The PASSENGER PANDEMIC

With the rest of the world homeward bound, how could I — and, more to the point, why should I — be an exception? I was in for a pleasant surprise. The Immigration officer who greeted me was in a chatty, even gregarious, mood. The moment he saw my Australian passport, he broke into a grin. Like so many Americans who don’t wear a uniform at work, Richard was keen to share fond memories from the newsreel of his life story and, as he was in his mid-fifties with fewer ‘clients’ by the day, I got more of his time than I was entitled to.

“As a young guy I was in the US Navy, and I had a great time with you Aussies when we had shore leave in Fremantle back in 1987,” he