The mallu man on my left
Setting: Indigo flight
Time: 8:30 am
I knew the man sitting on my left seat was a malayali the moment he settled himself on the seat. No, I don't judge people by their looks. He was speaking at length about the where bouts of his journey from Ahmedabad to Mumbai over his apple phone.
Having woken up early that morning, I needed to catch some sleep. I drifted into a slumber in no time. With each head droop, I would wake up with a jerk and go back to sleep again. After a while, sleep got tired of me I guess, I decided to just close my eyes and relax my neck.
That's when I heard the mallu man murmering something to the air hostess who was serving food and beverages to passengers in our row. I couldn't comprehend what he had ordered. The man seated on my right had by then ordered one of those triangularly packed sandwiches and iced tea.
A few minutes had passed when I saw the air hostess offering a glass of water to the mallu man on my left. His unexpected response wiped away every bit of drowsiness in me and I became alert.
Aggressively pointing his forefinger towards her, like a strict school master, he shouts: "I do not need this water now! I asked for a glass of water 10 minutes ago and how dare you give it to me now??!'
The lady maintaining her calm responds,
" I went to take water, Sir. I am really sorry. Could you please have a glass of water?"
The mallu man responds, "I said NO! I don't want it now!" This time in an angrier tone.
Quickly turning to the man on my right, she asked if he could speak to the man on my left. The man on the right looked at the man on the left with a smirk, all the while munching greedily on his cheese sandwich.
She slowly pushed her 'food cart'( I don't know the word for it) and moved forward, embarrassment and pain writ large on her face.
I thought the episode ended there, though I was curious to know whether the man was still thirsty or whether his anger drank away his thirst.
We were about to land in Mumbai when another air hostess came up with a glass of water. She said:" Sir, May I please request you to have this glass of water, please?"
He heroically denied the glass of water this time as well.
It was time for us to get up from our seats and take our bags from the over head bins. My bag had been pushed to the corner at the end that I could take it only if I stood on the seat. The mallu man came to my rescue this time. As he handed over my bag to me, he smiled at me warmly. I still cannot believe that this was the man who behaved like a rogue a few minutes ago.
I was walking behind him towards the exit of the plane. At the exit door, another hostess extended her heart felt apology again. I couldn't bear to witness any more of his 'heroic' acts, so I fled the scene. I couldn't help hearing him ask the name of the hostess who could not serve him a glass of water the moment he asked for it. With so much authority, power and ruthlessness, pointing his finger again, in a mallu accent he asked :
"What is the name of that girl??!"
Time: 8:30 am
I knew the man sitting on my left seat was a malayali the moment he settled himself on the seat. No, I don't judge people by their looks. He was speaking at length about the where bouts of his journey from Ahmedabad to Mumbai over his apple phone.
Having woken up early that morning, I needed to catch some sleep. I drifted into a slumber in no time. With each head droop, I would wake up with a jerk and go back to sleep again. After a while, sleep got tired of me I guess, I decided to just close my eyes and relax my neck.
That's when I heard the mallu man murmering something to the air hostess who was serving food and beverages to passengers in our row. I couldn't comprehend what he had ordered. The man seated on my right had by then ordered one of those triangularly packed sandwiches and iced tea.
A few minutes had passed when I saw the air hostess offering a glass of water to the mallu man on my left. His unexpected response wiped away every bit of drowsiness in me and I became alert.
Aggressively pointing his forefinger towards her, like a strict school master, he shouts: "I do not need this water now! I asked for a glass of water 10 minutes ago and how dare you give it to me now??!'
The lady maintaining her calm responds,
" I went to take water, Sir. I am really sorry. Could you please have a glass of water?"
The mallu man responds, "I said NO! I don't want it now!" This time in an angrier tone.
Quickly turning to the man on my right, she asked if he could speak to the man on my left. The man on the right looked at the man on the left with a smirk, all the while munching greedily on his cheese sandwich.
She slowly pushed her 'food cart'( I don't know the word for it) and moved forward, embarrassment and pain writ large on her face.
I thought the episode ended there, though I was curious to know whether the man was still thirsty or whether his anger drank away his thirst.
We were about to land in Mumbai when another air hostess came up with a glass of water. She said:" Sir, May I please request you to have this glass of water, please?"
He heroically denied the glass of water this time as well.
It was time for us to get up from our seats and take our bags from the over head bins. My bag had been pushed to the corner at the end that I could take it only if I stood on the seat. The mallu man came to my rescue this time. As he handed over my bag to me, he smiled at me warmly. I still cannot believe that this was the man who behaved like a rogue a few minutes ago.
I was walking behind him towards the exit of the plane. At the exit door, another hostess extended her heart felt apology again. I couldn't bear to witness any more of his 'heroic' acts, so I fled the scene. I couldn't help hearing him ask the name of the hostess who could not serve him a glass of water the moment he asked for it. With so much authority, power and ruthlessness, pointing his finger again, in a mallu accent he asked :
"What is the name of that girl??!"
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