Center seat @ #18 :)

I cannot be counted among those travelers who queue up in the line as soon as the airline staff  announces "boarding has started". Obviously when you are the last one on a stingy-space-saver-domestic flight, you don't have an aisle seat and you are wearing a tight formal skirt, that center seat seems like a tough target.

At another level i am a prey to everyone's eyes who are seated well in advance and are kind of cross with the delay as if i am thwarting the plane from flying. I somehow manage to push this gigantic laptop bag that weighs more than the laptop itself to the center seat and boom - cons of traveling alone, "Can you take #18, my friend can move here if that's Ok". Goddamn! dude, its just a one hour flight, One. Freaking. Hour. I curse her in my head. Putting a fake smile on my face I act civilized enough in an only hope of an aisle seat @ #18, I get up, do the reverse journey to find out that its a center seat again, arghhh! This time its even worse. The aunty doesn't bother to get up, she simply pretends to move, lets me squeeze in and there is a sudden bitter realization that the butt has goto get slimmer if I wish to continue flying domestics.

I settle down and slide my phone in the seat pocket. This guy on my right helps me with my spectacles that i drop down and asks, "Are you flying to Nagpur" and there is another bitter sudden realization that the flight is actually en route Nagpur with a stop in Pune. Embarrassed with my messy self over the last couple of minutes & startled with my ignorance i smirk and say " No, Pune". And that is pretty much it. For the next hour, I question & answer and am astonished, electrified and filled with wonder to find out how much we actually have in common. Right from a Masters degree in US to our neighboring offices in Bangalore's industrial hub to the hotel which i usually stay in at a 5 mins walk from his house. Small world...sure a cliche but can't help!

The timing in thoughts is quite unique because thoughts come from your inner soul. It strikes when wavelengths match. The moment he tells me that he loves the charm of Europe even after residing in US for a couple of years, i make up my mind that this South-Indian (who looks like a North Indian btw) biker bloke with a great sense of humor, is for a keepsake.

Someone said..."Strangers are just friends that you haven't met yet" !! Take chances with strangers, you may not make friends but you will make memories for sure! I hope to ride his Royal-En-field one day but i gather that he is too much in love with it, i am not sure if he will risk it, only time will tell :P