Margaret Lake would have known the answer I suppose.
Anyway , one way of carrying this little affair further could be as follows:
(By the way; I deduce that you are a woman. If you are not then you may wish to make the necessary adjustments to the notes that follow. Do not, I caution you, pretend to crewing that you are a woman if you are, in fact, a man.)
Pop out and buy a rather nice rolled gold Parker or Cross ball point.
Use it for a day just to scruff it up a little.
Wrap it carefully in white tissue paper (most important) with a little note from you to the gorgeous one along the lines of:
'I was in seat Z on X flight. Thank you so much for the loan of your pen. I fear I put it in my handbag just before landing, must have been nervous! Strange that we seem to have found a common acquaintance in London (wherever/whatever). Here is my e mail and telephone number. Perhaps you'd give me a call or drop me a line to follow up this coincidence? You reminded me so much of Candide. I can't wait to tell him.'
Send it by registered express post, as a parcel within a parcel, to Crewing, XYZ airline and so on with full details of your flight. Include a covering note explaining that, of course, you have just found this pen and are desolated to think that its owner might think that she had mislaid it and gone out and spent the money to buy another. etc and so on. Tell them where the crew member sat for take off and landing. (That could be immportant). Provide as much descriptive detail as you can that would allow them to identify her without going too deeply into poetic eulogies!
.
You may have to couch your request in somewhat pleading terms, but think in what high esteem this paragon of hosties will hold you if this little plot works!cool:
Sit back with bated breathe and await developments.
If she is anything other than an intellectual nonentity she will know that 'Candide' is one title of a book written by Voltaire. His other title for the same work was: 'L'Optimisme'.
Good luck Old Fruity!
