This it is, I made it! Twelve agonizing months of chemotherapy that brought a whole new meaning to the word nauseous. My reward? A dream trip all the way from California to Paris, France, with an in-route layover to Bangor to visit an aging parent.

Arriving in Bangor via Business Express Airlines, my wife and I waited at the luggage carousel as it made mindless circles and then produced no luggage. Now at the Business Express counter:

BEX: “Mr. Brennan this happens all the time that luggage doesn’t make it on the aircraft from Boston, if you’d like to wait the next inbound plane should have it.”

So we waited for the next plane and still no luggage.

“I understand your concern, Mr. Brennan, however, we really don’t get overly concerned until luggage has been missing more than 24 hours.”

“What happens after 24 hours?” I said.

“Ah, ah, we look a little harder. Mr. Brennan, were a little busy right now with arriving flights, I have a phone number for you if you would like to call Boston to see if your luggage is there.”

“Mr. Brennan, I cannot give you the full name of the manager here, I can only tell you that her name is Stephene and she is not here right now.”

My God, I thought! I’m in a Stephen King novel in Bangor, Maine, and the “Tommy Knockers” have stolen this person’s brain along with the runway. Still in Bangor three days later wearing the same clothes and washing the same undergarments daily, still no luggage. Twenty-four hours before departure to Paris — terror. We need luggage and clothes for Paris. The Bangor Mall here we come. OK, OK, I said to myself, you’re a trained psychotherapist, cognitively put your feelings in check. Put it behind you, don’t let Business Express employees ruin your trip, after all, you’re going to Paris.

Guess what?

Unfortunately, we had to fly Business Express back to Boston for the connecting flight to Paris. That’s right, the carousel in Boston stopped turning and the flashing red light went out and there we were by ourselves with no luggage again! I stormed into the Business Express luggage room:

“Mr. Brennan, this happens quite frequently that luggage from Bangor doesn’t arrive on the same flight, perhaps it will be on the next flight.”

I tried in vain to try and explain to the luggage agent that both my wife and I saw our new luggage loaded in the small aircraft in Bangor and off loaded in Boston while waiting on the tarmac for the bus to take us to the terminal. “BEX agent, would you please call the airport security for me, I believe my luggage has been stolen,” I said.

“No, Mr. Brennan, I will not call security, they will not do anything anyway.”

“Please, I’m leaving for Paris in two hours; you’ve got to help me.”

“Mr. Brennan, I’m not going to call airport security or the police, however, I can help you file a claim if you would like…”

At this point I had to leave the Business Express airlines baggage office or they would have had to call security for reasons other than lost luggage. My wife during this time of disbelief sat by herself on the edge of the baggage carousel in a cartharsis of emotions as total strangers stopped to ask if they could help.

Business Express’ condescending and apathetic attitude was not limited to one disgruntled Business Express employee, but transcended through several that my wife and I had the unfortunate experience to encounter. Given that corporate leadership starts at the top and this was the experience that customers received at ground level, one can only surmise the managerial inefficiency that must exist at the corporate headquarters. Oh yes, the luggage is still missing and as far as chemotherapy versus Business Express is concerned, I’d take another year of chemotherapy before I’d ever fly Business Express again.

Business Express, you just don’t get it.

Eugene P. Brennan lives in Newark, Calif.