There is a biblical reference that I cannot remember, along the lines of "As it was yesterday......". Perhaps someone can fill in the dots?
"And it came to pass," perhaps? (it usually does).
One has to chuckle at the idea of any national political symbol or leader missing his airline flight, these days. Most would have taken their private jet. The spectacle of any movie star, church leader, holy man, politician, or whomever, waiting in the terminal and picking his or her last peanut from a little foil bag the size of a thimble while holding his elbows in for six hours and trying not to catch a cold from the diseased and dying alongside...somehow that's just funny.
"
I'm sorry, Mr. Putin...you'll have to catch the next one, we're full."
"
Apologies, your Majesty. All we have for you is a middle seat. Is that quite alright?"
"
Oh dear, Mr. President. We do apologise, but we're all out of crayons, and there's no aisle seat. May we offer you a little set of plastic wings, instead?"
Where's a camera, when you need one?
Sultans from Lagos. Hmmm. Sounds rather like His Holiness, the Most Excellent Sir Ed Gruberman of Detroit. Whatever will they think of, next?