From one side of the world to the other
Into the tunnel. WOOOSHH!!! The change swooped instant-in, kicking out the cool and ease of the remnant Stateside air that was kept in the plane, uppercutting it aside, replacing it with closer-to-the-equator heat. It's a sudden dump into steaming soup.The warmth sticks itself onto every surface with a scratch, scratching out an aroma that lets you know -- uh-huh yeah -- that plastic, glass and metal airport is getting cooked. Bags in hand and stepping through that tunnel I say with familiarity, "Ahhhhhh the Philippines."
Flight time: 13 hours. It's pretty nifty, you know? You'd think a baker's dozen of hours on your ass would be a chore -- admittedly, 275 powerfat pounds on mine was . . . a sore -- but the modern in-flight entertainment system is good carnival fun. No longer are the movies restricted to specific times and on the big screen up front. There were a vast array of films in multiple genres that you could watch at a whim on the screen in front of you. Touchscreen controls. Pause, play. Rewind. I want to see that funny line again. Month-old Hollywood blockbusters were available along with a few Filipino flicks. I watched Fast and Furious and the new Pirates movie. Saw bit parts of The Dark Knight. For dinner? Beef Stroganoff. No adobo tonight. For breakfast was a dish the flight attendant simply referred to as "American": a plate of scrambled eggs, hash browns and a giant chunk of ham. Had they served that ham at the beginning of the flight instead of the end I would have used it to cushion my butt.
On the afternoon of the day my flight she dropped by with a smile, her dog, and a knock on the door. It was a treat to see her, oh yes! Throughout the flight my mind was occupied by the thought of her. My seat was just ahead of the wing. Look out, boy! Framed by the window was a view of the engines pointing out towards NAIA Airport, shooting through the night above plentiful clouds that scattered the below looking like icebergs floating on a vast unknown. If I shouted her name toward the engine it would rush into the jet along with a piece of the sky and shoot out the back in a glorious high altitude roar over the ocean all the way back to East Side. She hasn't heard me before. I wonder if she would hear that.
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