Nice Toys

On a flight from Sydney to Hobart I shared a row with two other passengers. While I occupied the aisle seat, a Chinese student returning for university studies in Hobart occupied the middle seat and an unaccompanied boy, about eight-years old, was in the window seat. The flight attendants checked on him several times prior to takeoff, asking if he needed anything. He expressed the hope that he could have an iPad so that he could watch “shows” during the flight. During the flight, one of the attendants gently scolded him for not eating his apples because, “they are good for you.” The student kindly asked about the rather large stuffed border collie that occupied most of his legroom space. The student duly studied it very carefully, graciously commenting on how nice it was, to which the boy replied: “Every time we get toys, I always get the most expensive one. My mom says that I have expensive taste.”