I set my luggage on fire
at Warsaw airport. By mistake, with a huge hotrock from a poor quality European budget cigarette.

Since at the time I was attempting to hail a cab in a country where I couldn't even read a roadsign, with my back to my suitcase, and since it was night time, and about minus 15, I had completely failed to notice the telltale smell and smoke.

I suddenly heard an odd noise, and span around to find this beautiful young woman jumping up and down on my suitcase. I assumed she was pissing about, Jackass-style, for the benefit of some nearby mates, and started to launch into a whingy tirade of 'knackered traveller just off a bad flight'-style abuse.

But she then quickly pointed out the burnt hole in the top of my case, and the yellow scorch mark on the sole of her white slip-on shoe, and said in the coolest accent ever, 'y'know, I fink it is a good job you got ov the plane when you dit,' - which, once I'd clocked what had happened, made me laugh a lot.

We shared a cab back into town, went for a drink, met up the next day, and ended up spending pretty much the whole week together, on and off. After a year of repeating the meet-up (sans baggage fire) every couple of months or so, either here or back over there, she moved to England full-time to do a Masters degree, and we're currently shacked up in central Manchester.

Funny, the more I tell that story, the more I can't believe it's actually really about me. I must be the luckiest hapless luggage arsonist in the universe.
( grey kid is breakdancing to save a community centre, Tue 2 Sep 2008, 14:25, 2 replies)

And you deserve a click
for being the "luckiest hapless luggage arsonist in the universe".

Because that made me laugh.
( Moey, Tue 2 Sep 2008, 14:28, closed)

^ This

( Noeli overtheshoulderboulderholderthingstraplatchboobs, Tue 2 Sep 2008, 20:15, closed)