Traveling isn’t just an interest; it’s my essence. I thrive on exploration and seize every opportunity to take a flight, whether it’s discovering a new city or escaping for a getaway. The expedition from my school to Indianapolis was nothing short of an enchanting adventure.
I was excited to go on a trip to visit a company in Indiana, a place I had never been before. With hotels and flights being booked by the company, I was ready for what a weekend trip to Indianapolis had to offer.
My adventure didn’t start when I landed in Indianapolis; rather, it began in the air when I met a stranger.
I always prefer the aisle seat, but I was content sitting next to the window seat. I sat looking through the window at the workers and the baggage that were transforming into the plane.
Afterwards, I looked back at the line of passengers trying to find their seats. Then, I saw him. We made eye contact for a second, and I looked away as he patiently stood in line. He got closer and closer to where I was sitting. Someone who was sitting on the aisle got up so he could sit in the middle seat. As he sat next to me, I smiled, and he smiled back. He had a beautiful smile and eyes, I thought to myself.
We initiated our conversation with baggage, as the flight was having issues accommodating everyone’s belongings. “He seems nice,” I said to myself. And that became our conversation. It was easy talking to him. We chatted about school, career, and where he was from. We had a lot in common. We talked about his favorite music and movies. I shared some of my favorite artists. He even recommended me a movie. We discussed his culture and even about his siblings. I felt comfortable as I was getting to know him. It was crazy because the whole plane was quiet, yet it felt like just the two of us were speaking. It fascinated me how passionate he was about his work and traveling. It was fun sharing each other’s taste in music and films. We talked the entire flight. It was nice to meet someone with a unique story and a great sense of humor.
After talking to him for about three hours, I felt as if I knew him from so long. The flight was about to land, and we didn’t even realize it as we were lost in our conversation. As the plane descended, he mentioned that he usually falls asleep a few minutes before landing; however, this time he didn’t, and he thanked me for making the flight seem shorter.
As we landed, we exchanged our numbers and social media. We walked together to get our luggage, and then we went our separate ways.
We texted that weekend and twice the following month about a travel opportunity that we had talked about during the flight.
We still see each other’s stories and check what we are up to. But sometimes when I catch a flight, I recall our encounter. I think to myself when he catches a flight, if he ever thinks about our encounter, if he ever thinks about me.
I wonder if he were to write this story how he would write it. It’s crazy that he doesn’t even know that this article exists. I am not sure if we will cross paths again, but this will always be a little story of mine.
In the end, it was a lovely encounter with a stranger. Well, is he really a stranger?
To not so stranger, if you ever read this: How would you write our story?