Airport Dates

I flew to Indianapolis today. It was one f the most interesting travel experiences that I have had. I am someone who enjoys small talk. Weird, I know. Most people hate it. But I enjoy the getting to know someone process. So, naturally, if I am sitting next to someone for 2 hours, I will strike up some type of conversation. Conversations were interesting today… I sat in between a 20-something Albanian guy, Dibe, and an 80 year old lady, Rose. Both travel companions were a trip! When I met Rose, we shared greetings and exchanged where we were headed and where we had been. After that, I had few other chances to share anything else. Even though I only interacted with Rose for a few hours, she was clearly a woman of God and had lived her life in faith and prayer. She was clearly proud of all her kids and grandchildren. That was mostly all she talked about. :) She shared stories of answered prayer for her daughter who fought breast cancer for 5 years. She told of the value of all the people who prayed. She full-heartedly believed her daughter made it through her cancer because of all the many people who prayed and God’s strength and goodness to heal her. It was really cool to listen to her passion and experience the energy of this 80 year old women. It was great. She unknowingly made me laugh a few times due to her sweet, old-lady cuteness…

If you were on my flight, you might not have known that Dibe was there at first. He sat on the other side of me. He sat and listened to Rose. He didn’t say much; he couldn’t really get a word in, but just listened to what she had to say. Toward the end of the flight I had a chance to ask Dibe about his travels and time in America. Rose and I had some trouble understanding his exact plans and his time in America. We did learn that he had a two hour layover in Atlanta, just like me. Sweet, kind hearted Rose wanted to make sure there was someone to help this foreigner, who struggled greatly with his English, around the airport… yes, she volunteered me to help him. “No problem,” I think to myself. “I don’t mind helping someone out. Dibe seems nice and I can help him to his gate and find his way.” Well, for my Albanian friend Dibe, somehow her kind words were translated into something different. Dibe and I spent our 2-hour layover on what I will call… an airport date. Yes, a date. I felt like I was in the movie The Terminal. I was Catherine Zeta Jones and Dibe was Tom Hanks. I was listening and trying to understand Dibe and help him in the airport, while Dibe was trying to impress me and woo me off my feet.  What a fun layover… :) And to think, I road standby and almost didn’t get to go on my airport date.

You think my story is done. Well, let’s not forget I have to fly from Atlanta to Indianapolis. What’s the likelihood of sitting next to someone else from another country? Well, I did. I met yet another guy, Yañiel, from Cuba. Like I said, I like to chat and make small talk. He was a nice guy as well. He has been teaching himself English and still struggling a little. So he said talking as much as possible is good for him. So, I made small talk. (While my other seat neighbor, Jen, the girl who just graduated from IU with degrees in sexuality and Jewish heritage, (strange?) napped) I’ll just say that it is a shame I am not staying in Indiana through the weekend. I could have gone on another date-salsa dancing with Yañiel.

Oh, what a traveling adventure…