How I Met Andreas

I wake up to gunshots and yelling. I'm lying on the floor in a Greek airport. I take my earbuds out and notice there are many more people than when I started watching the movie and ultimately fell asleep. It's time to find my gate.

After a trip to Paris and then to Athens, I'm flying back ‘home’ to Rome. I cannot wait to lie in my twin bed for a mid day slumber. Boardings are about to start and people are already lined up. I don't understand. We all have tickets and seats. Assigned seats. It's such a familiar behavior it gave me a sense of comfort.

My Poppy gets to the airport with enough time to fly to and from the destination before boarding even starts. My mother and I have a running joke about how she always rushes me to the train, only to wait at the station. The gene doesn't stop there either. When my brother and I take the same train out onto Long Island he always makes it to Penn station before me and I usually run to the train sweating.

On the other side of the world. People I have never seen before somehow remind me of my family.

With five people left to board and the last announcement called I gather my things and get in line.

I always feel cool traveling. Not cool as in I'm better than everyone else but rather a gratification, a pride that I'm doing something younger me would smile at. I reach into my pocket to show the lady my passport. After 20 seconds of pure terror I find it. I'm almost the last person to walk through the gate & there is still a line backed up off the plane. See, this is why I always wait until the last second.

Down the aisle I read my seat number to myself too many times. I Look down the aisle trying to see who I'm sitting next to but I can't tell if I'm looking at the right row. I arrive. 39C. An older couple sits in 39 A and B. I give them a smile accompanied by a nod which is universal for “hi. How ya doing. I'm not a bad guy” or at least that's how I've been using it. The man nods back. After this sliver of conversation I throw my leather duffle bag in the overhead compartment. It's a cool bag and I feel more mature when I carry it. I sit down and contain myself. I don't look at anyone nor anyone at me.

The plane moves backwards. The pilot starts speaking. I take one earbud out and listen. Sounds of syllables come from the speakers. Nothing that I've heard before, not even close. A different language from another planet. The alien voice stops and an english translation reads “Thank you for choosing Greek Air”. The voice coming through the loudspeakers blurs into ambient sound as I begin looking amongst the other passengers.

A businessman archetype sits in the aisle a few rows in front of me using his phone not on airplane mode. I look to the other side of my row. A young child sits by himself; on his left sits a fat man already sleeping, and in the remaining seat looks to be a college girl with blonde hair and a fake tan. Makes me wonder which makes him more uncomfortable.

Why are you guys here? In the back of my head I hope the kid’s flying to a Disneyland type of joint but I’m pretty sure he's not.

I'm actually studying in Rome but I'm from New York. Where are you guys from? Wait let me guess: Jersey, Massachusetts, and Florida? Just proving how Americacentric my mind really thinks.

I ask the child what grade he's in but as he begins to answer his voice changes from that of an American child to that of an older man. A man of different origin. I feel a tap on my shoulder and I snap out of my imaginary conversation.

The man next to me is speaking in Greek or at least that's what I think. He holds a belt which I must have forgotten. I take it from him with a smile and clip myself in.

“Grazie milla” I say with a nod.

The man laughs. “Voi italiano?”

“Ehh no. Mi americano. Mi familia dove es italy”

“ah okay.”

“Dove en Italy?”

“Bari”

“Molto bella”

“Si. Como ti chiami”

“Andreas, E Tu”

“Christopher”

“Perche sei a roma”

“ahh che?” I say with a smile.

The man chuckles to himself. A friendly laugh.

“Why are you in rome?”

“Ohh. University. What about you?”

“Holiday”

“That's fun. Have you been?”

“No, first time”

“You guys will have a great time”

“Si, where are you from in america?”

“New york”

The man's face lights up. “The big apple”

“Ah si.”

“Many people?”

“Too many”

The man smiles and looks over to his wife, who is sleeping. His attention moves to the window. We are stopped now but the engines begin to grow louder. I put my earbuds in. The plane starts to roll. The man tenses up. We move faster and faster until finally the wheels lift off the ground. His hands, tightly wrapped around the arm rest, begin to relax. He looks over to me with a raised eyebrow grin.

Once we are level I take out my notebook. I’ve gotten into journaling a bit more while being abroad and enjoy writing about anything that comes to mind.

Sunday: February 12th, 2023

Plane from Athens to Rome (Coming from Paris)

Left Paris tonight. Had a great time with Lily and her friends. Just had a 7 hour layover and did nothing productive. I could have done my homework but instead I watched Saving Private Ryan Again. My charging adapter wouldn't stay in the wall tho so i couldn’t really do anything. Right? Whatever. I enjoyed Paris more than I thought. The Eiffel tower was the best part no question.

Things to note:

“You guys will have a great time”

“Si, where are you from in america?”

“New york”

The man's face lights up. “The big apple”

“Ah si.”

“Many people?”

“Too many”

The man smiles and looks over to his wife, who is sleeping. His attention moves to the window. We are stopped now but the engines begin to grow louder. I put my earbuds in. The plane starts to roll. The man tenses up. We move faster and faster until finally the wheels lift off the ground. His hands, tightly wrapped around the arm rest, begin to relax. He looks over to me with a raised eyebrow grin.

Once we are level I take out my notebook. I’ve gotten into journaling a bit more while being abroad and enjoy writing about anything that comes to mind.

Sunday: February 12th, 2023

Plane from Athens to Rome (Coming from Paris)

Left Paris tonight. Had a great time with Lily and her friends. Just had a 7 hour layover and did nothing productive. I could have done my homework but instead I watched Saving Private Ryan Again. My charging adapter wouldn't stay in the wall tho so i couldn’t really do anything. Right? Whatever. I enjoyed Paris more than I thought. The Eiffel tower was the best part no question.

Things to note:

• I don't have an opinion on French people. I went in not wanting to like them and a few were really nice. Most of them just hated me. Like, I've never even met you. Why do you hate me? That one waitress was really nice when I spilled the whole glass of wine on myself. It might have been just because I was alone and she felt bad. That's funny to think about.

• Personal space. I don't know if this was just this one instance but this girl sat on my cookies in the airport not even an hour ago. I actually think she's on this flight. But like, don't you feel that you're sitting on something? I'm ready to go home so I can be mad at my own people.

• The French language is either extremely attractive or completely repulsive. No inbetween.

• I like museums

• I need to travel much more before I do anything in this life

I chuckle to myself looking over the lines I just scribbled in my notebook. Now I won’t forget.

I fold up my notebook and throw it in the chair pocket in front of me. I glance over to the window and see Andreas staring at the seat ahead. His wife is sound asleep next to him. He has no headphones in nor occupied by anything. Something my generation can’t do for a second, me included.

Dove tu vivi?

Andreas hears me but doesn't look right away. Realizing I'm asking him he turns to me quickly.

“Ah, I live on piccolo island. No Big apple.”

“How many people live there?”

“A few thousand”

“Oh it's really small”

“Si, my familia and mi friends”

“That's awesome, do you two have any children?

“Si, una. Roberto”

“Oh cool, how old is he?

“Roberto es 34”

“And where does he live?”

“Home with us”

“That's great”

“You live with tu familia?”

“Si”

“In the big apple”

Andreas smiles and holds up his hand to show how tall the buildings are. Somewhere he has never been and yet to me was standard, seemed more exotic than before. Still smiling Andreas closes his eyes with a smile and dozes off. I put my earbuds in and resume the soundtrack of my travels.

A familiar tap awakes me. It’s Andreas. I smile and go back to close my eyes but he taps me again pointing to the aisle. A flight attendant is standing there. She signals me to pick up my tray. I do so in a hurry feeling rude. I turn to Andreas.

“Thank you”

He smiles and continues helping his wife find her seatbelt.

A few minutes later we begin our descent and for some reason I'm in a good mood.

We land. A fast bouncy landing. I enjoy the little adrenaline but I'm not sure if Andreas does judging by how tight he's holding on.

The plane stops and everyone jumps up to get their bags. We sit there for another ten minutes before they open the doors. The passengers start filing out. I stand up and get my duffel bag. I smile at Andreas and his wife. He looks back at me.

“Kali mera” He says with a nod.

“Italiano?”

“Good day in Greek”

“Ahh, Kali mera” I say with a smile. A smile that lingers on.