“Laos. I was born in Laos,” said Phil for what seemed the millionth time in his life. “But I’m American.”
“Yeah? How’d you manage that?” asked the man in the window seat, the seat Phil had paid twenty five extra dollars to reserve.
He had filed onto the plane with the crowd of passengers to find this man asleep in the window seat, noise-canceling headphones and silk eye shade blocking out the world. Phil almost tapped his arm to wake him up, alert him to his mistake. But seeing the man sleeping there, the waxy look to his skin, the grime on his collar and cuffs, Phil felt sorry for him. What did it matter? So he sat in the aisle instead.
This lasted all of five minutes–the lady who belonged in the aisle seat thumped her boarding pass with a lacquered nail and glared wordlessly until he moved to the uncomfortable center.
Upon takeoff, the man in Phil’s seat woke up, pulled off his eyeshade and headphones and immediately asked Phil if he was Chinese.
Phil hated flying home for a thousand reasons. Now he had a thousand and one.
Sunday Photo Fiction
Phil probably didn’t feel sorry for the man after that question!
I think we’ve all met someone just like this passenger! Nicely done.
It is pretty rude when people take your seat. He was pretty nice to not make the man move. I would have said something depending on the length of the flight or simply gone to get the flight attendant to wake the guy and tell him he needs to move. Good story, too true.
I like that. Wonder if he tried to find ways of tossing him out the door ;-)
Have a great 2016 J
Sorry. I would have awakened the man and pointed out his “honest” mistake…. I am polite, but not that kind.