A Fellow Traveller

The early morning cab ride was smooth without traffic. The lady in the rear seat checked her wristwatch & looked at the sleepy head beside her. The sleeper wore a sweatshirt with the hood pulled over the head & cosily settled in the cab. The lady nudged the sleeper, "We are almost there." The sleeper groaned & looked around with hazy vision. The sleeper complained, "Oh, come on! We are at least another 15mins away. You could have woken me up when the car reached the drop point." The lady slapped her right hand to her forehead, "I woke you up so that you check if the flight is on schedule."

The irritated sleeper muttered something inaudible & pulled out the phone from the jean's back pocket. The sleepy passenger reported, "Our flight is on-time & we are way ahead of time. I don't know why you panic so much?" The lady replied, "We had to start before the morning traffic & never know the rush at the airport." The annoyed sleeper grumbled, "I had to wake up early in the morning & get ready. Now travel an hour to the airport & then a couple of hours in the airport to check in baggage & security. After that, an hour of air travel. To add on another 3 hours from the airport to the final destination. That comes up to 8 hours of travel. Instead, we could have taken an overnight night bus & I could have slept all night."

While the lady frowned, "Air travel is comfortable." The slightly awake passenger persisted, "What? An air-conditioned sleeper bus would be comfortable, cost-effective & no sleep deprivation." The lady complained, "Oh, one day you wake up early & so much drama." The cab reaching the departure drop point put an end to the debate. The duo picked up the luggage & walked to the entrance. The now-awake passenger pushed the hood back & wondered, "What's with the crowd & where are all these people going?" The tense lady mentioned, "Now do you understand the reason to start early?" The sweatshirt-clad traveller scratched his head, 'Don't people have better things to do than travel?' The attention turned towards the lady, "Amma, please relax. We are here & will make it to the flight." The mother-son duo stood in a long queue for baggage check-in. The next hour passed in security check, early breakfast & reaching the gate.

When it was time to board, the airline staff announced the seat numbers. The son stated, "It's time to board as we are last-seaters. You are right behind me." The mother remarked, "I wish we had seats beside each other." The son frowned, "It was last minute booking & we were lucky to have gotten tickets. It's an hour's flight & you are right behind me. So please..." The mother smirked, "Never know who will sit beside me." The son rolled his eyes and chose not to react. As the duo reached their seats, the son noticed the occupants of the aisle & window seats. He sighed heavily in the highly air-conditioned environment. His mother & he had the middle seats & occupants on either side were men.

The son chose not to say a word & settled in the middle seat. As the mother approached the last row, the gentleman in the aisle seat got up & shifted to the middle seat. He expressed, "Aunty, please sit here. You will be more comfortable." The mother was overjoyed, thanked him & settled into the seat. The son looked back at the chivalrous man & thanked him too. Now that his mother was seated with no more qualms, he got into his business of sleeping. He buckled the belt, pulled the hood back over his head & closed his eyes.

The son slept sound asleep until he heard his mother talk. He opened his eyes & turned back to look through the gap between the seats. The mother & the man in the middle seat seemed to have struck up a conversation. The roaring sound of the engine allowed very little overhearing. Once the flight landed & passengers deboarded, the son caught up with the mother. The son enquired curiously, "I heard you say 'Sorry' to the man who exchanged seats with you. What was that about?" The mother replied, "Oh that, his father passed away last night & he is travelling back home for the funeral." The son only nodded & they continued walking towards the baggage.

The mother continued, "He asked me if I was travelling for work?" The son smiled at the thought, 'That was smooth, from aunty to travelling for work? Nice work.' He snapped out of the 'smooth-move' moment. His expression suddenly changed to knotted eyebrows & sharp ears. The mother innocently recited the conversation. The co-passenger had enquired about the reason for travel & she had responded as a personal trip. He had asked about her husband & kids. She prompted had replied that her husband was no more & travelling with her son. The fellow traveller had smartly slipped the information that he was with the military in a high-rank position. While he lived up the North for work, his wife & kids lived in the Southern part of the country.

The son exclaimed, "What?" The mother replied, "He initiated the conversation & I only responded." He shook his head & wondered what to say. As they reached the baggage section, he told his mother to wait & walked towards the luggage conveyer. As the son waited for the bags, he watched the co-passenger talk to his mother. The son wondered, 'What is this guy up to?' The son picked up the luggage, pulled it on wheels & walked to his mother.

The son asked, "What was he talking to you?" The mother articulated, "He just came to say bye." The son raised his eyebrows, "A 10mins conversation on a flight just before landing & now you two are friends?" The mother smirked, "He was being courteous." The son dropped the topic & guided the mother towards the cab point. While the son spoke on the phone with the cab driver, he saw the co-passenger walk up & talk to his mother again. The sleep-deprived, travel-tired mind was irked & intrigued at the same time. No sooner did the fellow traveller leave than the taxi arrived. The driver loaded the luggage into the car & the mother-son duo settled into the rear seat.

The son enquired, "What did your friend want now?" The mother casually stated, "He asked for my phone number." The son's heart was in his mouth & eyebrows almost touched his hairline. Yet, in a calm & controlled tone, he uttered, "And...?" She responded, "I said, 'We have known each other only for an hour, so...no number.'" The son sighed in relief & reached out for a bottle of water. The son drank some water & enunciated, "Thank god! You did not give the number." The son continued to rant & mother did not understand the son's concern. The mother interrupted, "What are you saying? I don't understand."

The son sipped some more water, calmed himself & asked, "Don't you see? He starts by being nice by giving up his seat & strikes up a conversation. He asks about you & you go on to share personal details." The mother replied, "He asked & I replied, what's wrong with it?" The son thumped his left fist to his forehead. The son tried to explain, "He just exchanged the seat with you. That doesn't mean you share personal details. You could have said, Appa works at the destination & we are visiting. He was a stranger & you do not have to tell the truth." The mother was flummoxed & couldn't make sense of anything the son said. The son persisted, "He conveniently slipped the information that he lives away with family & asked for your phone number."

The reasoning finally sunk in & the mother was in shock. The son added, "Don't you watch on the television or read in the newspaper? Women innocently give away money to people they haven't even met." The mother was speechless & son realised he had gone overboard. The son tried to do some damage control. He added, "I'm not saying he would have asked for money or caused harm. One has to be cautious at all times." The mobile phone rang & son picked up to confirm the hotel about their arrival. As soon as the son hung up, the mother's articulation of "But he said his father... " was interrupted by the son's expression, 'Really? You are that naive?'

Take away: We live in an era where kids have to teach parents not to talk to strangers & share phone numbers.