Depending on my mood, I either love or loathe inflight discussions. Most of you know the feeling… it’s not that we’re antisocial, it’s simply that you want to avoid long conversations from people giving you advice on marriage and children and “ooohhh, the best sandwich shop in Boise is the Spotted Owl — you’re fiance will just love it.!”
I once sat quietly with my earphones on and my iPod-in-lap (even though my battery died before I ever boarded the plane) for over 4 hours simply to avoid the bee hive grandmama to my left.
On my trip from Seattle to Birmingham I actually met three interesting people (if only for their stories) that were worth losing iPod-listening time over.
Susan : She was flying home to Lincoln, Nebraska to attend the memorial service of her 54-year-old sister to died in a freak accident. When riding her horse along side a shallow river, she was bucked, hit her head on a rock, knocking her unconscious, leaving her to drown in the river. They still haven’t found her body.
Charles : A 35-year-olf father of one who actually had 3 weddings with the same woman without ever having gotten divorced. One wedding at the Denver courthouse, one traditional German wedding in Strasbourg (he’s German), and one traditional Korean wedding in Seoul (his wife is Korean).
Willie : A 72-year-old widow of 16 years who was returning home to Alabama after visiting her daughter in Denver. Willie is retired and lives alone on a 20 acre plot of land outside of Prattville, Alabama. She owns a ’02 Ford pickup and an old John Deere tractor , which she uses to mow the lawn while she has her quiet time (or as she says: “talk to God”). About half-way in our flight to Birmingham, with Willie in a deep sleep, she abruptly popped-up, slumped forward into her tray-table, then looked at me and said: “Move. Now.” She scurried down the aisle to the bathroom where she proceeded to vomit for 20 minutes at 30,000 feet. She thinks it was the ginger ale.
