Thursday 7 March 2013

Off A Jet Plane

And They Said It'd Be Rainy! by foundimagination
One day last weekend, when Jay and I were discussing his likeliest return dates, he asked if I would want to meet him at the airport.

"Would you want to meet me at the airport... or maybe that would be too weird?"

And I said, that if he needed me to, I could certainly pick him up, but that yes, it might be a bit too weird.

And the reason I know this is because I vividly remember how weird it was picking up Smith at the airport the time he came back to visit.

(I don't think I've told this story before... I started looking through Smith archives to see if I had, but that just bummed me out, so I stopped.  Sorry if I'm repeating!)

What's awesomer, is that when I went for a walk with my friend this weekend, I told him this story of the awkward airport meeting, and he had an almost identical one from when he flew to Australia to meet his long distance... whatever you call it.

So I'd met Smith once or twice, maybe even thrice, and that last night, we went on a date, got together and became a couple.  (Um, yeah... ahem.  Hush.)

We then talked and emailed every day for the next month or so until he was able to take some time to fly out.

So we'd met, and I knew what he looked like, and we'd grown very close over the phone and whatnot, but when he stepped out of the doorway thingy, my first thought was "Oh.  That's what he looks like?"

I was weirdly disappointed that my brain had remembered him as much more attractive than he was in person. (I mean, he was still attractive, don't get me wrong.)  But he was, suddenly, a stranger all over again.

Despite all our deep, whatever, conversations, I'd only spent a few hours with this guy and suddenly he was right there.  And we needed to go to baggage claim.

And... what... were we supposed to say to each other?

I was so shy and it felt so awkward.  Should I hold his hand?  Did I want to kiss him?  (I imagine we kissed, but I don't remember it.)

And then there was the car ride home.  Small talk to be made.  And then knowing that no matter what, this guy was coming to stay in my place.  In my bed even.

This... stranger.

It was weird.

Not that things didn't settle down and become more comfortable, but that initial airport meeting?  Weird.

My friend told me he had almost the identical experience when he got to Australia.  A very awkward sense of, man, I know this person intimately through our conversations, but now that I'm here, we really are strangers.  And... what do you say to a stranger who isn't a stranger at all?

So.

How was your flight?

Apparently the car ride home was nearly an hour and he kept wondering when it would end.

On the plus side, he did say that once they got there, and, jumped each other, things felt natural pretty quickly.  (giggle)

I think what I ended up doing with Smith was just telling him.  Like, telling him that it felt really weird and that I didn't know what to do with myself.

I don't think we jumped each other, certainly not immediately, but I guess we worked through it somehow.

But, yeah.  I would rather that the airport not be the place where I first meet Jay.  I think it'll be weird enough to meet the first time without having to be in that particular space.

(Or maybe it won't be weird at all, what do I know, really?)