As I exited Melbourne airport, an Asian gentleman in a smart suit holding a placard with my name came forward smiling and helped me with my luggage.
“How are you, Sir? And how was the flight?”
Well, I had flown with the impeccable Singapore Airlines on their new Airbus 380; the flight was on time; the landing was smooth; the morning air was crisp and the sky was blue. There was little to complain about, but I managed.
“Seven hours!” I said, “Too short for an overnight flight – I couldn’t sleep well.”
He nodded sympathetically. “You need coffee,” he said (where a lesser man might have said, “You need a kick in the pants”). He hurried off to get me a steaming latte and refused my offer to pay. His gesture lightened my mood. The excellent coffee boosted it further. And driving to the city listening to this cheerful Pakistan immigrant with an MBA talking in Hindi with Lata Mangeshkar singing on the car music system (also in Hindi), made me positively buoyant. Without a trace of bitterness, he told me how he had switched from a career in sales and marketing to driving a taxi.
“How are you, Sir? And how was the flight?”
Well, I had flown with the impeccable Singapore Airlines on their new Airbus 380; the flight was on time; the landing was smooth; the morning air was crisp and the sky was blue. There was little to complain about, but I managed.
“Seven hours!” I said, “Too short for an overnight flight – I couldn’t sleep well.”
He nodded sympathetically. “You need coffee,” he said (where a lesser man might have said, “You need a kick in the pants”). He hurried off to get me a steaming latte and refused my offer to pay. His gesture lightened my mood. The excellent coffee boosted it further. And driving to the city listening to this cheerful Pakistan immigrant with an MBA talking in Hindi with Lata Mangeshkar singing on the car music system (also in Hindi), made me positively buoyant. Without a trace of bitterness, he told me how he had switched from a career in sales and marketing to driving a taxi.
