Mocking a Fish

When Funny Frustrating Feeble things happen, expect that it can actually be hilarious when you make peace after being embarrassed and offended. These latter two emotions are barriers to laughter. So get rid of them!

Some people do manage to find a smile somewhere and dissolve a difficult situation in the same way they throw a disprin in a glass of water to ease a headache. But I am not one of them. I must add that I do not take offence very easily because I tend to find reasons for other people's behaviour and is in a habit of giving people the benefit of the doubt.

But when I do take offence I find it hard to manage a smile. Maybe later, after thinking it over and analysing the situation, I might think of a funny moment inside the happening, find a punchline, write an account of the incident and the "pain"of the incident will slowly disolve. I call it my  disprin mode....

But how does one smile in the midst of being verbally abused, blamed, judged and not given a chance to defend yourself.....?

.....In this case, in my attempt to smile at the air hostess while she was trying to "teach me some manners" my smile was somewhere stuck between imaginary braces, and my mouth only being a hole in my face.....

I was unable to even try and explain.....and as I slowly turn to Barry next to me I noticed that he also had a hole in his face..... I have never noticed that before....I saw him with new eyes....his hole was moving in different shapes as if he was mocking a fish......He was desperately fishing for words.... 

We have been flying KLM airlines for the past 19 years a few times a year. During the last few years we made sure to book seats 44J and 44K. It is the two last seats in the plane right at the back on the right hand side. It is near the smell of the fantastic coffee they serve on these flights and also near other important small places. We never fly any other airline if we can help it and we choose seats carefully.

During this day flight from Schipol to Johannesburg,  on the 7th of November 2018 everything went as usual. We looked forward to draw out our meal to pass the time quicker. They serve their wine from the cutest little slender plastic bottles....about 200ml per bottle. We always take one little bottle each and then share out of one first. It fills less than half my plastic goblet.

The food comes on a hard plastic tray that glides quite easily off the fold out table. The lesser items are on this fold out tray the better and easier it is to prevent spilling or falling off of items.

I decided to put the empty little bottel back on the serving trolley of the hostess because it was still within my reach. It is hard enough to manage everything on the little table glyding and sliding around so to create more space, I caught her attention to show her that I have placed the empty little bottle in-between the other bottles so that she will not get a surprise for finding an empty bottle between the ones that still need to be served.

Then we enjoyed Barry's little bottle. We were talking a lot. Planning our time in South Africa with more enthusiasm than last time when I had suffered two stomach operations and needed careful assistance afterwards. It was a working holiday for him. Now he will be freer to enjoy golf and other outdoor stuff.

We were in a good mood and looking forward to seeing our children and grandchildren again after 7 months. When we were done with the 2nd little bottle ( I have to say little every-time because this is now my time to explain and I am worried that the reader will just interpret it as having finished our "second bottle")

I asked for another little bottle when the hostess passed by our seats again. (I was sitting on the aisle seat; otherwise Barry would have been the one to do the asking) But she did not respond and a little later I asked again.