23 minutes

It was 4:25 pm, and I had some time to kill before my flight to Minneapolis. I decided to venture to the airport bar and have a drink. As I walked into the dim bar, I espied an empty stool between a couple of men. I sat down, ordered a Jack and Diet Coke and perused the ten televisions in front of me displaying different shows. The most interesting program appeared to be "Tombraider" with Angelina Jolie and her digitally enhanced boobs.

As I sipped my drink, the guy on my left said, "Wonder what movie that is. I can't figure it out."

"I think it's 'Tombraider,' " I nodded. "Angelina Jolie plus gun holster."

"Oh yeah," he said.

I wasn't feeling particularly chatty so I didn't follow up. After a minute or two, he said "So where you off to?"

"Oh I'm going to Minneapolis. Visiting an old buddy of mine. What about you?"

"Cedar Rapids, Iowa."

"Ah, I see."

We then began chatting about the Midwest, the cities. I told him what I did for a living and surprisingly he continued to talk to me. He was an MRI engineer or something or another and he was just getting back from a seminar he spoke at. As we chatted, I noticed that he was actually not bad-looking. He had light brown hair with a tiny bit of gray. Clean cut. I guessed his age to be about 35-36-ish. And perhaps it was his friendly demeanor or the Jack but I found him to be quite pleasant-looking.

As we chatted about the Midwest, the conversation turned to the East Coast. He did not seem to like it.

"People in the Midwest are friendly, polite. But out East, they just say what's on their mind. Whether it's rude or not," he remarked.

"True true," I said. "People in the Midwest are definitely more laid back. New York's a bit more neurotic."

"Yeah, they're all just too abrasive," he continued. "I have a friend from Philly. She's just unbearable. It's that East Coast thing. They are too much."

I laughed and nodded. "Yes, they can be a bit much. So where did you grow up?"

"A tiny town outside of Cedar Rapids." He told me the name of the town, but it escapes me at this moment.

"Cool," I nodded.

"What about you?"

I smirked and said, "If you had to guess, where would you guess?"

"I would say...California?"

"Oh really?" I asked, genuinely amused, given that, first, it wasn't the first time someone had guessed I was from Cali, and second, I find it flattering that someone would think I'm Californian. "How so?" I asked.

"I don't know. The way you speak. The way you carry yourself. Your attitude. It's hard to explain." He paused. "You just seems very California."

I laughed again. I was glad to know that my laid back demeanor so successfully concealed my bustling neuroses.

"So...where are you from?" he asked.

I took a sip and smiled. "East Coast."

I wasn't sure if I could discern his smile falter just a bit but I was greatly amused. Plus I was drinking on an empty stomach. Then I suddenly remembered I had a flight to catch. "Hmm, what time is it?" I asked. I looked at my watch and dangit, while the numberless face of my watch is very pretty, it's sometimes hard to read when you're slightly buzzed in a dim airport bar.

"Why, when's your flight?"

"4:50."

"My watch says 4:48," he said, looking up from his digital watch.

"Woah. Looks like I gotta run," I said, pulling out my wallet. As I fished out a ten dollar bill, I smiled at the Iowan and said, "Hey it was really nice talking to you."

"It was nice talking to you too," he smiled.

"Bye!" I said as I scurried down the airport lobby.

As I jogged to my gate, I wondered if the Iowan thought I was running away because he had dissed the East Coast before learning I was from there. I genuinely found it amusing and flattering that I seemed very West Coast. Like everyone outside of California, I have delusions of how cool and "laid back" California and its inhabitants are.

Anyway. I wasn't offended at all. And if he had asked, I would have given him my business card. And if he lived in my town, I would have met up with him for coffee or something. Seemed like a pleasant guy. I never even got his name. But oh well. I had a flight to catch. Places to go. People to see.