My first short story, written after a long overseas flight where I noticed several couples snuggled together as they slept.
A Seat Mate
I met a woman, I'll call "Rebecca", on a trans-Atlantic flight from SFO to Heathrow. (We never formally introduced ourselves to each other, but I can't just refer to her as "the woman" throughout my story.) Rebecca isn't what I considered to be my type. She's married. She has an almost male, husky voice; the complete opposite of what would turn me on. And she's a smoker, so she has this lingering smell of cigarette smoke that I find distasteful. How this all happened, I still don't understand.
I'm not a big fan of long flights. They are a means to an end, but I get bored after I've watched the first movie. I find the economy seats too restrictive, so it's a challenge to get comfortable. Maybe I would feel different if I could afford first class, or business. I'm always in economy or economy plus. Steerage by any other name. My employer is "thrifty." This red-eye was my preferred way to travel.
I surveyed the crowd while I was boarding and it looked like the flight was fairly full. From my seat in the middle of the plane I could see the whole of the economy cabin. The cabin rows had two outside seats on each side, with four middle seats. Most of the out board seats were filled with two people, and the majority of the center seats were also filled, with a few random gaps. I guessed eighty percent full.
Rebecca showed up at her seat next to mine a few minutes before the final passenger boarded. She was about 5'7" in height so one of the flight attendants helped her load her large carry-on into the overhead bin. She appeared to be of Japanese decent with high cheekbones and jet black hair. Physically she was of average build. I didn't pay closer attention: she was just another passenger.
When she sat down, I was perusing the the seat-back magazine, flipping through the sections. She put her seatbelt on, sat back and let out a sigh, relaxing into her seat. I glanced her way and our eyes met briefly. We both smiled briefly in-lieu of saying hello.
Wheels Up
The flight got underway and I sat starring out the window passively. I was tired from the busy days the past week. I day dreamed up through the clouds, waiting for the seatbelt sign to go out. Finally, I heard the tone immediately followed by that crew announcement about keeping the seatbelt fastened while in our seats, even though the sign was off.
I leaned down and pulled my computer out of my carry-on. I also pulled out my earbuds, charger, and a game pad. I had a new Tomb Raider game and thought it would be a great way to pass the time. As I was setting everything up on my fold-down tray, Rebecca spoke.
"Looks like it's game time," she said with slight British accent. It took the edge off of the husky voice.
"Yes," I replied. "I'm playing the new Tomb Raider game. It's pretty good."
"Do you mind if I watch?" Rebecca asked.
"Not at all. Are you a gamer?"
"Yes, when I can. I just finished the latest Far Cry game, and I'm looking for something new."
"Cool. I've never played Far Cry, but it must be pretty good. The series has been running for a while," I said.
"Yeah, it's fun," said Rebecca.
We continued with the gaming-related small talk as I jumped into the game, picking up mid-story and working on a puzzle. Initially, I breezed through some quick button-mashing sequences that required I flood a room, avoid drowning, swim to a raft, climb it and then leap to a rope before the water receded. After I climbed to the top of the rope, I ran into a a mystery of what to do next.
Rebecca sat quietly watching as I struggled to figure out my next move. After a couple of times watching Laura fall to her death, she said she saw something that might be a clue. I followed her observation and located a camouflaged switch. It didn't seem to do anything. Well, it was a step.
When I was unable to move further, Rebecca asked if she could try. I nodded and handed her the controller. She climbed back down the rope, swam around a bit and found another switch, which appeared to do nothing. Then she re-flooded the cavern, swam and then climbed back up the rope.
This time, when she got to the top, Laura had a new option. Rebecca handed me back the controller.
"Have you already played this?" I asked.
She said she hadn't, but she had seen similar puzzles previously in other games.
I handed her the controller and asked her to keep playing. I wanted to see what she did in the game and how she would play the character. She didn't hesitate and took the controller. I sat there for the next forty minutes watching her play. The spark in her eye belied the sheer enjoyment she received from playing the game. While she played, we each had a couple of drinks: I had whiskey and she had vodka and tonic.
After a while, the crew began walking around closing the window shades. Since this was a red-eye, we'd fly through the night. I was tired from the week, and also watching the game without actually playing. I stifled a yawn, but Rebecca saw it.
She said, "Oh, you're tired and I'm hogging your game. I'm so sorry."
"No worries," I said. "You're having fun."
She smiled and saved the game. Then she handed me the controller.
"Are you sure? I don't mind watching. You have a real energy about you as you are playing. You're very good," I said.
Rebecca's cheeks turned a little pink.
"I do? I mean, I am?" She replied. I think my comment caught her a little off guard. "No one has watched me play before, I guess."
For the next hour we spoke about how her husband was not a gamer at all. He didn't even like watching sports. He was a fitness trainer and preferred to be doing active things. So did Rebecca, but she was a gamer. So, she waited until he was headed to bed most nights before turning on her Playstation to get in some game time. I spoke about my effort to turn my daughter into a gamer, and how it bugged my wife.
