At my 20-year school reunion, the name tag had a line that said...

At my 20-year school reunion, the name tag had a line that said "Occupation." I wrote "Pilot."

I'm an accountant. I've worked in the same grey building for 14 years. But the pen was in my hand and the tag was blank, and "accountant" looked very small on a sticker.

Within ten minutes, six people had asked me about flying. One wanted to know about turbulence. Another asked whether I'd ever "landed in a storm." I said, "Mostly short-haul," in a calm voice, and sipped my drink.

By 8pm I was telling a story about a goose. It was going well. That's when a man with a name tag that said "Captain" sat down opposite me...

He had a deep tan and the kind of calm that only comes from real responsibility. He said, "I heard you're a pilot. Which airline?"

I said, "Er, a blue one."

He leaned forward and said, "I'm in the same game."

I said, "Wonderful."

He said, "What do you fly?"

I said, "The... big ones."

He studied me for a long time. Then he whispered, "I'm the captain of a pedalo. At the boating lake in town. It has six seats."

We shook hands under the table. We spent the rest of the evening swapping stories about the goose.

I'm told he's booked me for the next reunion. I'm co-pilot.