The two gentlemen beside me on the plane were white British antivaxers. Their bodies were mid-way between endomorphy and mesomorphy, and their temperaments were mid-way between viscertonia and somatotonia. They had large beer bellies, tatoos, and piercings. One of them work a mask which read "This Fucking Sucks", evidently in protest of the covid policy which forced them to wear masks and get vaccinated to travel. Both of them reacted with indignation and defiance when hand-wipes were offered to them by our lovely quebequer hostess.

They had great grey bushy beards and they slept side by side like babies during our journey together, their foreheads almost touching. They slept right through the prayers to Allah.

The two gentlemen sat directly behind me were brown North Africans. Their body structures were at the very limit of ectomorphy and they had few possessions. They spoke Simoan with each other, but they also knew arabic. I know because I asked. The most skeletal of the pair was fasting, and appeared to have no posessions other than his shirt, jacket, pants, and shoes. He was very zen. He was somehow able to smile warmly without seeming to expend any effort. His friend had about a purse-worth of posessions inside of an unglamourous purse-size bag.

The man who was fasting was the source of the prayers, which he sang with his tender, hoarse voice. He and his friend spoke together in their lyrical language all through the night.

When we landed my British boys picked up two large carry-ons each and briskly made their way towards the exit. My thin boys made their way gently towards the exit and I followed them at their pace. I liked their pace. We eventually caught up with and over-took the British, ones who had joined a queue for the loo.

I felt closer to the Africans than the Brits. Somehow we could communicate on the same plane that I communicate with sparrows or squirrels. Not so with the British ones.

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Ectomorphy: having a light body build

Endomorphy: having a heavy rounded body build often with a marked tendency to become fat

Viscerotonia: a pattern of temperament that is marked by predominance of social over intellectual or physical factors and exhibits conviviality, tolerance, complacency, and love of food

Mesomorphy: having a husky muscular body build

Somatotonia: a pattern of temperament that is marked by predominance of physical over social or intellectual factors, aggressiveness, love of physical activity, vigor, and alertness