she had gotten seated.
“I’m fine,” she said and then turned her head toward the window. She made it clear that she didn’t want to be bothered, and I wasn’t the type to push. I was flipping the pages of a magazine and was resigned to letting her be invisible. I was looking forward to us getting into the air so I could put on my iPod and completely zone out. If I had to sit next to a beautiful woman that I couldn’t at least chat with then I’d completely ignore her. It wasn’t like I wanted anything other than conversation from her.
Thirty minutes after the takeoff we began to experience some turbulence. I pulled my headphones off in order to hear the flight attendant’s announcement. Up to that point, I hadn’t even noticed that she’d opened her eyes but I heard her sniffling and when I looked over she had tears in her eyes.
“You all right? You aren’t scared are you, because I fly all the time and this is totally normal,” I said, attempting to comfort her.
“I’m fine,” she said for the second time, without expression. “I just have a lot on my mind. Really I’m okay.”
“Well, how about you let me get you a drink?” She paused for a few moments then nodded her head. “Cognac okay?” She nodded again. “A Coke to chase it?”
“No, straight,” she replied. I smiled, as I knew this was how the conversation would get started.
I asked for six of the mini-sized bottles of Hennessy and placed them in the pocket in front of me. She downed the first one as if it was a bottle of water. The second, she sipped slower. I didn’t say anything, to let on that I wasn’t trying to do more than just be a kind stranger. My head began to bob as I put my headphones back on.
“What you listening to?” she asked.
“Ne-Yo.”
“How is it?”
“Not bad. I really like a couple of the songs.”
She was sitting there next to me but she had a faraway look in her eyes, which were an amazing hazel. “I thought about getting it. Maybe I will.”
“So, listen. I know I’m a complete stranger but I’m a really good listener. You might not get the opportunity to tell another stranger what’s weighing heavy on your mind.”
“You are a stranger. But I wouldn’t want to dump my worries on my worst enemy right now.”
“Well, if you’re sure you don’t want to talk then I might as well introduce myself to you. I’m Khalil. Khalil Graves.”
“My name is Honey. Just Honey.” She almost smiled.
“Well it’s a pleasure meeting you. Were you in Miami for the film festival or for a vacation?”
She turned so that she faced me as she leaned back toward the window a bit. “What makes you think I don’t live in Miami?”
“I don’t know. The accent probably. You sound more like you’re from…”
“Get it right.” She laughed.
“Virginia?” She frowned. “D.C.” She nodded. “So is that where you live?”
“I live just above the line in Chevy Chase. What about you?”
“I live a couple blocks east of Capitol Hill. You never answered my question. If you were here for the festival.”
“Oh, not really. I was here for a meeting. And you?”
“I was actually a judge for the film fest.”
“So you’re in the film industry.”
“Sort of. I’m a cinematographer by trade but I just finishedshooting my first film that I’ve directed, it’s called Shades . It’s an indie but I have really high hopes for it. Right now it’s in postproduction. Before that I’d mostly been doing music videos for the last few years.”
“Anyone I might have heard of in it?” she asked. I was used to that tone. She wanted to know if I was a legitimate filmmaker.
“Actually yes. You’ve heard of Shawn Simmons?”
“Of course.”
“What about Nate Montgomery?”
“The boxer?”
“Yeah.”
“Of course I’ve heard of him.”
“Well he’s in it too.”
She chuckled and then said, “I just saw him in the club last night.”
“Oh okay. He’d invited me to The Point last
“I’m fine,” she said and then turned her head toward the window. She made it clear that she didn’t want to be bothered, and I wasn’t the type to push. I was flipping the pages of a magazine and was resigned to letting her be invisible. I was looking forward to us getting into the air so I could put on my iPod and completely zone out. If I had to sit next to a beautiful woman that I couldn’t at least chat with then I’d completely ignore her. It wasn’t like I wanted anything other than conversation from her.
Thirty minutes after the takeoff we began to experience some turbulence. I pulled my headphones off in order to hear the flight attendant’s announcement. Up to that point, I hadn’t even noticed that she’d opened her eyes but I heard her sniffling and when I looked over she had tears in her eyes.
“You all right? You aren’t scared are you, because I fly all the time and this is totally normal,” I said, attempting to comfort her.
“I’m fine,” she said for the second time, without expression. “I just have a lot on my mind. Really I’m okay.”
“Well, how about you let me get you a drink?” She paused for a few moments then nodded her head. “Cognac okay?” She nodded again. “A Coke to chase it?”
“No, straight,” she replied. I smiled, as I knew this was how the conversation would get started.
I asked for six of the mini-sized bottles of Hennessy and placed them in the pocket in front of me. She downed the first one as if it was a bottle of water. The second, she sipped slower. I didn’t say anything, to let on that I wasn’t trying to do more than just be a kind stranger. My head began to bob as I put my headphones back on.
“What you listening to?” she asked.
“Ne-Yo.”
“How is it?”
“Not bad. I really like a couple of the songs.”
She was sitting there next to me but she had a faraway look in her eyes, which were an amazing hazel. “I thought about getting it. Maybe I will.”
“So, listen. I know I’m a complete stranger but I’m a really good listener. You might not get the opportunity to tell another stranger what’s weighing heavy on your mind.”
“You are a stranger. But I wouldn’t want to dump my worries on my worst enemy right now.”
“Well, if you’re sure you don’t want to talk then I might as well introduce myself to you. I’m Khalil. Khalil Graves.”
“My name is Honey. Just Honey.” She almost smiled.
“Well it’s a pleasure meeting you. Were you in Miami for the film festival or for a vacation?”
She turned so that she faced me as she leaned back toward the window a bit. “What makes you think I don’t live in Miami?”
“I don’t know. The accent probably. You sound more like you’re from…”
“Get it right.” She laughed.
“Virginia?” She frowned. “D.C.” She nodded. “So is that where you live?”
“I live just above the line in Chevy Chase. What about you?”
“I live a couple blocks east of Capitol Hill. You never answered my question. If you were here for the festival.”
“Oh, not really. I was here for a meeting. And you?”
“I was actually a judge for the film fest.”
“So you’re in the film industry.”
“Sort of. I’m a cinematographer by trade but I just finishedshooting my first film that I’ve directed, it’s called Shades . It’s an indie but I have really high hopes for it. Right now it’s in postproduction. Before that I’d mostly been doing music videos for the last few years.”
“Anyone I might have heard of in it?” she asked. I was used to that tone. She wanted to know if I was a legitimate filmmaker.
“Actually yes. You’ve heard of Shawn Simmons?”
“Of course.”
“What about Nate Montgomery?”
“The boxer?”
“Yeah.”
“Of course I’ve heard of him.”
“Well he’s in it too.”
She chuckled and then said, “I just saw him in the club last night.”
“Oh okay. He’d invited me to The Point last
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