I sat down on my final flight yesterday shortly before takeoff. I was still in the midst of a text message conversation, but a flight attendant hurried by and told me I needed to turn my phone off. Okay, fine, let me just finish this thought, say goodbye, and I’ll be done. Another 15 seconds passed while I pecked away at my iPhone and the plane sat at the gate.
The middle-aged woman next to me leaned over and asked, “You’re not worried about causing interference that messes with the plane?”
She was not kidding.
I stared at her. “No,” I replied bluntly.
She looked unconvinced. “Well, if we crash and I die, I’m going to blame you.”
How to respond, how to respond, how to respond…
“Okay.”
I paused for a moment. Then:
“If you’re dead, you won’t be blaming anybody for anything because you’ll be dead.”
Then we sat next to each other in silence for the 3-hour flight.