Monday, August 29, 2005

a couple of couples on my return to cambridge

The trip back was more like what I had been expecting with priceline than my first flight: a 6am departure, with a 3 hour layover in Chicago, and a middle seat in the last row of the plane from Chicago to Boston. On that flight, the guy sitting on my right looked like he was about fifteen but was decked out in an army dress uniform, complete with medals indicating his expertise in "Grenade" and "Rifle". Waiting for him down in baggage claim was this girl who also looked like a high-schooler and who started shouting "Look at you! Look at you!" from the moment we started down the escalator. She was wearing a T-Shirt that said "Frisky Female" and threw her arms around and kissed him the moment we reached the bottom.

A few minutes later, I was standing next to this married couple at baggage claim, on the far side of the loop from where the luggage comes out. Along with all the relatively uniform gray and black suitcases rolling out onto the belt, there was this giant fluorescent chartreuse plastic one, unlike anything I have ever seen. The suitcase comes around, and the husband grabs it. Then he gives the top of the suitcase a brief look and lets go of it, the way people do when they check whether a piece of nondescript luggage is theirs and decide it isn't. He turns to his wife, who widens her eyes and raises her arms in that way that is the universal signal for "Were you this stupid when we got married and I just didn't realize it, or has somebody been spending years slipping lead paint chips into your coffee at the office?" The husband, suitably abashed, trotted around me and retrieved the suitcase, as his wife just shook her head.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

LOL! That is really funny, thanks for sharing!

Anonymous said...

The second narrative is especially grand!

My dad does stuff like that, but he always plays it through. This is like the "Full House" ending. I'm surprised the guy relented, and acted abashedly. Did it work, or did it seem contrived? I'm left wondering what's beyond the situation: Perhaps the woman could be throwing her arms up because the man does this every time they retrieve the luggage. (Arms thrown up: "Here we go again!") Having to use the same schtick would definitely be something that calls for an abashed response, even just for the sake of advancing a running joke.

In the end, though, if he has to carry the luggage, then I think he's entitled to choose the script he likes best for himself.

john said...

I want a girl to act out familiar roles with because they're comfortable to us, it sounds like one of the hallmarks of a good couple.

Anonymous said...

so, did frisky female end up picking up said bag?

Anonymous said...

For some reason, I think they were aware of your 'peeking'.

Ang said...

Well, sure. I've had schtick like that sometimes, too. Like if we had stories we'd tell together, it would almost be like we had a bit down, like Abbott & Costello or something.