What Ifs

“Okay, so maybe I’m not destined to make out with a guy on a flight.

Maybe I shouldn’t miss my flights, there’s a start. It’s that LA traffic. So I get to the airport in time for my flight, but too late for my luggage to go on the plane. So, I have to get another flight. So there goes my direct flight to Boston—now I have to go to Salt Lake City, hang there, then go to Boston. So, the love of my life just may have been sitting with me on that flight to Boston, that DIRECT flight to Boston, where I had a window seat, but now I will never know.

The flight to Salt Lake City I was next to two guys, and one of them was talking about how “she keeps calling.

“Dude, you said you weren’t gonna call her back this time.”

“Yeah, you’re right,” he replied. “I’m not.”

Pass.

The flight from Salt Lake City to Boston, I was wedged between the sweet Grandma from Vancouver who was going to visit her granddaughter who was in college at Boston University, and then…the other guy.

This dude was reading aloud to himself about politics, then put his headphones on and started singing. Then, it was time for the beverage service. That’s how the making out starts, right? With the drinky-drink?

“Scotch on the rocks!” he bellows to the flight attendant. She was offering him a granola bar. Or Sun Chips. “I have snacks,” she said kindly. “The next cart will have drinks.” He finally got his Scotch, and was very excited. At the next beverage service, it was the same.

“Scotch on the rocks!”

Dude, she has Sun Chips! And if you want those on the rocks, go for it, but they probably won’t be too tasty.

So needless to say, there was no making out on that flight.

The flight back…also unproductive. Apparently, no one flies from Boston to LA at 8 am on a Monday morning. Go figure. The very nice older couple next to me had friends up at the front of the plane, so they moved up to be with them, and I had three cozy seats to myself. But the lady did come back later to use the bathroom, and we discussed how great Dunkin’ Donuts Pumpkin Muffins are.

So that was that. Making out-0. Drunk Guy Next To Me-1. Yummy Pumpkin Muffin- 1.

So the flight wasn’t so bad. I do have to wonder though…who would I have been next to on that original flight?

Did I miss my chance to meet the man of my dreams? Was he in seat 23B just waiting for Miss A to show up?

Haven’t we all had one of those moments of “what ifs?” What if I had caught that train? What if that elevator door hadn’t closed? What if I got apartment 2B instead of 3B? Who would we then meet, and how would it change our lives?

There are hundreds of opportunities to meet people out there, and we can of course dwell in the “what ifs?” Or drown our “what ifs” in a “Scotch on the Rocks!” Or Sun Chips.

Then of course there is the question of, if we met these people, would we take advantage of the opportunity? Or would we shy away from it? And maybe it wasn’t an opportunity missed, maybe we ended up exactly where we were supposed to be, but we were so concerned with what we thought we missed out on, then we didn’t pay attention to what, or who, is in front of us.

See, I could have been the lady responding to “Scotch on the Rocks!” for years of blissful marriage. Now there’s an opportunity missed.

So even if I didn’t get my sloppy make out session en route to Boston, that’s okay. I did get a granola bar, some sun chips, a sprite, and some good conversation with a very sweet Grandmother from Vancouver. We talked Duck Tours and Hockey Games and Fall Foliage. I bet Miss A just slobbered all over her window. Lame.

So if you miss your flight, or whatever situation you’re in, don’t fret about who you’re not going to see, instead, think of who you now could meet. Everything happens for a reason, so if you end up somewhere instead of another, just keep going. You’ll eventually run into someone, and let’s just hope he’s worth it. Sometimes, it’s a long haul back. But hey, it happens…just bring Scotch.

Dating Triumphs and Tragedies is published every Sunday by Online Dating Magazine columnist Nicole Roberge. She can be reached at NicoleMRoberge@hotmail.com.

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