Retirees and gourmets




The short story takes place about two years and eight months before the cyborgs arrive. It is about Bulma and an unknown pensioner with whom she meets on a scheduled flight.


The story MAY be viewed as a sequel to "Warriors and Wimps" - BUT YOU DO NOT HAVE TO READ THE PARTS to understand the story.




FEEDBACK PLEASEEEE !!!!!




Bulma walked between the rows of the passenger plane and, in search of her seat, squeezed past a fat pensioner who was busily talking to a stewardess. Further back, two other seniors were arguing loudly over the window seat. Bulma gave a suppressed groan. Flights like this taught one to appreciate the Capsule Corporation's in-house aircraft.


It wasn't until late in the evening that her granny had noticed that she had forgotten to pack her important medication because of the excitement about Shahila's upcoming wedding.Bulma could not persuade the stubborn lady to see another doctor and have the medication handed over to her again. So she offered to take her plane to the southern capital the next morning to pick up said pills there. As easy as the outbound flight was, it was more difficult to get back to the Capsule Corporation. If she had even guessed that her plane was giving up at the crucial moment, she would have pulled her granny by the hair to the nearest doctor in her area. But now she was a passenger on one of those jam-packed scheduled flights. A passenger with a broken airplane in his handbag.




Now that she was confronted with the colorful mix of retirees, vacationers and business people on the civil aircraft, she regretted her decision not to have gone to the nearest outstation of the Capsule Corporation to borrow a plane.Bulma adjusted for a long four hours.


She finally found her seat and groaned again inwardly. She had the middle seat and next to this, at the window, sat a man who might be about eighty years old and, Bulma suspected, belonged to the senior tour group she had already noticed in the check-in hall - they could not be overheard . The four hours got longer and longer.


Bulma sat down and put down her bag. The old man looked up from his magazine and gave her a friendly nod. He had silver-gray hair that contrasted sharply with his tanned skin, and attentive blue eyes. In contrast to Bulma, he did not seem to feel disturbed by the hustle and bustle around him, but looked over it with a smile.


Most of the passengers had now found their seats and the stewardesses were trying to shoo the last of the seniors to their seats.

A young man in worn jeans 'and more gel in his hair than Elvis in his prime,' as Bulma thought mockingly, sat down in the aisle seat, to Bulma's right. He winked at Bulma with a grin and then let his gaze slide over her gray blazer and short skirt. Bulma shot him a warning look, but he didn't seem to understand its meaning, because he just grinned wider.


'Very long 4 hours!' Bulma said annoyed.


An announcement from the on-board loudspeaker system welcomed the passengers to a pleasant flight with Satan Airlines. Behind Bulma, two pensioners were arguing who should use the white pieces in their chess game, and next to them a man in a suit started pounding on the keys of his laptop.


'Have a nice flight, thank you!' Bulma thought ironically.


The stewardesses asked the passengers to buckle up and then the Boeing 747 took off and slowly rose.


The argument between the two chess players behind her grew louder and louder.Across the aisle, a pensioner gave a loud lecture on how to properly prepare a potato salad. The businessman was still pounding on his laptop like it was for his life. Bulma put down her magazine, shaking her head, wondering what would happen if Vegeta was here now. The thought made her grin - but it was only so long before someone two rows behind her began to snore loudly.




Bulma watched the glow on the "Please fasten your seat belts" sign go out. As she had feared, some of the enterprising seniors immediately rose from their seats and wandered down the aisle.


"This is not a valid move! This is not a valid move!" shouted one of the chess players behind Bulma.


"You only say that because I'm about to checkmate you!" his opponent growled back.


"Checkmate me? Ha, I have a lot of options!"

"Oh yes? And what?" the other man sneered.


Remain silent.


'To be too good to be true.' thought Bulma. She knew the argument was about to start again.


The silver-haired gentleman next to Bulma turned and took a quick look at the chessboard. "Black bishop beats white queen on F5. And chess." he said calmly and sat down again.


The two chess players were perfectly calm. "Hell, he's right," said one of them, "I told you that I have plenty of opportunities to move."


"Pensioners," said the old man with a smile to Bulma, "worse than kindergarten children!"


Bulma had to laugh. Apparently the sprightly 80 year old did not belong to the senior travel group.


"Is this your first time flying?" asked the stranger. He must have noticed Bulma's reaction to the unrest in the tourist class.


Bulma shook her head. She had even done flights on her friends' backs, even if she hadn't really enjoyed them. "No.And you?"


The slim, gray-haired gentleman smiled. "I'm an old hand, so to speak." he replied, adding more to the wrinkles around his eyes. Normally, blue eyes were thought to be cool, but Bulma suddenly realized that these were the warmest blue eyes she had ever seen ....


"Are you flying home to your family?" the old man asked, “Husband and three children?” He smiled again and although Bulma was usually not very informative about her private life, she found that she did not find the question intrusive.


Bulma's mouth twitched in amusement. “Almost.” Although the Saiyan in her house was getting pretty close.


"Four children?" asked the silver-haired man, his eyes sparkling with almost youthful arrogance. Then he got serious again and said: "No, you are traveling for work."


It wasn't a question, it was a statement. Bulma was a little amazed at the confidence with which the old gentleman said this."How do you know that I'm not on my way to see my 'husband'?" she asked without confirming or denying what her "neighbor" had said.


The senior eyed her appraisingly for a moment before he smiled again. "You want children, yes, but you are not a woman who would be content with waiting for her husband at home by the stove," The smile grew stronger as he added, "Besides, you don't wear a wedding ring."


"Oh," said Bulma simply. Really embarrassing for an intelligent beast like her to overlook such an obvious hint, "Where are you going?" she asked, trying to distract from herself.


The old gentleman smiled and noticed that the young woman was a bit distant - 'but these are mostly women with class. "I have visited relatives here in the southern capital and now I am flying to my grandson." These words showed pride and affection in his eyes.

Bulma could almost see a small, blue-eyed boy standing in front of him


would certainly be very happy about his grandfather's visit. She was sure


that the gray-haired man had enough toys and sweets in his luggage to pamper a dozen grandchildren. Bulma saw the picture of her beloved Granny in front of her all too clearly.


Bulma listened with half an ear to the conversation of two pensioners who were trying to outdo each other with their health problems. The two seniors behind her were arguing over a game of cards. Bulma closed her eyes tiredly, although she was sure that she could not sleep.


A hand fell on her knee and slowly slid higher.


Bulma suddenly opened her eyes and noticed that the hand belonged to the young "Elvis" next to her. She glared at him angrily and regretted not having Vegeta next to her. When the pushy young man just grinned without taking his hand away, Bulma helped a little in a not exactly gentle way.

"Elvis" cried out in pain and surprise and hurried towards the on-board toilet, clutching his hand.


The old gentleman watched him go and the corners of his mouth curled up in amusement. His respect for the young woman next to him grew. "Would you like to swap places with me?" he offered Bulma, "I'm sure that with me as a neighbor the young man wouldn't have such restless hands."


Bulma shook her head and had to smile too. She wondered how the silver-haired gentleman did it. "That is very friendly, but certainly not necessary. If he tries something like this again, he will have VERY steady hands for the next 6 weeks." she assured. She had seen this handle once on Vegeta and found it very useful to memorize it more precisely ....


A stewardess stopped in front of them. "Sorry, I just want to get Mister Shaine's bag. He's not feeling so well and would rather sit in another place."The stewardess smiled her professional smile, although she couldn't understand the laughter of the two passengers." May I bring you something? She offered.


Bulma and the old man nodded and were each given a mug of coffee.


The silver-haired man carefully sipped his coffee and Bulma noticed immediately that his skepticism had been justified.


"Not exactly a gourmet drink, is it?" commented the pensioner.


Bulma bravely took another sip from her paper cup and said dryly: "Let's put it this way: I haven't met a stewardess who has given up her job to open her own café."


They laughed together as if they had known each other for ages.




Bulma had survived Freezer, but this was definitely worse. Even the Saiyajins would not be prepared for something like this: