Kindness and the Grumpy Gentleman

"Am I grumpy?  I might be.  But I think maybe sometimes it's misinterpreted."

~ Harrison Ford

Getting ready to board a recent flight, I noticed an older gentleman who was very eager to get on the airplane.  He seemed bothered by having to wait.  Surprise -- when I made it on board, it turned out that he was my seatmate.  I apologized for his having to get up, so that I could get into my seat by the window.  He didn't respond; he just seemed bothered by my presence.  During the flight, he harrumphed as another gentleman spoke loudly and in generally just seemed grumpy.  In my mind, my seatmate became Grumpy Man.  At one point, when I had fallen asleep, I felt his arm across me as he lowered the window shade.  He told me the light was bothering him.  (For my part, I like to see what is going on outside, which is why I choose a window seat.)  Once we landed, he muttered under his breath about the same gentleman who was now talking quite loudly on his mobile phone.  But Grumpy Man surprised me.  He pulled out his two bags from the overhead compartment, and then without a word, pulled mine out and set it in front of me.