The Affair

When we checked ourselves in on our flight, I was disappointed that neither of us was assigned an aisle seat. I get claustrophobic inside airplanes and wanted to change our seats, but hubby was happy to sit by the window.

I was hoping that the seat beside mine would remain vacant for a more comfortable ride, but I was not too hopeful given the number of passengers waiting at the gate. I definitely didn't mind when this tanned chinito buckled up beside me.

He looked japanese, the 30 something fit golfing kind. He had his kids in tow and they were all crammed across the aisle. We were all flying via HK so he probably treated the kids to Disneyland. Both Wifey and wedding ring were not in sight.

I already saw him at the gate before boarding. He was looking at me. But that was probably because I was staring at him. Hubby says it's an annoying habit of mine. Not because he feels threatened but more on my being too obvious about it, me drooling and all.

As expected, hubby immediately threw a jab my way, "Your crush is here." I feigned embarrassment and pretended to protest, but the sparkle in my eyes gave me away. He started to laugh, hmph! Then the delicious daddy spoke in his dialect, which confirmed my theory that Cebu has a high concentration of handsome hunks.

He fussed over my future step children until they fell asleep. I in turn fed hubby spoonfuls of Benadryl. Joke. He was already snoring. As daddy settled in, his knee would always cross this imaginary demarcation line between our seats and touch mine. He wasn't even that tall.

He pretended to sleep and kept up with the knee thing. I badly wanted to run my hand up his tanned thigh. Now and then, both of us would check up on our dozing families. Then we'd take turns stealing glances at the other, but never allowing ourselves to look into each other's eyes.

That would have been too much. What was the point anyways, as he looked at his kids and I at my husband.

As the plane started to descend, my hubby and daddy's kids woke up. Daddy placed a bag on his lap to add more discretion. Each one of us chatted up our respective companions, our knees not ready to let the other go.

The plane landed and all the passengers busied themselves with their carry-ons before deplaning. While waiting for our bags at the luggage belt, we built up the courage to finally look at each other, our faces full of tempered sadness and regret.

"Met you on a springtime day. You were minding your life and I was minding mine too," England Dan and John Ford Coley started playing softly over the PA system. We left the airport at the same time but went our separate ways, each one of us tending to our own baggage.

Chos.