He watched the jet stream trail
behind the steel marvel traveling faster than the speed of sound, breaking free
from the grip of Earth’s gravity if only for a short while, defying all the
odds in keeping its occupants alive and, simultaneously, in one piece.
He was in no mood to reflect on
this wondrous event as he heard his name not being called by the gate attendant
for the third flight in a row.
Stand-by is cheaper, but he
learned once again the life lesson that you get what you pay for.
He smacked the arm of his
chair in the waiting area. “It’s a scam,
I tell you, a dirty rotten scam!”
“Yes, dearie.” His traveling companion offered her standard response that silenced him each time he came out with that
remark, then fell back asleep.
Cursing his first-world problems, he stalked off
to the nearest fast food outlet. Luckily
for him, there are no lines at 2:30 in the morning.
“Could I have the #7, double
cheese, double onion, double sauce, double bun, and double lettuce?”
“Sure, but it’ll be double cost.”
“Fine – and a double coffee with
cream to go with it.”
“Won’t have cream until 5:00 – I
can give you some milk instead.”
“Fine, double milk.” As he took out his wallet, he muttered, “No
flight, no cream – I’ve travelled back to the Stone Age.”
He brought his tray of early
morning snacks back to the waiting area.
“Did you get me anything?”
“Argh!! What would you like?”
“Nothing – it’s not even time for
breakfast and you’ve already ordered dinner!
You’re gonna be sick!”
Through a full mouth: “I’m sick
already – this is my medicine.”
15 hours later….
“Didn’t you bring a razor? You’ve got a beard that looks terrible on
you.”
“I had to put it in my checked
bag. I don’t get why they don’t let you
carry razors onto planes anymore.”
“That’s ridiculous – they let my
razor go through Security.” She started
to pull out hers from her handbag.
“Put that away!” In a whisper:
“Can I borrow it later?”
“Maybe.”
20 hours later….
“Excuse me?” He asked the gate attendant who was
momentarily taken aback by the disheveled-looking slob in front of her. “Could you check whether there are any seats
available for us on the next flight?”
She looked. “That flight seems full, too, sir, but
there’s always the chance of last-minute no-shows. Would you like me to try converting your
tickets to reserve seats on the next flight or for you to go to another destination?”
“No! No more fees!
We are going to get on a plane at this gate on this airline to the city
we originally planned for the price I originally paid if we have to wait here
for the rest of our lives!”
His travelling companion had come
up to the counter in the meantime. “It
may take the rest of mine – could we convert the stand-bys to real tickets,
please? I’ll charge the difference.”
“We can’t let them win!”
“You’re a mess – life has
already won. Now go be less of a
disappointment back at our seats.” He
slumped back to his chair and softly wept.
The gate attendant processed the
transaction. “I see this all the time –
flight delays and overbookings are really trying.”
“I don’t mind it so much. My grandson’s the one who always has a fit of
pique when he has to wait more than five minutes for anything, and he thinks paying for convenience is a sign of weakness.”
