When I booked my ticket, every seat on the plane was listed as taken. I tried not to let this make me nervous. When I checked in the night before I flew, they were still all full. I tried to remain calm.
I went to the airport early, then sat for an hour and a half waiting for them to open the gate, then another half an hour waiting for them to call my name. And then they asked for volunteers.
I thought about it for a while, but I was nervous about being bumped either altogether or to another full flight, and the other choice was $400 and an actual seat on a nicer airline, so in the end I went for it. Two of us went up, they needed two, and we were all set.
And then, through machinations I didn’t understand, they only needed one, and it wasn’t me. But that was okay. Now I would be sure to make my train, and I had a seat, and would be able to make it to the British library, so all was well with the world.
But wait! That was too easy. The flight was once again full. So I waited to board at the very end just in case they still needed a volunteer. And then it turned out someone was trying to make a connection from Sydney. And if he made it, I would get $400 and a seat on the later flight. If he didn’t, I would fly to London in his business class seat. The poor guy missed his flight.
Throw me in the briar patch.
Playwright Rites 