I love to travel. I love airports, the sound of jet engines and the thrill of boarding a plane in one part of the country and ending up in another. My husband shares my love of travel and we are fortunate to be able to do so. I have also sat next to a few interesting characters along the way. None more interesting then my most recent flying experience.
I flew down to Washington DC over Columbus Day week-end to spend time with four of my best girlfriends. After a lovely and relaxing few days, it was time to make my way back home. I was late in obtaining my boarding pass, but already had my seat assignment. No worries I thought, I’ll be the last one on but the first one off. My seat happened to be next to a young lady with long black hair furiously texting away on her Blackberry. She was in the aisle seat, my seat was to be in the middle. I sat down fully expecting to have to get up to let the window seat traveler in. I mentioned to the girl that I would move over and sit in the window seat if no one came. She didn’t look up from her phone but gave me a thumbs up. When the doors closed to the plane, I scooted over. Text Girl finished up her Blackberry message and put the phone in her vest pocket only to pull out an iPhone and start texting on that! Ok, maybe she is important. She alternated texting on the phones before take off. Before our final taxi out, the captain came on the loud speaker to make the standard announcement to turn off all electronic devices. Text Girl now had both phones in hand and slipped them into her vest pocket STILL ON! I tried very hard to keep concentrating on the pages of my book, but I was worried about what might happen to the plane with the two electronic devices still on. As the plane was now surging down the runway, nose up in the air, Text Girl pulls out a scarf and proceeds to wrap it around her head and covers her face. Is anyone else noticing this? Can you really take off and fly this plane with electronic devices on?? And what was with the scarf? You think covering your face will protect it from the bomb you have in your carryon bag that you will set off with your phones? And who was she really texting on those phones? Her fellow conspirators? <<All systems go, this bird will blow in 10 minutes>> Do I dare risk telling a flight attendant? Aren’t there US Marshalls that fly in disguise? Calm down now Elizabeth, everything will be fine. But wait! The scarf is now off her head and tossed on the seat between us. As she gets up, very quickly I might add, Text Girl throws her phone on the middle seat on top of her scarf. She ran to the front of the plane, OH MY GOD, there is something wrong with the bomb, it’s not responding to her trigger, she had to manually set it off!! Where is that US Marshall, isn’t he seeing all of this? I was tempted to pick up her phone to see what was going on, but I was afraid it would be a trap. What if by picking up the phone it set off the bomb? Text Girl came back to her seat and checked both phones, texted a bit and put the scarf back on her head. Ok, so maybe there isn’t really a bomb. Maybe she has a migraine from all that texting. Our captain came on as we prepared for our descent, again telling us to turn off all electronic devices. And, you guessed it, she slid those puppies still on into her pocket when the flight attendant walked by. Please just let us land with no interference from her phones. I cannot believe how one person can be so attached to a cell phone. I’m sure she sent more messages in the 50 minute plane trip than my three teenagers combined send in one day. And she certainly didn’t look like anyone important.
I dutifully waited until the captain said it was ok to turn our devices on while we were taxi-ing back to the gate. I fired up my ONE phone and sent my husband a text to let him know I had landed and that I would be out front shortly to meet him. Of course, Text Girl had sent several messages to my one. I couldn’t get off that plane fast enough.
I guess I will never know who she was or who she had been corresponding with. If she was really a terrorist or a brain surgeon sending out orders for the operating room staff. I only hope that Text Girl will take time away from her phones to stop and smell the roses. While I do love my cell phone, there is more to life than clicking on little keys to tell someone “hi” or “k”. Traveling is great fun, you never know who you will sit next to on a plane.
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