Tight Connection

Two weeks ago, I met a great guy from work. We set together at the company dinner and ended up travelling back home on the same plane. I like company gatherings and attend them all the times. I am a social bee. There is only one thing that I worry about whenever I attend company events. I don’t eat meat. I was always a vegetarian. Many find this strange. I am often stressed out at dinners having to explain myself. It feels that, at instant, the entire table looks at me differently. It became easier with years, as the vegetarian diet started to get more exposure and more positive opinions. This time around, there were many non-meat options to choose from. The trip ended late and I was worried that I would miss my flight back home. I had a tight connection in Houston. I did not like staying in Houston. I remember having a hard time finding the sandwich with no meat at the entire Houston airport. That time I finally found the mozzarella and tomato sub and ate it as I would have eaten the most delicious Thai curry with coconut sauce. Of course, I was starving. The plane was completely full. We were sitting in the last row with no recliner. When you work in the travel industry, unlike the popular opinion, you often end up with the worst seats on the plane. We were chatting about a good possibility that I could miss my connection in Houston, so my new friend offered to help. He was from Houston! The next thing I know, I was invited to a dinner and had to pick between the Mexican and Italian. Oh no, not again. I did not feel like explaining. I did not feel like disappointing somebody with good intentions. I smiled politely and rushed out of the plane, being certain to make my tight connection. Was I impolite? I did not know what he was thinking, but I felt really good.