Dear Diary, Feb 18, 20..
All persons are over 18 years of age
One of the best parts about being an international traveler is the interesting people you meet in airports, hotels or on a plane. Interesting maybe, but not necessarily nice. Today, I was booked on a flight from Los Angeles to Prague. It was to be quite a flight as we had to fly first to New York, then to Amsterdam with a long layover and finally on to Prague. I knew we were in trouble when the flight attendant closed the door, we backed away from the gate, and stopped. We sat there for a few minutes and the plane was pulled right back into the gate. Never a good sign.
There was some non-repairable problem with that plane, and we had to move to a different plane. The bad thing (or so I thought at the time) was the next flight wouldn't leave until after midnight. The good thing was this would be a special, direct flight with no stopover. Because it was a special and a different plane, the seating was different and not everyone with a first-class ticket would get to stay in first class.
When we left the plane, we were directed to the transfer desk for new boarding passes. The man in front of me in line was the textbook 'ugly American.' Yelling and screaming because he had to be in Prague for a very important meeting blah blah blah. The attendant was trying to explain that she could put him on an earlier flight to get him in on time, but he would be in coach, in a middle seat. Of course, this was unacceptable as he had paid for first class...blah blah blah. But it would leave around 2100 - hours earlier than the other flight and it would be a direct flight. Or he could take the rescheduled flight and miss his meeting but have his first-class seat.
Well, the meeting must have been important because he took the middle seat in coach on the rescheduled flight, along with a refund for the difference in seating. When he was leaving the line, he turned to me and said "I hope you have better luck than I did. I'll have someone's job for this." I just replied that I had no meeting, so I could wait for the later flight. As I approached the clerk, I could tell she was nervous because she saw me talking to the ass that had been ahead of me. I began by apologizing to her. It was the best thing I could have done. She said I didn't have to apologize as I hadn't been rude. I explained that not all businessmen are like that, and I hoped she wouldn't think we were. Many of us are pretty laid back.
Well, she said thank-you and said she could get me to Prague on time if I wanted or I could take the later flight. I wasn't too excited about sitting in a middle coach seat, I told her. She just smiled and said she was sorry, there were no coach seats left on that flight, but if I was willing to settle for something else, she could put me in first class. I was wise enough to know the other guy had lost out because of his attitude. So, I smiled and said "yes, I supposed I could make the sacrifice."
A couple hours later, I was boarding the new flight. I had seat 5C. An aisle seat in the last row of first class with a bulkhead at my back. But being first class was only the first benefit of our cancelled flight. The second was the passenger in 5D.
Once the boarding rush stopped, I wondered if the seat next to me would remain empty. It didn't make sense, but it was possible. Just then a man walked on the plane, and he had to go 300 pounds or more. "Oh, hell no" I thought not for this flight. Please... He walked up to my row and hesitated. I just hung my head wondering what I had done to deserve having to sit next to him all the way to Prague. Then I heard this feminine voice with a beautiful eastern Europe accent say, "Excuse me."
The big guy stepped aside, and I looked up into the most amazing green eyes. She pointed at the seat next to me and said "5D?"
I stood up, or tried to, I forgot I had buckled the seatbelt, and I sat back down rather clumsily. She laughed a wonderfully musical laugh. I unbuckled the seatbelt and stood, letting her in. As she slid by me, I got a whiff of very expensive perfume. I also noticed she was wearing a designer silk blouse, obviously with no bra, and jeans that probably cost more than my salary. But they looked fantastic and looked like they were spray painted on with no panty line. And she was wearing heels. Of course she was, she was European. There is nothing so sexy as a beautiful woman in jeans and heels, unless it's a topless beautiful woman in jeans and heels.
After a while everyone got settled and we took off. Once we reached cruising altitude, the lights in the plane were turned off and many of us tried to sleep. I couldn't sleep. The beauty next to me had turned on her overhead light and pulled out a copy of
Marie Claire
. I finally gave up trying to sleep and hit the buzzer to order a glass of wine. When I flight attendant arrived, I asked my seat mate if she would join me for a glass of wine. She smiled that brilliant smile and said she would love a glass of white wine. We talked briefly as we waited for the wine. She asked why I was in L.A., and I explained my job. And told her that was why I was on a flight to Prague. There was a new center I needed to inspect. In return, she explained she had been in L.A. for a photo-shoot. I could believe that.
"Wow, I knew I was sitting next to a beautiful woman, but I didn't know you were a super model."
She smiled as our wine arrived. I handed her a glass and tipped mine to her, "Na zdravi."
She looked surprised that I offered a salutation in Czech, but she responded the same. "Na zdravi, yourself."
We each took a sip, and she continued our conversation, "I'm a model, not really a super model. I've never done the Victoria's Secret show," she said with a slight laugh. "But I've had my share of magazine covers and layouts with a few ads."
"I'm sure you won't be lacking for work. Truly beautiful women are too rare. And your smile lights up like a spotlight."
"Dฤkuji mnohokrรกt."
I took another sip and asked what the photoshoot in L.A. had been for. She replied, "It was lingerie layout for GQ."
"Maybe part of your pay should have been samples."
She gave me a quizzical look, "What do you mean?"
"Sorry, I couldn't help but notice that you are not wearing a bra...or panties."
She laughed that musical laugh again. "For lingerie shoots, we don't wear underwear to the shoot, so our skin is smooth and there are no wrinkles or creases. Since I didn't wear any there, I didn't have any to wear home. Hope that doesn't bother you. I know how some Americans can be about nudity...or near nudity."
Before I realized what was happening, my eyes looked down at her shirt where her nipples were sticking out like we were in a freezer.
"Fortunately, I'm not one of those Americans. I tend to have a more 'continental' viewpoint. I think you look great just the way you are. But feel free to undo a couple more buttons if you start feeling warm."
Again, that wonderful laugh, "I'll keep that in mind if I start getting hot."
"Well, all I can say is, if you are good enough for GQ, I find it hard to believe you haven't done the Victoria's Secret show."
"Eventually, maybe. Right now, I just do magazine layouts and covers. Occasionally, some ads. A girl has to keep busy."
Glancing down at the magazine in her lap, I noticed that she was on the cover of Marie
Claire
in her lap.
"It looks like you are on the right path. Even I know that
Marie Claire
is pretty big time. If you are on the cover, I should probably know you. Or at least, have heard your name."
"I don't think so. Most people not in the business, especially men, only know the super models who walk the VS show on television. That means about 10 names. But there are many of us you never heard of."