I Know Who He Is

Up in front of me is a cop.  He’s gotta be a cop.  But not one of the pot-bellied cops who ride around in cars killing time in my capital neighborhood.  The kind of cops who would be eating doughnuts if there were doughnuts to eat and places to eat them.   No, this is an airplane security fellow.  He is on board to do what United had done to the hapless doctor they dragged off a plane, when they insisted and he refused to deplane.  I’m staring now at the back of his head.  I don’t need to see what the front looks like.  I know. 

He has a bit of a Mohawk-do. But that’s not how I know who he is.  His Mohawk is duck-assed up in the front and the rest of what has been allowed to remain is reaching for the sky, waxed.  He has a non-descript and glaringly obvious regulation blue baseball jacket, matching dark slacks and black oxfords that come in handy if you were kicking someone in the ribs.  He’s sitting all by himself in row thirty-one.  I’ve seen him time and time again on these flights.  Turning, his face is chiseled.  He looks hardened and, unconcerned, like he’s had time to practice interrogation. 

The flight regularly makes and announcement that they will “discharge their duties conscientiously” with regards to people who smoke on the plane or who, alike me don’t turn their phones off after they’ve been told to, or presumably decide to make a mad run for the cockpit the way the Muhammad Atta and crew did on the morning of 9/11. 

I suspect he isn’t allowed to fall asleep.  But I’m worried as his head is swung over at a 180- degree angle.  Oh dear.  Is he going to be able to discharge his duty conscientiously?  He’s holding it there or rather, it’s positioning him there, off to the side in seat 31D.   Is he craning for a better view of the insipid travel video that Air China are showing?  One he has presumably seen many, many times before?  Interesting, no.  I’d say he’s fast asleep.  So much for the mid-flight security.  I’d say we’re still protected in case someone lights up a cigarette in the bathroom, but I’m not sure I’d want him on-point if a spirited terrorist sprints for the cockpit.  It will all be too late.  Hey Serpico, wake up!

Monday 09/25/17