I’m always intrigued by how couples meet. Some people have very ordinary, albeit cute stories, while others meet in the most unusual, extraordinary ways. In fact, it seems that all bets are off when it comes to the possibilities of how two people can meet – and public transportation should certainly not be underestimated for its matchmaking abilities.

I recently heard a story of a woman who met her husband on a flight when he was late boarding the plane and she surreptitiously tried to steal his window seat. How delightful!

Naturally, this reminded me of a potential in-flight romance that I witnessed when I took a flight to the coast not so long ago.

As I was boarding the plane, I was rather astonished to see the thirty-something pilot hanging out of the cockpit window, greeting all the passengers. I mean, most pilots are normally quite refined and professional when they are on the job. On a domestic flight, it’s a rare occurrence to see the pilot at all – never mind to see him waving from the cockpit like a loon. Then again, it was a cheaper flight, so I guess I shouldn’t have expected too much sophistication. Although, ironically, the only pleasant part of the journey was the jovial pilot who kept cracking jokes over the intercom throughout the flight.

However, unbeknown to a certain passenger, it seemed the pilot had a few more antics up his sleeve. You see, towards the end of the flight, a steward unexpectedly approached a young woman in her twenties, in the row behind me, and proceeded to ask if she was travelling alone. The conversation went something like this:

“Excuse me, Miss. Are you travelling alone?”

“Um… yes. Why?”

“The pilot says he thinks he recognizes you and I just wanted to know if you’re travelling alone.” (Why the steward felt it necessary to repeat this question is a matter of pure speculation.)

“Yes, I’ve flown with this carrier a few times over the last few months.”

“Would you mind coming up to the cockpit?”

“Um… okay.”

And, off she went with the steward, leaving behind a very curious bevy of women in the surrounding location of her now vacant seat. Needless to say, I was probably the most enthralled of them all. Was I mistaken or had I just witnessed an in-flight hook-up between pilot and passenger? Of course, we’re all aware of the extracurricular activities of some pilots and certain air stewardesses, but it had never occurred to me that a pilot might actually hit on a passenger. Not to mention that the only time he could have possibly seen her was when she’d boarded the plane, as we were seated roughly twenty rows back.

I was quite astounded – and even more so when the steward returned to collect this woman’s belongings and I didn’t see her again until after we’d landed.

We were all standing around the conveyor belt in the airport, waiting for it to spit out our luggage, when I spotted her. I was sure she’d still be flirting with the pilot in his cockpit or something, but there she was before me. And, as I stood there gazing at her skinny frame, lank hair and the tattoo peeking out on the back of her neck, I couldn’t help but wonder what on earth had passed between her and the pilot. Was this the start of a new romance or just a fleeting encounter? I love a good story and I’m only sorry I missed out on her escapade, because I bet she had a really good story to tell her friends.

So beware! You never know when you might take somebody’s fancy. Life – and even love – can surprise you anytime, anywhere.

© 2016 Audrey Whyte   All Rights Reserved