Monday, 29 April 2024
Sometime last year, the vicar and I found ourselves at Heathrow airport waiting for our flight to a European city. Alas it wasn’t for pleasure! I am not keen on air travel because I loathe airports as I find them stressful. Our flight was delayed for more than an hour so there was a lot of hanging around. I used that time wisely to people watch which is my favourite past time.
Once we were on the plane, we were quickly seated but were told that we were waiting for that one passenger. After waiting for what seemed like an eternity, there was a commotion at the front of a plane. Like everybody I wanted to know what was happening and since I was in the aisle seat just had to slightly tilt my head for a spectacular view!
A woman who looked harrassed was walking up the aisle to her seat while doing an ugly cry. I don’t know what happened but she was crying rather loudly. By the way, she was the on whom we were waiting for. She found her seat which was next to me but on the other side of the aisle for which I was thankful because she was angry too. She snapped at the stewardess for reminding her to put on her seatbelt!
A few minutes after that the plane took off but this young woman on the other side of the aisle continued sobbing loudly. I looked at the vicar helplessly. I don’t know what came over me but I suppose I got into vicar’s wife mode and so got a clean paper hanky from my handbag and stretched my arms across the aisle to stuff it into her arms while gently squeezing it.
Soon it was time for us to disembark, this young woman got off the plane as angrily as she got on and she disappeared into the crowds.
Secret Diary Of A Church of England Vicar's Wife 