I was waiting at Baggage Belt No. 2 when a young woman standing next to me smiled and asked,
“Excuse me, could you please help me lift my suitcase?”
“Sure.”
I grabbed the handle, tried lifting it, and immediately looked at her.
“Is this 15 kg?”
“Yeah… why?”
“Because this is certainly more than 15. Unless inflation has finally reached suitcases.”
She frowned.
“Was that supposed to be a joke?”
“Not really. More of an observation.”
“Why are you bothered anyway? Are you airline staff?”
“No. I was sitting two rows behind you.”
She took a step back.
“Wait… were you following me?”
I laughed.
“Excuse me? You asked me to help you with your suitcase.”
“You could’ve just said no.”
“That would’ve sounded rude.”
“Less rude than commenting on my luggage.”
“I commented on your luggage, not you.”
“So now you want to comment on my weight too?”
“Not your weight. I’m simply trying to understand how this suitcase negotiated such a good deal with the airline.”
She couldn’t help smiling.
“Are you always this difficult?”
“Only after landing.”
For a moment, we just looked at each other.
Then she burst into laughter.
“Okay… fine. It’s actually 23 kilos.”
“I knew inflation wasn’t the only problem.”
“But now I’m curious… how did the airline believe this was only 15?”
She shrugged.
“Let’s just say they were very kind.”
I smiled.
“Do you always travel with this much optimism?”
She laughed again.
“Do you always ask this many questions?”
“Only when the suitcase has a better story than the passenger.”
She shook her head.
“Fine… I’ll explain it over coffee.”
“Can you explain it over tea?”
She smiled.
“See? I knew you were difficult.”
“And I knew your suitcase wasn’t 15 kilos.”
We both laughed.
She thanked me, rolled away her proudly overweight suitcase, and disappeared into the crowd.
Meanwhile, I walked away wondering if airports should introduce one category at baggage belt:
‘Needs Help from Random Stranger.’