career opportunities

Than she resumed slogging her peanuts up and down the aisle.

Charlie Turturro Chaplin turned to me.

“Good try,” he said, eyes beaming. Than he leaned into me conspiratorially.

“Just because there is a goaly, no mean you can’t score.”

“Thanks man, I don’t go for married women. I’m Joe, by the way.”

“Zydstra.” He said, firmly shaking my hand. “But you just cally me Syd.” I let a moment slip by, than I felt courage grab me by the balls.

“So why, when we were in line,”I said,”were you in such a rush?”

“I wasn’t in A rush, as you say.”

“But you jumped the line, ptting your bags down, hopping around, cutting cures, etc.” He flashed a smile.

“It was a bet.”

“Yeah?” I was  confused/ intrigued.

“I bet my brother. He’s to afraid to fly. He says because we’re foreigners, we could get detained anytime. But I fly all the time. We run import/ export business. I had to prove my point! He said ‘ever if you put down your bag they will think it’s a bomb..’ So what did I do? I put down the bags and watched with my fearful but lovely brother for five minutes. So I won the bet and he gave me a thousand dollars.”

“A thousand dollars? And that wasn’t good enough? You still had to jump the cue?” I replied.

“Well that - I was just showing off at that point. You no have older brother? He’s my older brother so I like to impress him. I said, ‘watch this, my brother, I’m going tu cut the line!’ and he said, ‘no you are not!’ ‘yes I am, too,’ I said, ‘And, if I get away with it , you’re going to Dubai for our next meeting of business, and I’m staying right in burlingame with my wife.’ So guess who will be on this flight next month!”

“So I take it you don’t like to fly?”

“Are you kidding? Trapped in like sardines here like this? Every month moving across hemispheres?”

“But don’t you think it’s fun to travel?”

“Why do I need to travel? I have everything I need in my United States. I have my Costco club card, my Mcdonalds, my movie theater and bowling alley. I have no need of travel anymore.” Than he looked over at the pretty brit on the peanut slog. “I did like it when I was younger for purposes of......” He pointed over towards blondie and than back over to the hot Slovenian who was on the other end of the aisle. “But now I am married! And as your brilliant hollywood star Mr. Paul Newman said about his wife, ‘why go out for the burgers when I have the steak here at home?’ I love my wife! I don’t look forward to being away from home.”

“Why don’t you bring her with?”

“She takes care of the kids! Plus she no like to travel either!”

It all seemed so crazy to me. I was always wanted to get the fuck out of here, so somewhere new. All this guy wanted to do was stay within his 5 mile radius! Different strokes for different folks, I guess.

“The thing about getting older,” He said, “is you begin to love routine. Everything in it’s place. In face, always at this time, on this particular flight,” he peered at his watch, “I take a nap. I nap 2 hours, Than I watch 1 movie. Than I eat. Than we can talk for 20 minutes if you are up. Than I watch another movie.”

“You’re pretty organized. I’m getting pretty tired- I think I’m gonna nap some myself.” But he beat me to the punch. I couldn’t tell if he was faking it or not,but by the time I looked back over at him, he had an eye pillow strapped to his face and was already snoring. I had never in my life seen anyone go to sleep that fast. I closed my eyes and tried to sleep, but thoughts ran back to my meeting with Ravi.