IT'S GOOD to talk

It was just Frank’s luck to sit next to someone chatty – this was going to be a long flight

-  Linda Lewis

Hi, my name’s Joy Adams.’‘Frank Steepleton.’ ‘The plane’s full. It looks like we’re stuck with each other.’

‘I guess so.’ I took my seat and pulled a book from my bag to signal I didn’t want to talk, but Joy wasn’t easily put off.

‘I recognise that accent. California, yes?’

‘Spot on,’ I replied.

I hoped she wouldn’t talk through the whole flight. I’d once spent the worst four hours of my life sitting next to a hypochondriac who had gone into graphic descriptions of his ailments. I didn’t want to get caught like that again, so I opened my book and started to read.

When the flight attendants went through their safety spiel, I could feel the tension radiating from the seat next to me. It reached the point where it was so bad, I couldn’t ignore it.

‘Are you OK?’ I asked.

‘Not really,’ she said. ‘I’ll be fine once we’re in the air, but take off and landing…’ Her shudder spoke volumes. ‘Would you mind talking to me, just until we’re airborne? You have such a lovely accent. It might help me relax.’