A Flight Story

Life doesn’t always give us a free pass. But it does hand out boarding passes. And sometimes getting the window seat can change your flight plan forever.
That’s hardly what he was thinking as he raced up and down escalators and through security checks at airport, an early morning flight to Dubai. Fortunately, he made it – though his luggage didn’t – but this would turn out to be unexpected as well.Most fellow passengers stuck sullenly to their headphones or mingled through newspapers.
Settling into his aisle seat and involuntarily gazing leftwards toward the aperture view of the platform, he glimpsed instead a shaggy wave of dark, straight hair, a lovely smile, honey sweet lips, wearing a vibrant dress, an elegant profile. A pair of arched eyebrows looked down on sweeping eyelashes. A set of dazzling, white teeth gleamed as she blew gently on her red fingernails sitting next to him . That for some reason made him instantly utter out the thoroughly unsubtle opener: “Are you British?"
Her confirming answer allowed him to nervously show off his long, if somewhat distant, association with all British things.When she introduced herself with a decidedly un-british name, he deduced she was already committed– and this relieved him of any further pressure to make an impression in the pressurized cabin. Yet their high-altitude small talk seemed to speed the flight . For a nervous travellor who usually counts down the minutes of potential disturbance, he couldn’t believe how quickly they slumped for landing.
Still, their connection might have ended right there had he not needed to wait for his missing bag on an ancient conveyer belt in Dubai's terminal. This gave the woman, who went by the name Sandra, enough time to rush up and slip him her hastily scrawled phone number, even in the presence of the male companion with whom she had been reunited.