He's got our backs

I guess with so many passengers every single day, a few of them are bound to be "interesting". We had a military guy yesterday who was "odd" from the moment he got on. Nothing to cause too much concern yet but we had our eyes on him. It's one of those "you had to be there" stories, but I'll give you the highlights.

We're still at the gate; my co-worker Rafael (from Costa Rica) wasn't allowed to sing in Spanish (to himself mind you). The guy told him "we're in America, speak English. You don't want to scare the passengers by talking in a language they don't understand". I thought he was going to have a heart attack when he saw me and then the Purser who's from Malaysia. 3 guys, all foreigners and not looking American at all.

We're now in flight; the guy rings his call button. I go to him and he asks me why we have flags on our jackets but none of them is the US flag. I tell him that it's only to identify our language skills and has nothing to do with where we are from. Some of us wear 2, 3 or more flags. He understands but still thinks we should wear an American flag above all others to show our allegiance. The lady sitting in front of him gives me the "I don't envy you right now" look and puts her headset on. My guy has 1/2 a point when he says that someone who doesn't know what the flags mean (basically him) might get worried. I can see how 3 foreigners wearing different flags on their jackets can seem a little "suspicious". I guess being in the military, he is a little more aware than the average "Joe". After talking to us and asking a zillion questions, he feels safe and tells us that he has our backs!!! In this day and age it's actually good to know who would help if something happened. Since 9/11 the rules have obviously changed. The flight attendants are now alone in the cabin. Under no circumstances will the pilots leave the cockpit to come and help, no matter what happens to us. Some flights have Air Marshalls but it's impossible to have them on all the time. So we're happy when we have police officers, or firemen, or military personnel on board. We feel a little safer. And our friend was determined to keep us safe.

Later in the flight; a passenger had the bad idea to suddenly change seat and move forward. Rafael and I are in the back of the plane and we see our guy jump from his seat and run up the aisle and get in the other passenger's face. Shit!! All we need is to have this guy start a fight. We go over and tell him that we have it under control. To him every person who gets up to go to the bathroom is a potential suspect. In between services, the 3 of us take turns talking to him to keep him busy and from trying to tackle some old lady running to the restroom. We can't wait for the flight to be over.

After landing; I'm talking to a lady sitting in the last row and our guy is talking to Rafael. All of a sudden I hear him ask out loud "How come you're not gay?". I can't help to burst out laughing as the people in the last 3 or 4 rows turn around, not believing what they heard. Rafael who's married with 2 kids, tell him that not all male flight attendants are gay. Actually out of the 3 of us, I'm the only gay one. Again out loud, he asks about me. Rafael says that he doesn't know. I choose not to answer although I heard him.

Finally, it's his turn to leave and I look at Rafael with a look of relief. Another normal day at work.