Fieldnotes chapter 4: on the plane

Artemis leant back in her window sheet, pulled her pashmina around her and put her ipod onto her favourite play list which including the best of Joan Armitrading and kd Lang.
From time to time she wafted over her fellow passengers a strong ginger type mist which Hope had given her to ward off the toxins which inevitably lurk in aircraft.
Artemis had had her vegan meal early, and was now reflecting on the emotional farewell she had experienced at the Laura Mercier Lipstick counter in the department store in San Paradiso where she had done her fieldwork.
She was at this very moment planning the article to come out of that encounter to be called 'Breaking up is hard to do: A reflection on leaving the field and the narrative of the unfinished journey' and at the same time rifling through the advance publicity the University of Ruffield had sent her to look busy,
when a male voice disturbed her reverie.
'Sorry love' said the male voice, 'is it Ruffield you are going to?'
Startled, Artemis peered at the male voice through her haze of ginger travel mist, Joan Armitrading and inward thoughts about which journal would be suitable for the article. 'I'm sorry' she said politely
'Brian's the name. Pleased to meet you er..?'
'Artemis' said Artemis faintly. She had not reckoned on men on aircrafts.
'You see I noticed' said Brian, sitting back in his chair comfortably, 'That you were going to Ruffield and I thought here's a young lass going to a city she might not know about see, and here am I, knowing all about it, and I thought I could give you a few hints, see, about t'neighbourhood.'
Brian was proud of his communication skills.
Sent to San Paradiso by his hospitality company, who ran Sunmore Hall, a conference centre for university and non-university staff in a leafy district of Ruffield,to find out more about the famed Customer Care of the United States, Brian's visions lay in the field of expansion.
More delegates, more service, US style catering, visions had opened up for Brian in San Paradiso.
He thought he could offer a jogging route for delegates and power breakfasts.
He started to tell Artemis about his new ideas, but she didn't look enthralled.
There was only one thing for it.
Brian had to tell her about his one love, his passion, the light of his life.
'Have you ever', he said, leaning forward with excitement,
'Heard of a football team called Ruffield Thursday?'.
'No' said Artemis faintly.
Six hours later, as the plane flew over the Hebrides, (pictured here)

Brian was still talking.
'You see, love, its the passion that counts.
United may be a big team but Thursday is about the commitment, long term.
Remember I told you about that time in '68
well it was in the late 70's when I began to realise this was no ordinary football team'.
The rest of the passengers snored on.
Artemis sat in stunned silence.
She had no idea that she was going to a city where one of the soccer teams was named after a day of the week.
TO BE CONTINUED....