SUDDENLY A STRANGER

I truly enjoy positive airplane experiences where you end up sitting next to someone who is conversationally stimulating. Coming back from Portland today I ended up next to a gentleman named Ace (Short for Horace) who I just laughed and laughed with the entire way home. We bonded over the flight attendant's fixation on our Kindles, and it continued from there. We discussed family (he's married and has a 2-year-old daughter), religious viewpoints and beliefs, travels, goals, etc.. It's delightful how honest you can be when you know you're never going to see someone again. I would have to place today in my top 5 favorite airplane conversations. Experiences like that, however, are always cut short by the inevitable ending - the moment you're ready to get off of the plane. There's the sincere, "it was great talking to you. Enjoy your trip," and then all of a sudden you're both standing up, walking quietly in the same direction towards the baggage claim, suddenly strangers. Awkward! I have to admit that I was sort of grateful for the fact that "Ace" didn't check luggage and was able to say "I'm going to have to make a run for it," to get to his poker tournament that started in less than 20 minutes. Thank you poker tournament! There's just something about post airplane communication.....