Plane/Plain Buddy

Yesterday I boarded a plane the size of a greyhound bus to fly to Washington, DC.  I hate to fly and when I saw that bucket of bolts I wanted to do just that...take the bus. Know it was too late to switch modes of transportation, I took heart in the fact that I would be flying in the same canister as our esteemed ex-mayor of Providence...yes folks, you heard me right. Buddy Cianci would be my constant not-so-close companion for the next 90 minutes.

What should one do in the face of this close encounter with the infamous Buddy?  Should I hold my breath and pretend not to notice him? Should I acknowledge him with a pithy nod and say..."Good morning Mr. Mayor"? I shuddered. What to do?  What to do? 

I took notice that everyone in that tin cup (and in the terminal as well) never even glanced at him...took absolutely no notice of his now un-toupe-d pate and once bigger-than-life persona. What does this mean? Has buddy finally fallen off the hot-list of local celebrities?  Perhaps "once" is the operative word here.

I was never a fan of the ex-mayor, but I felt sad for him then. In his heyday he always traveled with an entourage. His personality, always bigger than life, entered a room before his body even came though the door. When I first saw him in the terminal with me he looked so...ordinary.  Small and unassuming...two words that could never have been attributed to this infamous ex-Mayor of Providence. I stared at him for a very long time, knowing it was him, but again, not really sure if it was at all.

When we hit the tarmac in Washington, DC, the passengers were herded toward a bus which would deposit us at the terminal. Waiting my turn to board, I noticed Buddy in the first seat.  He looked at me, and I, at him.  This was the moment.  Should I acknowledge him?  Smile and say "Hey Buddy" ! Or, like everyone else here, just ignore him and keep going? I couldn't help but feel sorry for this man who, back in the day, had many followers and fans, and always had people coming up to say hello and shake his hand. It was in that instant I decided to say something..."Good Morning, Mr. Mayor", I said brightly. He responded with a smile and said good morning in return. I knew then that he appreciated my noticing him.

That brief encounter gave me an inside feel on the kind of man he used to be. To think that attention, even the slightest bit, can give immense pleasure to a man who, for years, was the center of attention in our tiny State of Rhode Island and beyond, made for a sad moment indeed.