Chapter 51

Part  51– The plane ride

Recap:

When their planes had arrived, they boarded and went to find their seats. He looked at the boarding passes in shock.

M: Nisha?

N: Hmm?

M: Our seats are on different side of the planes!

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Nisha: Kya?!

M: Yea, here, look at this.

             Nisha looked at their seat numbers and to her horror, Manthan was right. They were on opposite sides of the plane!! An air hostess came near them.

A.H.: Ma'am, sir, could you please find your seats please?

M: Um…I think there's been some kind of a mistake. My wife and I had booked two seats together in first class, but out seats say that we're sitting on opposites ends of the plane in second class!!

A.H.: Sir, I'm very sorry to inform you, but there is a convict aboard going to appeal to a higher court and so we cannot have other passengers sitting beside him as he isn't mentally stable.

M: But, we booked first class!

A.H: Yes, sir, we're very sorry.

M: But can we at least have seats by each other?

A.H.: sorry, sir. This is not up to me.

M: But –

N: Manthan, it's ok, she's gone…

M: Do you know how long the flight is?

N: Very long.

M: Exactly and I don't wanna stay away from you for very long.

N: It's just one flight, it's alright. Go sit at you seat Manthan.

             After a whining Manthan sat on his seat and Nisha sat on her's, the air hostesses' demonstrated the emergency devices and how to use them. Suddenly an overweight man came and plopped himself beside Nisha. Nisha shifted in her seat uncomfortably. The man smiled at her. She noticed he had a tooth missing and he also had one gold filling. Gross, she though.

Man: I'm Jay.

Nisha: Um…Nisha.

Jay: Nisha? Nice name, Nisha.

N: (smiles weakly)

Jay: Isn't that cool? The whole alliteration thing? Nice Name, Nisha?

N: Umm…yea.

             Nisha closed her eyes. Already, she missed Manthan and it hadn't even been 5 minutes yet! She knew this was going to be a very long ride.

Jay: So, where are you going?

N: Austria.

Jay: Austria? That's a great place! I was there once –

             Nisha tried hard to look interested but she really wasn't. Jay was just a plain idiot. He went on and on talking about his current girlfriends. That is girlfriends with an "s", in the plural form. Apparently, he was a huge music director.

J: So, my other girl friend, her name's Emma, she –

N: Um, listen, would you mind switching seats with somebody?

J: You're joking right? Haha! You're really funny, Nisha!

N: Uh –

             But it was doing him no effect. He was practically deaf, he kept going on and on about his stupid girl friends and his stupid music. Nisha strained her eyes to look at Manthan. She could see him sitting far away talking to a girl. A pang of jealousy swept through her. Wasn't he at least worried about her?

Jay: – and this one time, I made this really cool song, it was about –

Nisha: Listen, Jay. Umm…can I have that magazine?

Jay: What'choo need the magazine for? I'm 24 hour entertaining machine! People tell me all the time that I'm so funny!

Nisha: (mutters) Yeah, funny looking.

Jay: Say something?

Nisha: No…

             The air hostess came with the dinner. Nisha set her little table and started eating her dinner quietly, trying to ignore Jay.

J: You didn't take any wine? Here, you can have mine.

N: No, thanks.

J: Come on, it's alright with me. I don't mind sharing my drink.

N: I said no, thanks.

J: Aww, you're so shy!

             Jay took the wine glass from his table and tried to make Nisha gulp it down. Nisha was so overwhelmed by this action of his that she started to choke.

Manthan: Move it!

Jay: Excuse me?

M: Do you know what "move" means?

J: Who are you?

M: You're worst nightmare if you don't move right now. Now will you move, or will I have to make you move?!

             Jay looked at Manthan, confused. But Manthan had had enough by now. He grabbed Jay's collar and pulled him out of the seat. He gave a glass of water to Nisha and gently stroked her back until she was alright.

M: You ok, Nisha?

N: (gulps water) Yeah, I'm fine.

J: Hear that? She's fine. Now you can leave.

M: Oh, sure.

             Manthan took out Nisha's entire luggage and held Nisha's hand while Jay continued blabbering about something.

N: Where are we going, Manthan.

M: Anywhere but beside that idiot.

             Once they got to Manthan's seat, a lady in her late 20s moved out of her seat and offered it to Nisha. It was the same lady that Manthan had been talking with before. The lady left and sat beside Jay. Manthan put all of Nisha's luggage in and sat down, finally glad that his wife was safe.

N: Manthan, that girl –

M: Oh, she's Jasmine. She used to go to school with me when we were small. I asked her if she could switch seats with you and she agreed.

N: Oh, that's nice of her. I thought…

M: What?

N: No, never mind.

             Manthan looked at Nisha curiously.

M: Nisha, were you jealous?

N: Of course not!

M: You were jealous! You think I'd hit on other girls on my honeymoon when I already have a gorgeous wife?

             Nisha only smiled in response. What were you to say to a guy like that? She put her head on his shoulders finally feeling free from that idiot Jay.