I stood in the TSA line at the airport. She was hard to miss. She was bundled up in all sorts of warm clothes... It made her look out of place. We were in line in Hawaii, not some cold northern climate— Hawaiʻi. She didn’t care although I kept thinking either she is a) really hot under that, b) she’s some homeless person wearing all of her close and going on a domestic flight (unlikely) or well... who knows. It was the hat that did it. An old Mongol/Russian style hat. I had one like it. Well, I think I still have one like it but I have no idea what condition it is in now. I used to use it during St. Louis winters.
As we waited to be scanned and she was told she needed to take her laptop out of her bag, I,using my great opening line skills that are not trite and overused: “That’s a cool hat.” I was sincere of course. Keep in mind, I HAVE one like it. I should have gotten a picture of her in it (we were tight enough by the time we boarded that I could have done it), but then the people I meet on planes (or now in airports) are all anonymous. We chatted after that, floating away and floating back together.
And I learned her story... and she learned mine. Her story, I think, is far more interesting. She was dressed warm because she was northward bound after flying into Oakland. “I’m going to help my friends’ harvest for the next four month...”
“Really that’s interesting...” and the talk wandered around, She helps her dad with his business, she does her own massage work, and then I asked, “what is it that you harvest?”
“Pakalolo [marijuana].” I’m not sure what kind of look I had on my face, or even if I had a look, but she promptly said, “I don’t smoke.”
“Is this something you put on your resume?”
“Oh no.”
“I never knew there was immigrant farming work for pakaolo done on the mainland.”
She started to explain to me the whole business of harvesting medical marijuana— and how much money you make doing it. I was amazed, impressed. I don’t have much dealings with pot, except for beekeepers who use it to smoke their bees to make them “calmer” and a few people who “self medicate” but I found this all very amazing.
We started talking about all kinds of stuff. Korean spas for instance. She was telling me of her sauna experience. The different heats of the sauna, the scrub downs and you realize just how filthy your skin is, and all this other stuff. And I kept wondering, where are the spas like this for men? That are legitimate or aren’t a gay hang out. Although I don’t know if I’d be interested in all that.
It was all very fascinating. We stood in line a couple of times so USDA could screen us some more and we continued to talk. All kinds of stuff. She did try and figure what sign I was. She was TOTALLY off at first. I didn’t bother, I don’t know enough about the different signs.
And if you’re wondering, she is a certified massage therapist. And she does masonry with her father. And she doesn’t smoke pot.
An interesting young woman on the whole. I’m glad I met her. She was the most fun person I’ve met at the airport. Too bad we didn’t have seats next to each other. The flight would have flown by faster.