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His face bore the wrinkles and spots of age, his eyes were a cloudy blue, and his hair was white. When the lights were turned low after meal service, he didn't seem to know how to turn on his reading light and had a hard time reading his book. His entertainment system remote control popped out by accident and he fidgeted and tried and finally gave up by leaving it dangling. I had to show him out to place it back in.
He was reading a book on Serbia. Could this be the holiday of his dreams, planned and saved for over a lifetime? Or maybe he's from Serbia?
He repeatedly referred to the transit map of Changi Airport, so I knew that Singapore was only a short stop in the grander scheme of his travels.
He read and re-read his travel itinerary printed on a company letterhead that stated 'Adventure Travels'. Adventure travels! It seemed rather oddly in contrast with his appearance.
Then I saw him take out a letter written on lined paper, with squiggly handwriting that squeezed two rows of words into each single line. He pored over the letter. I could hear little sniffles from him and the tip of his long nose looked red.
And as we got closer to Singapore, he seemed to be in a panic. With trembling hands, he kept on keeping and taking out the Changi Airport transit map from his pocket, elbowing me time and again in my waist.
Stuck in the middle of a three-seater row, I had already spent the whole trip jostling with him for elbow room on the armrest between us. He had the aisle armrest! Why can't he lean that way instead? Not a kind thought did I spare for him! Not one kind word when I could have tried to reassure him!
We finally landed and I kept an eye on him to see if he was lost. But with his tweed jacket on and duffel carrying case in hand, he gave off a stately and confident air, ignoring the ground staff by the directional signage and going on his way. That was the last I saw of him.
Here I find myself having to write him down, needing to get him off my thoughts, needing to get my ugly hard-heartedness off my chest.