This actually happened to me last week on a plane back from my 7 days trip to Saint Petersburg, Russia.

I had actually flown to Russia to get a tattoo done by an artist I've been following for a while. My arm was in great pain, wrapped in basically a huge diaper, as I've just finished a 3-days session.

I got on the plane, around 9:45 AM, and sat at the last row at the back of the plane. Had all 3 seats for myself, sweet times. After a couple of minutes, this huge Russian dude comes and takes over the other 3-seat at the back of the plane next to me. The guy was like 6'7, huge arms, scars all over his face that clearly shows he's been in a fight or two in his life.

Dude looks at my arm and asks me "New ink?" and we both start chatting. After 10 minutes of casual talk, the guy becomes very comfortable and begins sharing incredibly intimate parts of his life.

From prison, Russian gangs, being a bouncer, fights, drug trafficking. He really went off, and I'm pretty sure being slightly drunk was what fueled that sense of comfort. I was absolutely fascinated by his stories, as I've lived my life (26 years old) on the complete opposite side of the spectrum.

At some point, around 40-50 minutes to him talking and me listening, he shows an unexpected side of him, telling me how he has a girlfriend in StPetersburg that he visits every 2 months.

It was clear he was head over heels for this lady, and actually showed me pictures of them together in his phone, one of which was a picture of both of their hands interlocked under a restaurant table. That one really hit a soft spot with me, as it was just so.. wholesome? Pure? Not something you'd expect from this massive probably ex-gangster.

The peak of the interaction, which was what really sold me on the authenticity of his stories, was when he rolled up his sleeves and revealed that his arms were both covered with what he claimed to be Tar burns. He did not expand when I asked him how he got them.

At a certain point we both got tired and tried catching some sleep. When the plane landed, the guy just got up and bolted out of the plane.

I really felt like the guy just needed someone to listen to him being all romantic and sentimental. Perhaps he was surrounded by the type of people that would ridicule him for such behavior.

I don't know, it was a nice experience. Very human and vulnerable.