Like the obedient citizen she was, Miriam held up her hands inside the TSA scanner, hating every minute of the government’s intrusion into her privacy. When she walked to get her luggage, TSA had already pulled aside her handbag.
“Do you own that?” the female TSA agent asked.
“Yes.”
“Could you please follow me?”
The oversized bleach blonde woman escorted Miriam into a side room nearby and another woman was already there. The white uniform shirt she wore indicated she was someone in authority, a supervisor.
“Ma’am, our scanner indicated a foreign substance at the bottom of your purse. Would you mind emptying the contents out onto the table please?” the Supervisor asked.
Knowing that the TSA had unchecked power, Miriam to empty the bag without saying a word. And besides, what Miriam really wanted to say would’ve landed her in handcuffs.
With black latex gloves on, the Supervisor sifted through Miriam’s items one by one and picked up a small ball of aluminum foil and dropped it into the palm of her hand.
“Care to explain this?”
Miriam tilted her head and squinted.
“Have you ever eaten one of those chocolate footballs at Easter time? That in the palm of your hand is one of those wrappings, or maybe two together. It’s been in the bag since I ate the chocolate two or three years ago.”
“You sure because our scanners are telling us different?”
Miriam promised herself a reward for holding her tongue the way she did.
“I’m sure,” said Miriam. “Now, can I go? I do have a flight to catch.”
The announcement that her flight was starting to board awakened Miriam.
She looked around at her fellow passengers, and it was apparent she had already made it through TSA security.
Miriam opened her purse and felt all around the bottom, grabbing the aluminum foil ball, walking over to the trash can to deposit it.
No sense in giving TSA any ideas for future flights.
*******