HAPPY 2023! I am so pumped to get this year rolling. The last few weeks have been quite hectic work-wise but all in a very good way. It is a good problem to have when you have no time to ponder and dwell on things. Days are passing by so fast and here we are, already in the new year. Another year, new adventures await and more memories to create.
Yesterday’s flight was interesting. You know you have been flying a lot when passengers start recognising you with your face half-covered with the mask. Fooling this man would have taken more than just the face being covered with a mask. As we get ready to close the door and I head towards the aft, doing the baggage check, I get stooped by this little man
“Oh! Habibi!!!”
My reaction to his utter open-arm gesture and friendly pleasantries was,
” UMMM no. Not me. You are confusing me with someone else”.
” No Habibi, it is you. You brought me to Cuba in the middle of December. You will remember me I promise you, but I can recognise you even with your mask on. It’s the eyes I remember.”
I acknowledged his politeness and friendly “HABIBIII” and carried on with my checks.
This niggling thought kept pestering me as the flight progressed. I tried to dig into my memory bank and figure out if he was on the ball or was plain pulling my leg.
Oh, he was on the ball. As we got ready to commence the meal service, something clicked and I went back to “Habibiii” and said to him
“HABIBIII, I REMEMBER YOU!!!!!”
You grocery shopped from our meal cart and bought EVERYTHING, (leaving the rest of the aircraft hurling insults at us coz we had nothing left to sell to them, but that was quickly sorted out with the sale of alcohol instead of food. Some people love eating Heineken for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner)
YES HABIBIII YES, NOW you remember me!!
We both laughed. This little gentleman, with the impish face, was with his wife who seemed so bogged down with the load of dealing with 4 kids looked at me and said, ” I knew you would remember us.”
How did I even forget them? They were friendly, they were kind, and they were happy as they were leaving on vacation and they went grocery shopping. Today’s return flight was no different. The “R side” was stopped by Habibiii and his actual Habibi and they purchased everything my colleagues had in their cart. As our service came to an end, my co-worker came to the back and said
“WE HAD NOTHING LEFT FOR THE REST OF THE PLANE. This family (and in unison, we both said) ” Went grocery shopping”.”
Her gaze was met by my roar of laughter as I explained to her my experience with Habibii and his cute little family.
Some days are so hard on the body with the movement and non-stop action at work but it is passengers like Habibi x6 that make it all the more fun and that long long day a memorable one. I wouldn’t trade my job for anything.
-Jas Out
Mirthspot 