Airport Talk
Being in the airport with time to spare in a sea of strangers, your ears are more sensitive in picking up other people’s conversations, your imagination kicks into high gear. Some interesting conversations are heard in airports and planes. In the airport on route to Sicily the most memorable of the trip came from a clerk at a sandwich stand. A line was formed by hungry travelers wanting to wolf something down before being encased in a tube for hours with TV dinners that taste like ass. The clerk was missing about three fingers on one of her hands, and she was lecturing the cashier on how her baby’s daddy had just completed two of his five years of mandated time for stabbing someone. The cashier was in front of the register, but head turned away to partake in the conversation. No-one dared remind the girls that customers were waiting. You just don’t get snippy with someone missing fingers and having that type of conversation, job be damned.
One day I’ll really go to the airport dressed as a Diva and not like I’m GI Jane ready to parachute off the plane at moment’s notice. I say that, but probably not. It’s so easy to imagine stories at the airport. We boarded the plane to Milan together with a tall, thin brunette in a designer print dress. I imagined her a model going to a Milan fashion show. C-mixto likes to make a statement when he travels. His cause for this trip? He donned a bright red, yellow and green Adidas Ethiopia jacket to remind Italy that it was a former colonial power to this African nation. He says I like drama, but he’s the one who mixes fashion with activism. Anyone see Street Cookie?
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I like to dress up a little bit when I travel too. This stems from my family traveling a lot when I was young and it was always my mom and brothers joining my dad on a work conference so we all wore our Sunday best, back when people dressed up to travel. You never know who you will meet or run into (my worst nightmare). Although I am anti-social when traveling simply because I am not interested in shooting the sh*t with strangers, I have met some fascinating people if I do put my shield down for a moment.
Once I met a gentleman who was the Secretary of Health in the state of FL and later went on to become an Assistant Secretary of Health (not the proper title) under the Bush Administration. He was of mixed race, young like Obama and truly down to earth. I hate that term because it is used loosely and incorrectly… for instance Jennifer Lopez in her prime was described as down to earth. Gimme a fu*kin break. Jennifer, you have 45 chinchilla coats and 4 houses… with all due respect, you ain’t down to earth. I am not hating just stating facts and she also blatantly used each man she was with to further her career – but you can’t knock the hussle, so “I Ain’t Mad at Cha” (one of my most favorite 2Pac songs). Anywho back to the Secretary of Health. He was the most incredible man and had I not been a lost Post-Graduate School, no clue what I am doing with my life woman, I would have kept in better touch. Usually as a woman you can expect that if a man of his prestige gives you his business card it is to set up a rendezvous – but he had only but the most sincere and best of intentions. I did send him my resume which he requested but he didn’t have anything in mind for me at the time… then I lost touch. Damn. If I knew what I know now.
In conclusion, dress up for your flight and by dress up I don’t mean a cocktail dress, I mean you can wear jeans and flats if you prefer that over heels n skirts, and you can be casual and still look fly but I never understood people who wore pajama pants, uncombed hair and carried a large king sized pillow. Pillow for international flights are ok, but bring a reasonable sized one, this isn’t summer camp in the woods. Sorry Nova if you carried a pillow – it just better not have been King sized. Oh and a stuffed animal. Gimme a fu*king break – if you are past age 10 leave Scruffy the bear at home and grow up, god da*mnit!
Bianca continues to provide us with hilarious writing. That is a great story and great lesson, so readers listen up to what she said. always look good. yes, no PJs allowed. I even want to outlaw non-fancy flip flops. how are you supposed to run off a plane in flip flops? sorry if anyone wears flip-flops on a plane (LL).
anyway no pillow for me. It depends on the flight: transatlantic international means be dressed like GI Jane comfort, but sexy still. I’ll still make sure I’m refreshed and with lipstick after traveling for 12 hours. I mean, really. It’s your entrance to a foreign country. gotta make an entrance.
Bianca meets interesting people, I’ll tell you that.