Tuesday, September 27, 2011

One Year Ago Today: The Incident on the Way Over

On this day last year we left Virginia on a plane headed to Germany, where we then got on another plane that took us to Ukraine. I remember being nervous, worried that I had forgotten something important, and at the same time SO incredibly excited that in just a few days I would actually be meeting the dream I had held onto for almost 20 months. It was indescribable, really.

But, the plane ride was not really what I expected, at least the first one. I think that I envisioned it as a time to read and to catch up on sleep but something happend that made that not the case and if I hadn't been so tired and jet-lagged when we got to Ukraine I'm sure I would've blogged about it then. Since I didn't I'm going to try to remember it now.

I don't really remember boarding the plane but I remember finding my seat and getting into it. It was one of three in the middle of the plane and it was, of course the one in the middle. I remember hoping that a nice not so big person would sit beside me because I had Rick on one side and I didn't want to feel too claustrophobic. Well, I found the perfect saying to describe what happened next:


Things which you do not hope happen more frequently than things which you do hope.  ~Titus Maccius Plautus

So, of course, the  passenger that sat next to me was a rather tall, rather muscular guy who didn't seem so nice. Actually he seemed quite fidgety and bothered. I figured I would be ok, I'd just read my books, talk to Rick, watch a movie or two, sleep, it would all be fine. Then I heard my next door neighbor ask the flight attendant if he had time to go to the restroom and she told him no. He got even more fidgety and bothered and then used a few curse words and got even MORE fidgety and bothered. Then I smelled a smell that I remembered from potty training days and I thought, "No way!!" 

But, yes, it turns out Mr. FidgetyBothered had wet himself and I had to sit beside him all the way to Germany!

Honestly, I almost felt sorry for the guy because I could tell he didn't want anyone to know what had happened  and I just can't imagine how it did happen. Although, I suspect alcohol played a role because he smelled slightly of alcohol as well. 

So, needless to say, it was not a real comfortable flight. I tried not to get too close to Mr. FB because, well... you know. But, yet, I didn't want him to know I knew. I was also worried if I fell really asleep my head would roll over to his shoulder and that was not something I wanted to let happen. Sorry if that sounds mean, but it was a weird situation.

There you go, that's the story of the smelly guy that I alluded to at the end of my last OYAT post. I wonder what others would have done if they had been in my place. Would you have asked to move to another seat? Tried to show a little more compassion to Mr. FB? What would you have done if it was you?

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