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| Picture courtesy: Google images |
I like talking to strange men on airplanes.
Recently, on a plane from Muscat to Ahmedabad, Anna and
I found that our seats were oddly ordered. She had a window, next to hers was a
seat for a stranger, and mine was the aisle seat.
Since we had boarded early, we just trusted the
kindness of strangers and took the two adjacent seats near the window.
“Madam, may I see your boarding passes please?” asked
Akshay Kumar.
The steward in uniform did indeed resemble the Bollywood star! For a
moment I wondered whether I was on one of those candid camera shows. But no,
everything was matter-of-fact and nobody else paid him any extra attention, so
he must be just a steward.
Behind Akshay Kumar was a tall gentleman in a green
checked cotton shirt. He held a heavy handbag.
I fumbled for our boarding passes in my handbag and
said, “Our seats are D and F, but you see, this is my daughter and she has a
slight fever, so can we sit next to each other please?”
Akshay looked at the tall gentleman who nodded
courteously.
I took care not to rest my hand on the armrest on his
aisle seat.
He put his bag away and sat down without much fuss. Most
men do not wiggle around much in their seats like women do. My neighbor sat still,
not doing anything else.
I had brought some fruit slices to eat on the plane
which provided food on demand and payment.
It was a night flight and we had already had our dinner. I offered him
the fruit.
He said, “No, thank you.”
Then he asked, “Do you stay in Muscat?”
“Yes.”
“Since when?”
“Last eight years. How about you?”
“Only one year.”
That set the tone for our conversation.
It turned out that his company supplied uniforms to
various institutions. He was a garment manufacturer and supplier. Since he had
grown up in Gujarat where the plane was headed, he gave me plenty of
information about how people live in that region, what to eat, where to eat,
places to visit….
He reminded me of other men I had met in mid-air. The
elderly cardiologist who gave advice on how to live life in general, the thick-bearded
English teacher from Oman who had completed his Master’s degree in Pune, the
German young boy who taught me how to eat cold bread…
Yes, I like talking to men on the plane.
