I read a post today by Xtac who told the tale of  his recent journey through an airport and the people he met along the way.

I too am a people watcher. I worked at an airport for 20 years and everyday was a smorgasbord of human interaction.  In recent years I have travelled a fair bit on my own for business and sat in airports from America to Iraq.  If you have travelled alone then you will know how time drags. There is a limit to how many films you can watch, books you read or duty-free shops you can wander around justifying why not to buy a 3 litres of Japanese whiskey or a plastic monstrosity that dispenses M&Ms through the arse of vividly coloured peanut with eyes.

Since declaring a D/s lifestyle I do watch people for BDSM signs and I’ve written about that previously.  However, Xtac’s post did remind me of my morbid interest in other people’s relationships when you cannot hear what they are saying. It is like watching a silent movie without the occasional subtitles, and of course the dramatic piano accompaniment.

I look at some couples’ body language and it either makes me smile or cringe.  The couples that have a natural way about them are a joy to observe. Do you know what I mean? Not the honeymooners, they are too gloriously wrapped up in each other and still have confetti stuck to the bottom of their shoes (seen it).  I am talking about the couples that take time to ensure the other person is okay.  The guy that goes and gets a coffee and sandwich for the two of them, and despite having to take out a second mortgage to pay for it, he buys his wife a cookie as a small surprise. Or the lady who takes time to watch a video on the guys phone that he finds amusing, and yet it’s obvious she doesn’t feel the same, but still watches because it pleases him.  It all just flows naturally, nothing is forced.

I watched a family arrive on an aircraft once and none of their baggage made it. There had been a storm somewhere and their connecting flight was cancelled. It was the last one that night. The couple had three small kids, all tired, grumpy and disorientated. The airline took their details and said the baggage would arrived early the next day.  As the onward flight was cancelled due to weather and they were not through checked, they were stranded.   Now, this is where I witnessed a no effort couple in action. The two customer service staff were husband and wife, not usual for an airport I should point out.  “Why don’t you crash at our place tonight?” Said the lady. “Sure, that’s no problem folks, we have loads of room!” Said the husband. It was evident that it was a spur of the moment decision, and yet they just cooperated seamlessly.  I have no idea if the family took the offer, and to be honest, I don’t think it’s important to know the outcome.

Our D/s relationship takes the best of our cooperative skills from before and added to what we have now makes a pretty well-oiled machine. Our roles are defined and as such the boundaries are clear. Decision making is easier for both of us in terms of arranging events that exclude the other. Coffee with friends, last minute work commitments or an on the spot decision about the kids.

I like to think that when we pass through an airport together, people who take the time to look will see a couple who act like friends and yet they have a much closer connection. One of our kids the other evening said that PDA was not cool. I thought she meant an electric personal organiser!  Public Displays of Affection are off limits apparently. We hold hands quite often and that, I am informed, is borderline PDA…..Who knew?

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Originally published 26.08.17 from www.thesafewordsclub.com as it was looking a bit pale and needed sunlight.