Airplane Reading

Peace 1 Minute

Once upon a time, I was detained by airport security. Later I wrote about the ecstasy of the pat down and submitted the story to a literary magazine called Airplane Reading. Click the link to read if you please and thank you! Happy April!

Photo by Austin Zhang on Pexels.com

Published by Crystal Byers

When I was young, my dad would always say, "Crystal, you can choose your attitude." One day I chose to believe him.

Published

45 thoughts on “Airplane Reading”

  4. Oh Crystal! You made me chuckle. Your jeans with the flattening power and your one liner – the most loving you have had 😉. Absolutely love it. I could picture it happening as I read your words and that is a testament to your writing.

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  6. Too funny Crystal. I used to travel a lot for business and was often lucky passenger #3, selected for extra screening. I got a full pat down once and made the mistake of joking “Thanks for the full body massage” to the pat downer er patter down er…From that point on, Things got a little more in tense as he made sure he gave me what I though he was giving. Sometimes, I need to keep my mouth shut. Have a Happy Friday. Allan

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  9. “Back in the day” when I did fly, I wore loose trousers with an elastic waist for comfort until a TSA agent — a woman, no less — rather roughly nearly pulled down my pants. That was no mere pat down. That was a rub down. I kept grabbing my fashionable trousers. She kept slapping away my hands. Both of us kept yelling.

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  11. I don’t fly much either, but every time I have I’ve tried to be accommodating and joke about the craziness of the situation. The TSA workers never really seem to care for my humor. I guess after seeing hundreds/thousands of passengers a day, all thinking they’re they next great comedian, the bad jokes start to rub you the wrong way! Anyway, glad everything worked out for you!

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  13. LOL I usually wear some type of sundress and flip-flops to totally avoid TSA. Also, I once published an essay about how my afro was frisked…it was pretty humiliating.

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  15. This is like my worst fear lol well, one of them… I have a fear of authority lol even if I am doing nothing wrong, I always think, “Okay they’re going to look up my history and find something, they will!!” LOL

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  16. Double congratulations, Crystal. In general, for having your work published (yet again). A nice affirmation others recognize the same talent your blog readers enjoy.

    In the more immediate sense, nice way to sooth with cheerfulness and humor a highly tense situation. Of course, you likely didn’t appreciate until afterwards just how tense it was. At that specific moment, though, events just overwhelmed. Even so, your aplomb speaks well of your personality.

    Besides, in that situation, you needed to muster levity for two. Clearly, the TSA agent was lacking. Whether due to her personality, or because of her job requirements, I only can speculate.

    “Ma’am, there’s nothing funny about security.”

    Yep, you said it, sister.

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  18. After your experience, maybe I should write one about how. the last time I flew, they did pat me down, as they have usually done over or around or near my new right hip, but nowhere near that area this time! I tried to make a bit of a joke about that “change” and could maybe use it as an example of all the other generally good changes that are happening for me now, like seeing your student on American Idol.

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  20. Pingback: Airplane Reading | A Women Reborn, A Memoir to forget

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