A first class passenger

To get out of my bog-up, I was obliged to take a plane. It will be sackcloth and ashes for weeks when I get home. Chennai domestic airport seemed tiny after Heathrow, and pretty laid back. All the security is in place, but I had forgotten everything I was meant to do. There is a special ladies search section behind a screen. I bleeped twice during the search as first my camera and then my mobile were extricated from my pockets, and I had to run out & put them back in my hand luggage, dragging the bag back through the flaps. They didn’t seem to mind too much though, and told me to drink up my water quickly.
For some reason my ticket was upgraded to first class, so I sat with all the posh people; a curtain drawn between us and the oiks at the back, so that they didn’t see we were having coconut water and sweet lime. And ice cold face towels. The steward is large and wonderfully camp. He has a lugubrious and mobile face, and looks like Stanley Baxter. I think he is Stanley Baxter. I don’t get the feeling he likes his job – he hands out everything with a look of distain, and wears such an expression as he mimes the pre-flight routine to the intercom. He can’t bear the fact I don’t know how to find my lap tray, and flaps his hands at me before leaning over to open the arm of my seat, trying to smile, but failing. He did make me chuckle. We got fed, which surprised me on such a short trip.
Sun was just fading as we took off and I could see two massive thunderheads to the northeast. After ten minutes, they treated us to the most spectacular electric storm. I tried for photos, but all I have is my camera looking back at me because of the interior lights. To the north was the biggest, blackest storm cloud, almost frightening to look at. Red lightening glowed inside, showing through the black. It like an ancient’s vision of hell. Like Mordor. It was great, but gave us a bit of turbulence. I’ve worked out the camera thing. I shall pull down the shutter on the window, and cover the camera with the crash pillow to shut out the back light.