of your clothing now. Please don’t move.’