The Adventures Of Jess - The Kai Tak Airport Bonfire Incident
Posted on February 7, 2008 - Filed Under Home and Family
During the seventies, Jess developed an unfortunate taste for racy jackets. He deeply embarrassed us all one afternoon by appearing at the Yacht Club in a striped seersucker affair, looking like Bertie Wooster. Usually he opted for quiet business suits or understated navy blue blazers with Naval brass buttons, looking every inch the reserved English gentleman he actually was.
Now and then, however, he would experience an aberration of some sort and unleash himself on us dressed in what can only be described as his ‘mid life crisis wardrobe.’ Inspired by an episode of The Persuaders he had seen recently, Jess turned up at Kai Tak Airport dressed in a bright orange suede jacket, smoking a pipe which he waved about, spraying lighted ash everywhere. He was supposed to be meeting my mother, who was to arrive on an American flight from San Francisco.
The jacket was teamed with a pair of very dodgy looking stretch slacks and then finished off with one of those ghastly cowboy buckled belts with an Indian head on the front, and a string leather tie with a silver slider. The hat he wore was a tweed trilby, the most ridiculous accessory to wear with a fundamentally American outfit. His ensemble looked a little outlandish but he would likely not have attracted much attention, had he not decided to stow his pipe in his jacket pocket without first ensuring the embers were fully extinguished.
I arrived by taxi at the entrance to the arrivals hall, to find Jess doing what can only be described as a war dance around a smoldering heap of evil smelling orange colored animal pelt, stamping on the smoking heap and slapping it with the singed remains of a tweed trilby, assisted by Airport Security and a selection of passengers from the incoming Pan Am flight.
His hair was standing on end as he had obviously ripped off his trilby in some agitation when he finally noticed he was on fire. The ends of his trousers had caught alight in his effort to trample the flames coming from his jacket and were now frayed and charred. I immediately collapsed with laughter which started Jess laughing too. The four security guards who were now engaged in gathering up the remains of Jess’s outfit did not see the funny side of the incident and stomped off in a cloud of smoke and flying ash, muttering something uncomplimentary in Cantonese.
Jan Gamm writes reflections on life with an emphasis on world travel. She has lived in many countries and traveled extensively in the Far East, the Middle East, America, South America and throughout the South Pacific. She writes for fun and for money whenever she can manage it.
Tags: fire, jacket, Kai Tak Airport, pipe, smoke
Related Posts
- Portmill Estates Forsee Radical Growth In Ajman Property Prices As A Result Of The New Airport
- Why You Should Never Feed A Snake Live Food
- Kenya Travel Tips
- Web Conference Calls Will Stretch Your Dollar Further
- Snow Bike Rider - Snowmobile Gear
Comments
Leave a Reply
