Mr. Hobbs Takes a Flight

Mr. Hobbs is sitting in an airport terminal waiting to fly out of town for business.

He looks at his watch to see the time. Then, he looks at his cell phone, he looks at the T.V. monitor showing the news (this stock is up, that stock is down, quarterly gains lower than expected), he checks the clock behind the flight check-in desk.

Mr. Hobbs hates to fly. He hates everything about it. Mr. Hobbs hates that he has to take his shoes off and walk through a giant machine that detects metal. He hates that his luggage go through a machine that looks inside his luggage and, if the machine and/or operator of the machine is not satisfied, someone opens his luggage and rifles through them.

He can’t carry hair gel or shampoo. The accusations offend Mr. Hobbs.

But Mr. Hobbs is past all of that. Now he is sitting in a terminal, as close to the gate as possible, waiting for a flight to come in so his flight can go out. He looks at his watch to see the time. Then, he looks at his cell phone, he looks at the T.V. monitor showing the news (Some sports reporter is talking about how some team playing some sport can only win the game if they play some way), he checks the clock behind the flight check-in desk.

Mr. Hobbs looks at all the people in the terminal. He looks at the empty seat next to him and wishes there was someone sitting there. Mr. Hobbs is a married man but wouldn’t mind the company of a beautiful woman just to pass the time. She could sit there and laugh at his witty observations. She would laugh and smile and he would look at her and she would get uncomfortable and he would feel awkward and start talking about his children and she get bored and Mr. Hobbs would feel embarrassed. He looks at the empty seat next to him and is glad that no one sitting there. He looks at his watch to see the time. Then, he looks at his cell phone, he looks at the T.V. monitor showing the news (There is a man in a gray suit in red tie talking about why his political party knew all along but the other political party just cares about consolidating power), he checks the clock behind the flight check-in desk.

Mr. Hobbs sees the jet pull up to the gate through the giant windows of the terminal. He stands up and grabs his carry-on luggage in his hands even though he knows he cannot board the flight until after everyone has gotten off of the jet. Mr. Hobbs sits back down.

After what seems like an eternity (but actually about three minutes) Mr. Hobbs watches as people begin to stream off the jet and out of the gate through the terminal. Mr. Hobbs again stands up and grabs his carry-on luggage in his hand even though he knows he cannot board the flight until after the flight crew cleans the jet and re-stock the galley with food and beverages. Mr. Hobbs sits back down. He looks at his watch to see the time. Then, he looks at his cell phone, he looks at the T.V. monitor showing the news (A suicide bomber in some country, somewhere in the Middle East, detonated his explosive vest in the middle of a crowded market. X amount dead, X amount wounded), he checks the clock behind the flight check-in desk.

Mr. Hobbs hears the woman behind the flight check-in desk say that his flight is ready to board. He stands up and grabs his carry-on luggage in his hands knowing now that boarding his flight is eminent. He looks at his watch to see the time. Then, he looks at his cell phone, he looks at the T.V. monitor showing the news (This time Mr. Hobbs doesn't even notice whats on the news), he checks the clock behind the flight check-in desk. Mr. Hobbs check his ticket like he has been doing since he first parked his car in long-term parking to make sure he is getting on the right jet. He hopes he remembered to lock his doors and display his ticket on the dashboard even though no one has asked him to do that. Mr Hobbs makes sure he is in the first group to board. He wants to be able to pick his seat and not settle for whatever he can get. He wants some control over where he will be sitting for the next four and one half hours. Mr. Hobbs, with carry-on luggage in hand, takes his place in line and begins boarding the plane. He has his ticket scanned. He has his driver's license and passport in his hands also even though no one asked him to show either of them. He walks down the long hall and through the door to the jet. As he walks down the aisle between the rows of seats he looks ahead for a good seat. While walking down the aisle his carry-on luggage bumps into seats already occupied by people but he doesn't notice.

Mr. Hobbs finally finds a seat near the emergency exit. He stored his two appropriately-sized carry-on luggage bags in the proper storage compartment above his head. Mr. Hobbs then takes the seat closest to the window and immediately fastens his seat-belt because he knows soon the flight attendants will ask him to do that and he wants to be ahead in the game. He makes sure his tray table in front of him is fastened securely and that his seat is in the full, upright position. He watches as the people continue to board wondering who he will have to deal with for the next four and one half hours. Mr. Hobbs hopes it is someone young so if a conversation happens he can impart some of his years of wisdom on them. He will talk about how he remembers a simpler time before cell phones and laptops and how he has been married for 20 years and has children and how the future is whatever you make of it. Just as Mr. Hobbs was thinking of some whimsical tales of his youth, a middle-aged man in a gray suit took the seat next to him. He knows he will never say a word to this man. He looks at his watch to see the time. Then, he looks at his cell phone. Mr. Hobbs turns off the cell phone because he knows the flight attendants will ask him to do so and he wants to be ahead in the game.

Mr. Hobbs watches as the flight attendants do their dance to show us how to locate all the safety features of the jet. He watches intently even though he has watched this dance many times. He checks to make sure his his seat-belt is fastened, his tray table in front of him is fastened securely and that his seat is in the full, upright position. Mr. Hobbs locates all the emergency exits and knows that in the case of an emergency he can handle the duties of sitting next to an emergency exit. Mr. Hobbs makes sure he can find the aircraft safety card located in the pocket in the back of the seat in front of him. He knows the oxygen bag that will drop out in front of him in case of a loss of cabin pressure will have a bag attached to it that will not fill up with air but will be providing him with oxygen. He know his seat can be used as a flotation device in case of a water landing even though the jet will never actually fly over any large bodies of water.

At this time Mr. Hobbs imagines what an emergency water landing would look like, what it would feel like. He imagines the jet, traveling at five hundred miles per hour, hitting the water and breaking apart on impact. Mr. Hobbs imagines what it would be like to be sitting in his window seat next to the emergency exit when another aircraft collides with the one he is flying in. Would he die instantly? Would the jet rip apart and send his maimed body hurtling towards the earth while he is still somewhat conscious? Mr. Hobbs imagines a bomb exploding in the fusalage of the aircraft. He imagines what it would feel like to burn to death while sitting next to a middle-aged man in a gray suit that he will never say a word to.

Mr. Hobbs tightens up the seatbelt fastend across his lap. He looks at his watch to see the time. The jet begins to make its way down the runway. Mr. Hobbs hopes that he gets to see his wife and children again. He hopes he does not die.