"There Ain't No Sunshine When Your Gone..."

In the two weeks we have spent in China, we rarely had the pleasure of an unadulterated sun shining on us.  But alas during our last few hours in China we had a "son" of a different kind...

We were waiting for our transfer to Thailand at the Guangzhou International Airport.  Bennett decided that he needed a piece of Corey's gum.  So he crossed over the waiting area aisle and broke into Corey's supply of Chinese Hubba Bubba.  As he dove into the supply a young Mid Eastern man turned to Bennett, smiling  and said, "Hey man.  Can I have a piece of gum?" Bennett looked up to acknowledge this man and said simply, "No this is my brothers." The man quickly responds to Bennett, "Why do you get some and I don't...what does that make you?"  Bennett looks at me with his bewildering smile and big big brown eyes.  I stepped up and responded, "That makes us thieves because we have not even gotten approval for this gum."  The man smiles at me.  I asked Bennett to give the man a piece of gum.  Which he did and the man promptly pops into his mouth.  Then he looks over at me, smiles and walks over to me.  I'm thinking "Oh man (not really this word but Kenton is making me keep the blog clean), as I smile through my pain."  He sits down and says, "I would like to have a conversation with you."  Great the young woman in front of me didn't even glance in his direction, I do and look what I get.  What the hey.  Kenton was out shopping for my combo birthday/anniversary gift and I had time.  I allowed him to sit down.

As his scent gently glided into my nostrils...I thought quietly about how he could benefit from wearing a very strong Polo scent right now.

"Sonny is my name.  I come from Pakistan."  "Oh, nice to meet you Sonny.  I am Nancy."  All pleasantries aside he just dove right into his conversation with me.  It was actually a good use of my free time.  I learned that Sonny is Muslim but hates Al Queda and all they've have done to keep him away from his family.  Because of the (in Sonny's words) "M*!#$%F*&C^() 911 I am separated from my family.  Just because I have an Arab name getting into America to see them is next to impossible.  Those *(%#@$^()_heads have done so much harm.  The majority of us don't believe in what they are doing.  The Quran doesn't even support what they are doing.  (By-the-way, his English was almost flawless)  Just last year his father arrange for him to marry a 49 year old woman from Texas to try and get him into the States.  He brought her to Pakistan, put her up in a 5 star hotel and kept his body guard there to make sure she was safe.  But when it came time to cross through US Immigration...they saw right through his plan."  She was sent back to Texas and Sonny...well he got to stay in Pakistan.

Since he loves his family so much, he must try a different route into the US.  So he is going to get a visa to do business in China.  He was on his way home to obtain his Chinese business residency and return the following month to Guangzhou to do business.  Apparently he has made contacts with big companies in the US, like the 99Cents Store, and will be exporting to them.

Eventually this politically charged (on his part) conversation turned inward.  Sonny talked about how beautiful he was and still is.  How he modeled for perfume companies.      How he modeled for perfume companies.    As his scent gently glided into my nostrils...I thought quietly about how he could benefit from wearing a very strong Polo scent right now.  Then he talked about how he was in such great shape.  Blah Blah Blah.  He remarked on how beautiful Bennett was and how he could be selling stuff throughout Asia.  He said this so many times I began to get that uncomfortable feeling.  Anyway, just about that time, Kenton arrive and Sonny had a whole new person to talk to and share his story with.

Eventually we had to board the plan.  I looked at the tickets and noticed that I was to sit next to Sonny.  I quickly made a seat rearrangement with Kenton.  He didn't know why.  As we settled into our seats, my reason became obvious.  I smiled at Kenton and then that tune came to me..."There ain't know sunshine when you are gone...Oh but Sonny, the air is a whole lot fresher over here."