Notes from my voyage:
First flight awful, stuck between two people, both college
students. Good enough people–they don’t
take up my space, make noise, or smell
bad, but the whole thing is very claustrophobic. Guy on the right wants to be a naval pilot,
studying flash cards of pre-takeoff checks, slept most of the trip. Girl on my left in pajama pants, sleeps,
reads.
Young family to the left with a fairly quiet baby. Sometimes she cries, but that’s how I felt
also. The girl next to me was making
faces at her and making her (the baby) laugh. As we approached Atlanta, baby
was sitting on tray table, pressed against the window, looking at the world
below.
In the airport café, black ladies at the cash register. Probably around my age, messed up Hispanic
guy’s order, didn’t really face him when they talked to him. Didn’t include his bread bowl, and wouldn’t
give it to him because he hadn’t paid, agreed to charge him for it and give it
to him, but found out they were out of bread bowls. Hispanic guy (an airport worker, maybe on the
tarmac? Has a vest with initials on it, can’t remember what) retorted as he
left, “it’s a holiday, y’all need a cook!”
My lunch was mediocre.
Chicken salad sandwich careless, raw onions always a bad decision. Four croutons does not a Caesar salad make.
Now my hands smell like raw onions.
Second flight: Drunk (?) woman with seat next to me argued
about baggage space with passengers in front of us (old married couple, made
snide comments and didn’t really acknowledge her directly), coming from home in
Charlotte to visit her husband who works for VA in Biloxi. Short dress and
makeup, but fairly disheveled. Face
puffy, seems like it’s seen plastic surgery, but could have just been a bad
day. Probably drunk, definitely kicked off the plane.
In front of me, old, colonel sanders type friendly with
young, smart, relaxed black guy. Sanders is in a suite, black guy in a white
t-shirt with tattoos. Both in first
class, ordering drinks, bonded over drunk lady.
Take off, empty seat where upset woman would have been; she
smelled bad, I didn’t ask her name. I unceremoniously nabbed her seat for my
stuff after she was escorted off.
Diamond rings do disco–reflect the sunlight all over the
cabin. Looks like stars. This ring’s
owner is a white, middle-aged, thin woman with grayish buzzed hair. Did she do chemo, or is she just a little
edgy? Husband reading CNN, sort of a Newman type, now he’s on E-trade, CNN
money. (Making stock decisions?) Old woman in front (the couple who argued with
lady from Charlotte) not wearing a ring.
Are they just family? Unmarried? Or do her fingers swell on airplanes? I
can’t see the husbands left hand without being obvious. She’s reading “Born in
Fire” Husband (?) has typical old man hat: tan, canvassy, large. Woman has anchors embroidered in gold all
over her blouse.
Middle aged couple (with the diamond) ordering white wine,
joking with stewardess. Classy Folk,
southern accents, going home.
Stewardess is older (mid 40’s? Early Fifties? Black women tend age well) A
bit old fashioned (shoulder pads, hair curled in rollers) but classy,
friendly. She opens cans with a card to
save her hands. Clever.
Other flight attendant younger (30’s?) more modern style,
smiles more.
They keep offering me refills, why don’t I take
them? These pretzels are making me thirsty.
Afterward:
I started this because I was reflecting on the drunk lady and didn't want to forget how that went down, I finished because I was bored. As we de-boarded I noticed the older fellow had a ring, so I'm going with swollen fingers. Additionally, the diamond ring lady had her leg was in a brace and she asked for a wheel chair, and they were talking about having had surgery. Bone marrow transplant maybe? Christmas can be a rough time for people. It's good to be home.
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