Mile High for the Married
I have to relate my experience on my flight home yesterday because there were so many things that came to mind on a brief one-hour flight that it just seemed worth sharing.
Now my return flight was in the very back row, window seat, left hand side from the aisle. Now this is a little DASH-8, so it is a prop plane only 4 seats wide; 2 on the left, 2 on the right (seats about 40). I have my entire row to myself to glance out the windows…yet that was not to be. For in the row immediately in front of me is a well-dressed couple in their late-thirties who can’t keep their hands off of one another. The coy glances, the little giggles, the whispering, the snuggling (as they couldn't bear to have the arm rest between them and put it up so they could curl up together), and the endless kissing.
And I mean endless - every square inch of exposed skin was covered in kisses in what amounted to a one-hour flight. They weren't rude or obscene about it - it was a simple case that they could keep their hands off of one another. Now you may be thinking that they were in a new romance or recently married – nope. Told the flight attendant how many years they had been married and about their grade-school aged daughter.
So there I sit - in a snug little airplane, just inches from these two as they continue to kiss and grope one another. I tried looking everywhere else, but just couldn't keep them out of my line of sight due to proximity. I heard every word, every little echo of their kissing, and every little hum of contentment she made – even over the engines of the plane. I felt like the ultimate voyeur.
I was struck with a twinge of loneliness that lasted only a moment or two until I realized something that made me bite my lip to keep from giggling. They guy was a mirror image of someone I know – which instantly made the situation transform from socially intimate to socially amusing. This soothed me immensely, and I found myself wondering if I will ever be as lucky to as find contentment like that with someone after years together.
Of course everyone remembers those moments of initial infatuation; those blissful encounters that make life worth getting out of bed for in the morning that happen with a brand new relationship. I’ve coined it as the “love bubble” phase; where the rest of the world seemingly does not exist nor matter, and there is little concern for anything other than the two of you. That moment in time you want to remain for as long as possible to prevent the inevitable from happening; the first lie, the first betrayal; the first time they truly hurt you. It is then that the bubble bursts and you see them for exactly what they are…
Human. Just like the rest of us.
But these two have endured past the bubble; years of marriage, the addition of at least one child, and evidence of a dual income household and they still manage to carry on like a couple of moon-struck newlyweds. We finally land and come to a stop, and while other passengers are beginning to stand, he leans over and gives her one last, intensely passionate kiss and then sits back in smug satisfaction as she tries in vain to fix her hair. Figuring he’s won this round, he stands to grab their belongings from the overhead bin, and locks eyes with me. It instantly dawns on him that I’ve been there the entire flight, and the smug grin is replaced with a sheepish half-smile and light blushing. He points a finger in my direction to fill his wife in on the cause of the blushing, and by the time we all disembarked from the plane, I'm holding back fits of laughter and the two of them are the colour of a beautiful merlot.
Neither one of them apologized for it – nor did they owe one. If anything, I should have thanked them for restoring my faith that romance truly can endure.
Perhaps the feelings that we experience when we are in love represent a normal state. Being in love shows a person who he should be.
Anton Chekhov (1860 - 1904)
Now my return flight was in the very back row, window seat, left hand side from the aisle. Now this is a little DASH-8, so it is a prop plane only 4 seats wide; 2 on the left, 2 on the right (seats about 40). I have my entire row to myself to glance out the windows…yet that was not to be. For in the row immediately in front of me is a well-dressed couple in their late-thirties who can’t keep their hands off of one another. The coy glances, the little giggles, the whispering, the snuggling (as they couldn't bear to have the arm rest between them and put it up so they could curl up together), and the endless kissing.
And I mean endless - every square inch of exposed skin was covered in kisses in what amounted to a one-hour flight. They weren't rude or obscene about it - it was a simple case that they could keep their hands off of one another. Now you may be thinking that they were in a new romance or recently married – nope. Told the flight attendant how many years they had been married and about their grade-school aged daughter.
So there I sit - in a snug little airplane, just inches from these two as they continue to kiss and grope one another. I tried looking everywhere else, but just couldn't keep them out of my line of sight due to proximity. I heard every word, every little echo of their kissing, and every little hum of contentment she made – even over the engines of the plane. I felt like the ultimate voyeur.
I was struck with a twinge of loneliness that lasted only a moment or two until I realized something that made me bite my lip to keep from giggling. They guy was a mirror image of someone I know – which instantly made the situation transform from socially intimate to socially amusing. This soothed me immensely, and I found myself wondering if I will ever be as lucky to as find contentment like that with someone after years together.
Of course everyone remembers those moments of initial infatuation; those blissful encounters that make life worth getting out of bed for in the morning that happen with a brand new relationship. I’ve coined it as the “love bubble” phase; where the rest of the world seemingly does not exist nor matter, and there is little concern for anything other than the two of you. That moment in time you want to remain for as long as possible to prevent the inevitable from happening; the first lie, the first betrayal; the first time they truly hurt you. It is then that the bubble bursts and you see them for exactly what they are…
Human. Just like the rest of us.
But these two have endured past the bubble; years of marriage, the addition of at least one child, and evidence of a dual income household and they still manage to carry on like a couple of moon-struck newlyweds. We finally land and come to a stop, and while other passengers are beginning to stand, he leans over and gives her one last, intensely passionate kiss and then sits back in smug satisfaction as she tries in vain to fix her hair. Figuring he’s won this round, he stands to grab their belongings from the overhead bin, and locks eyes with me. It instantly dawns on him that I’ve been there the entire flight, and the smug grin is replaced with a sheepish half-smile and light blushing. He points a finger in my direction to fill his wife in on the cause of the blushing, and by the time we all disembarked from the plane, I'm holding back fits of laughter and the two of them are the colour of a beautiful merlot.
Neither one of them apologized for it – nor did they owe one. If anything, I should have thanked them for restoring my faith that romance truly can endure.
Perhaps the feelings that we experience when we are in love represent a normal state. Being in love shows a person who he should be.
Anton Chekhov (1860 - 1904)
Copyrighted by Okami 4:12 PM
6 Comments:
This was nice.
Romance is not dead. Good.
I was starting to wonder.
The infatuation stage is wonderful indeed. You also have to admire them for agreeing to provide your in-flight entertainment. The least you could have done was tip them.
I agree with Joe. At the very least, a single bill inserted into a waistband or undergarment should have sufficed.
Nah - love is abnormal. You should have jettisoned them from the plane, smug lovey people.
Ultra: Glad you enjoyed it - I was starting to wonder the same thing myself.
Joe: I was the one who left with the tip that they provided, so returning the offer would seem redundant.
Doug: But I don't know anyone named Bill - and I certainly don't know if he's single.
Grant: You'd think differently if it was a beautiful young Asian girl wanting to have at you on the plane...
This makes me think of a friends mum and dad who have been together 30 years. He takes the mick out of her constantly, but it is in an affectionate way.
He does PDA's still, after all that time, and it makes me happy that people out there are still getting in right, in spite of all the obstacles.
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