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David found his window seat in First Class and sat down anxious to get to Los Angeles and his connecting flight to Chicago. This flight from Sacramento was late and it was going to be a miracle if he made his flight in LA. He was a bit annoyed with this flight, because it seemed that he wasn't the only one in a hurry. The flight attendant was doing her best trying to soothe all the frayed nerves in the cabin, but several passengers seemed to blame her for the delay. The Pilot had just informed everyone that a warning light on the landing gear had to be checked out which would take at least ten minutes. David resigned himself to the fact that he was not going to make his connection in LA and would probably spend the weekend in Los Angeles.
"Can I get you some refreshment, sir," a voice asked him while he was looking out of the window. Dave turned to see a lovely young brunette, looking great in her flight attendant uniform, smiling at him.
"Sure, Miss, I'll have a Bloody Mary with just tomato juice," David said returning the smile. She went to the galley and soon returned with two tiny bottles of Vodka and a glass of tomato juice with ice. He thanked her, mixed his drink and sipped it slowly. After a nearly twenty minutes, the Captain announced that the problem was fixed and they would be taxiing to the runway. The attendant collected the glasses from the passengers and the 737 taxied to the runway to begin his takeoff run. Soon the huge jet was at altitude and the Flight Attendants were busy serving a quick dinner to the first class passengers.
The pretty brunette brought David a tray of pasta with marinara sauce. Just as she was putting it down the airplane flew into some turbulence and the pasta with sauce, were splattered allover David's shoulder and suit coat. He was wearing a light gray suit and the marinara sauce stained it dreadfully. "Oh my God, sir, I am so sorry," the brunette said as she too had landed on David.
"Are you hurt, Miss?" David asked her. She shook her head 'No' and tried futilely to wipe up the deep red sauce. Dave told her not to worry, that it wasn't her fault and the suit could be cleaned. She was so embarrassed that a tear welled up in her eye. "Miss, please don't cry. It's only a suit…unless you are crying because I missed my dinner?" he teased her hoping to make her feel a bit better.
She smiled and composed herself. "You're too nice, sir. The Airline will have that suit cleaned just as soon as we land in Los Angeles," she said, still struggling to fully compose her self. "I've been flying for three years and that's the first time I ever did anything like that."
"Well, Miss, if that's the worst you ever do to anyone, consider it lucky," he told her. Smiling she offered to take the Jacket to the galley and at least get the pasta off of it. She returned with another Bloody Mary and made sure that she put it on his tray without spilling it. The Captain followed her to ask David if everything was all right. Dave nodded and the Captain asked if he was staying in Los Angeles tonight. Dave nodded again and said, "Yes, the earlier delay will prevent me from making my connecting flight." The Captain apologized for the flight delay and the incident with the pasta.
"The Airline will put you up at the airport hotel and have the suit coat cleaned on our nickel," he told him. David accepted his fate gracefully, thanked him and the Captain returned to the cockpit. The attendant brought him a voucher for a room at the Airport Hotel, a chit for dinner and a ticket to get the suit cleaned. She apologized to him again and thanked him for being 'So nice' about everything.
A few minutes later the Captain announced that they were in the landing pattern and on their approach to LA International. That was followed by an Attendant asking everyone to bring their trays and seats to their original positions in preparation for landing. The huge airplane touched down with hardly a whisper, a testament to the skills of the captain. If Dave were rating landings, that one would have been a perfect ten. The plane move toward the jet way and stopped. Within a few minutes Dave was in the terminal and walking to the baggage claim area. Getting his bag he walked out of the terminal to see a van marked Airport Hotel and he boarded it.
Soon he was in his room, the suit had been taken at the desk, sent to the one hour cleaners and Dave was trying to decide if he would eat at the Hotel or go out to eat dinner. He opted for the Hotel and changed clothes for dinner. The food at the hotel turned out to better than Dave thought it would be. He paid his check and strolled to the nightclub off the hotel lobby. Sitting at an open table he ordered a drink and listened to the light rock music. Several couples were dancing and Dave enjoyed watching the women dancing and gyrating to the beat of the music.
"Enjoying the music or the dancers?" said a voice at his side. Dave turned to see the pretty brunette flight attendant and another woman smiling at me.