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An Unfortunate Meeting of Doppelgängers at the Airport

Dear Diary:

I was in the cramped Delta terminal waiting area at La Guardia Airport this month waiting to board my flight to West Palm Beach, Fla. Several seats away from me was a gentleman roughly my age who was engaged in a series of cellphone calls, which I could easily hear.

Concluding the first call, he said my first and last name as he left a message.

I was a bit startled. However, after several calls, it was confirmed: the man and I shared the exact same name! I walked up to him, excusing myself, with my wallet opened, displaying my driver’s license. I asked him to look at the license to confirm the coincidence.

He responded: “You’re the one. You caused me so much trouble! You got me thrown off this flight.” Apparently, when I made my reservation, the airline thought mine was a duplicate reservation and eliminated his.

He continued, “Yeah I know you; you’re the one with the middle name.”

I confessed that I did have a middle name and apologized for causing him so much “trouble.” I was quite disappointed, as my hope for knowing a bit more about him came to an abrupt halt.

It seemed that other than telling me off, he was uninterested in sharing any more, even as he was seated directly behind me for our almost three-hour flight.

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