Previous Challenge Entry (Level 1 – Beginner)
Topic: Thanksgiving (04/18/05)
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TITLE: My Irish leprechaun | Previous Challenge Entry
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04/21/05 -
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Trans-ocean flights are one of my least desirable activities, so when I learned I would have to attend a meeting in London, England. I made my reservation well in advance; I must have an aisle seat to ease my dreadful fear of flying, especially over water. When my fateful day arrived and I boarded my plane in Los Angeles I gave out a huge sigh of relief when I found my seat just as I had reserved it and even better yet the plane was only partially full. The trip was long, and uneventful, thank God for answering my prayers.
The meeting was a complete success, God was still on my side, and I had a good feeling as I was dropped at Heathrow Airport, and was sure my aisle seat was waiting for me. As loading began I started to get that empty feeling, every seat was occupied especially the aisle seats. I finally came to my number and only one person was seated next to my seat,
a little, wheezened, old man, the other two seats were unoccupied. As I seated myself, the most awful stench of body odor one can imagine emanated from the little old man. He looked up at me and gave the broadest brown toothed smile you can imagine. He said in a heavy Irish brogue,” I am sure glad to have some company, everybody else that was sitting here left, I guess it isn’t a good place to sit in an airplane.” I excused myself and cornered a stewardess and asked if there was another aisle seat I could change with, she gave me a sympathetic smile and said “every seat is taken, I had to split a couple that was in the two seats next to yours and I do understand your problem.” I returned to my seat and braced myself for the inevitable. I prayed a silent prayer that God would help me.
The little man reached into his pocket and took out a pack of cigarettes, he didn’t try to light one, but he did tear the paper off and started to chew the tobacco. This completely distracted me from the smell and I asked if he always chewed cigarette tobacco? He gave me a bewildered look and said “no this is the first time I have been in an airplane and I’m scared to death, I just had to have a smoke and I thought this might work as good, but I’m starting to get sick”. He spit out the tobacco and put it is his pocket. I told him that flying was a snap and there was absolutely no cause to be afraid, this seemed to ease him somewhat and we settled into conversation. He had a million stories that were strictly from his Irish lore. It seemed the time just flew by and before I realized it we were landing at the LaGuardia International Airport in New York. My little friend gathered his meager possessions and we bid each other a fond good-by. I proceeded on to Los Angeles, but I had lost all my fear and had a warm feeling for the rest of the trip. I have thought many times about my little Irish friend and I have thought God does work in mysterious ways.
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