KLM Flight

I was seating on chair in the front of departure gate of KLM flight, waiting for check in call and reading a magazine in Amsterdam Airport. I had 2 hours left and I was already fed up. I never like the transit time between two flights specially when it takes long time and I’m in small airport. After few minutes walking and windows shopping in duty free area nothing is left to do in such condition unless you have your notebook with you to search in internet or you have a book to read, or take a cup of coffee and have short nap on the chair in coffee shop. By looking in German Magazine I was trying to figure out what was written about a Mediterranean woman with blue dress. Then a girl came and seated exactly front of me. I kept my foot close to me to give her more space. She was a brown hair girl with win red large t-shirt and old blue jean. And she was caring one of those big backpacks. I didn’t know who she could manage to bring the bag inside the airport and where she will put when we get inside the plane. She looked at me shortly and then opened a zip of bag to take out a book. I focused on my magazine again and try to make sense between the writing and pictures. She read a little bit and then putted the book back and started moving around, playing with iPod, checking out other people, drinking juice from bottle, chewing gum, searching every pocket of bag, etc. I got distracted all the times, because every time she moved, I should of check my position to not be in her way so I decided to go and seat two chairs to the left. I thought if I do it fast that means I wanted to show my discontent so I stand up and walk a little bit around and then came back and seated on the further chair. As soon as I settled on the new chair, I felt somebody was staring at me and when I looked, it was her. She smiled and it was totally clear, she bored. To act nice I asked her “it is quite big bag you got there” I said. “Isn’t it, I don’t truth to give my bag to checking board, either they will loose it or I can pick it up on time for my next flight” she said.

- You think they let you take it inside the plane

- I’m not sure, sometime they do. By the way, I was looking at your magazine cover what is about?

- I have no idea, I just bought to kill the time, it is written in German

- Where are you come from?

- How doses these help us?

- Sorry, I was just curious

- In a good way or bad way

- What do you mean?

- Nothing, I’m tired of people who are changing their tone as soon as they think they know you better when ask same question, so it’s better to keep the distance and be stranger to each other, unless you want to date or something

- No, this is typical question, isn’t it?

- Yes it is, do you ever think about what really do you want to get from the answer

- I don’t know

- I know and I don’t like it

She started playing with her bag again and I continued watching shiny photos in the magazine. When I looked clearly something is just come up in my mind. Most pages of magazine were cover by advertising for different brands and products -What do we really get from those expensive products? Do we want them to show other people how successful we are, or just want them to people look at us differently or treat us differently? - at that time I didn’t want to think about same subjects because it was bothering me when I looked back to my shopping history. Just last two years I almost spent more than twenty thousand dollars for buying few cloths and accessories and my saving is almost zero and almost more twenty thousand dollars for the brand cleaning products or eating in the fancy restaurants and coffee shops. I putted magazine away to get read of all those calculation thought about the life expense. I looked back to the girl again, she was taking off her shoes and socks to make her foot rest. She looked “this shoes are killing me, they are not comfortable at all” she said.

- "It is difficult, going on trip with wrong shoes" I said.

- I like them but apparently they are not good for long distance walking

- You don’t have any extra

- I have a pair of flip-flops

- And you save them for?

- I thought it will be look bizarre walking in the air port with the flip-flops

I looked at her big bag, one size larger t-shirt and damaged jean and said “I think, is not”. She took out the yellow pair of flip-flops and try them on.

It was almost time to get inside the plane and I hoped that I will not be in the same seat line as her. I didn’t know why but I felt that I was responsible for that big bag and those floppy shoes with naked foot in them. I stayed a little longer and went inside after almost every body else did. In front of plane door, one of the flight attendant was talking to her, seemed she was recommend her for putting back the big bag in the main flight burden. I passed them and found my seat and after few minute she came and seated two lines behind me. It was release breath and I didn’t see her again not during flight not after it.

Written by Mohammad Hosseini