The Flight

I lugged my overweight backpack to the terminal with red eyes. Nick was sitting there with his red backpack listening to his iPod. I stared with dry eyes for a second giving an “AIFS Prague?” look, but I don’t think he was paying attention. I sat down. Then I got up and sat down someplace else with a view of the 777. Then I got up, used the restroom, and sat down someplace else. I was unable to sit still.

When I sat down the third time, Nick and I silently continued to ask if the other was part of the Prague trip without being receptive enough to realize that the other’s answer was ‘yep.’ Our nonverbal discussion was interrupted by Marie, who stepped in front of me and asked, “are you Kevin?” She had facebooked me and clearly knew more about me than I knew about her. She had big eyes, hair with a hint of red, and a green college sweatshirt from neither her college nor her hometown’s. We quickly became acquainted. Once I boarded the plane, I met Nick, who coincidentally was seated behind me. Our introduction was shortened by a talkative Scottish man sitting beside me who took a great interest in the chess club I coached during high school. Apparently the schools in Glasgow have no extracurriculars—something he is working very hard to fix.

After takeoff I was tempted by the wide selection of movies, but fended off the enticement with a sleeping pill. The pill resulted in a slight amnesia—I remember there was cheesecake served with dinner but I don’t remember eating it. In any case, I awoke to, “Breakfast sir.” And, before I knew it, I was in a minivan with 3 others on our way to central London.