Full Plane

Open seat next to me. 

Fingers crossed. Hoping I'd have the row to myself for the flight.

It was a small jet. Two seats on either side of the aisle. I was in the first row of economy in an aisle seat.

I watched as the other 60 passengers entered the cabin and walked towards me. I sent nonverbal messages to each new traveler:

"No. No. No." 

"Not here. Not here. Not here."

The plane was filling up. The 2 seats across the aisle were now occupied as were the two directly behind be.

Fingers crossed. 

The number of passengers boarding slowed. Still no one claiming the empty window seat to my left.

"Please ... oh please ... oh please ... oh please ..."

At the time I weighed over 250 pounds. Airline seats were not my friend. The idea of raising the center arm and spilling over into an open seat was making me almost giddy in anticipation. No rubbing shoulders. No thigh-to-thigh contact. No elbow jostling on the arm rest.

The line of passengers dwindled and finally ended. The seat remained unclaimed. I don't like flying in these little jets, but the empty seat next to me was making it much, much better.

Until I heard these words coming from the jetway:

"I didn't think I was going to make it."

The next words were worse.

"Excuse me."

And, with the exception of basketball player Charles Barkley, the largest man I have ever seen in person wedged himself into the window seat. And partially into mine, even though I was already filling it to overflowing.

Aside from the obvious discomfort, I knew what else was coming.

Forced to lean to the right, I knew that everybody walking to the rest room would bump my shoulder. 

And the drink cart posed a threat of potential injury.

I had planned on reading but my left arm was pinned by my seatmate and my right arm was dangling in the aisle."Whattayagonnado?" I thought to myself, sighed, and closed my eyes. 

I fell asleep. Perhaps it was a form of self-protecting dormancy.

Later, the feeling I was being watched brought me slowly awake.

As I gained consciousness, through my partially open eyes I could see the flight attendant looking at me. She had a slight smile.

"Could she be interested in me?" I thought drowsily.

No. She was looking at me like I was an cuddly puppy, not as an object of desire.

It was then I realized that my seatmate was also sleeping.

My head on his shoulder. His head on my head.

Guess we made a cute couple.

_________________________

The photo above is not my seat mate. It’s Brian Shaw, the 6'8" and 420 pound winner of the World’s Strongest Man competition in 2011 and 2013. It’s a still from a video on his YouTube Channel Shawstrength. Was my fellow traveler this big? Probably not, but at the time he seemed bigger.