Episode summary
A short story about a man flying home and his conversation with the older gentleman sitting next to him — great natural dialogue.
T.E.A. Time is hosted by English teacher Tayvin Bayless. Read the full transcript.
Hey there and welcome to T.E.A Time with Tayvin Bayless. Today I will be reading a short story for you. The name of the story is “Airplane Talk” written by Maren Hansen. It is an interesting slice of life story with great natural dialog. I’m excited to share this with you, so let’s get started
Jack sat on the plastic airplane seat and watched through the tiny window as the plane rumbled down the runway, preparing for takeoff. It was 7:30 AM, but he was exhausted. He never slept well in hotel beds. He was ready to sleep in his own bed again. These long tour weeks really took it out of him. Thank goodness the flight to Cincinnati was only two hours long. He would be home before lunch.
An older man who wore faded blue jeans and thick white shoes sat in the seat next to him. Jack’s secretary had given the rest of his crew seats together at the back of the plane, but Jack’s seat was apart from theirs. He loved his crew, but he spent every single day performing with them. He preferred to travel by himself. Then he didn’t have to speak to anyone.
Jack opened the magazine in his lap. The Titles screamed up at him in capital letters:
FAMOUS GOLF PLAYER DIES – THE END OF AN ERA
CAN AMERICA OUTLIVE A NUCLEAR FALLOUT? 10 THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW
MOVIE STAR DIVORCES HER HUSBAND – SEE ALL THE DETAILS SHE DIDN’T WANT TO SHARE! Jack sighed and closed the magazine against the silent noise.
The older man sitting next to him pointed at it. “Nothing interesting in there?”
Jack shook his head. “If you want to read it, you’re welcome to.”
“No, thank you,” the man said. “I hear enough bad news on the radio and TV these days. I don’t need to read about it, too.”
“That’s very true.”
A blonde-haired attendant stood up at the front of the plane and spoke into a microphone. “Ladies and gentlemen, please remain in your seats as we begin our ascent. When the captain gives the signal that you can remove your seatbelts, you will be free to move about the cabin.” The red seatbelt sign turned on overhead. Jack reached down and tugged the seatbelt out from between the cushions. He clicked it in place around his waist.
The man next to him struggled with his seatbelt. A passing flight attendant noticed and helped him to straighten the Ces and click the buckle.
“Thank you,” the man told the flight attendant. “I’m an old man, so seatbelts should be easy for me! But I still have some trouble sometimes.” The flight attendant smiled and moved towards her seat.
When she was gone, the man leaned toward Jack. “This is actually my first time on a plane. I couldn’t figure the darned thing out!”
Jack smiled. “First time, huh? How do you like it?”
“It’s exciting,” the man said. “It’s smaller in here than I imagined it would be.”
“You’re lucky our flight is short. Long flights make the inside of a plane feel like a prison.”
The old man chuckled. “You sound like you have experience. Do you travel a lot?”
Jack nodded. “I’m a musician. I travel all over the country for concerts and tours. sometimes we have concerts in Canada as well.”
“That’s exciting,” said the old man. “What kind of instrument do you play?”
“I’m a singer,” Jack explained. “But sometimes I play the guitar.”
“There are all kinds of new music these days, but you look like you are doing well for yourself,” said the old man. “I might be able to look you up later on my phone and listen to your music! What’s your name?”
“Jack Spader,” said Jack. “And thank you. You should be able to find my music on any online music platform.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Jack. My name is Terry Gordon.”
“Nice to meet you, Terry. What are you going to Cincinnati for?”
“My d—oh, my!”
The old man gripped the armrests of his chair very Tightly. At that moment, the enormous engines on the sides of the plane revved and the plane began to move forward. It moved faster and faster and faster until the wheels lifted off of the ground and the plane began to fly. Jack felt the force push him back into his seat. He was used to the feeling now, but he could see that the man was uncomfortable. He thought about his first flight and remembered feeling the same thing.
Soon the plane leveled out and climbed through the air to the target altitude. The red seatbelt sign overhead turned off. Jack unbuckled his seatbelt and looked at Terry.
“You were going to tell me why you were going to Cincinnati before we took off,” he said.
Terry wiped a handkerchief over his face. “Yes,” he said. “Forgive me. I don’t think I like flying very much! I’m going to Cincinnati because my daughter just gave birth to my first grandchild.” “Congratulations!” Jack said with a big smile on his face. “Is it a boy or a girl?”
“It’s a boy,” Terry said. “And thank you. I’m very proud.”
“You’re traveling alone?” Jack asked. “Your wife is not with you?”
Terry’s eyes drooped. “She died about five years ago.”
“Oh, I’m sorry,” Jack said. “You must miss her.”
“I miss her very much,” Terry admired. “She always wanted grandchildren, but our children didn’t get married until late in life and they waited a long Cme before having children
themselves.” He looked at Jack and smiled. “But I think she would have loved to get on an airplane and fly with me!”
Jack smiled.
“Is Cincinnati your home?” Terry asked. “Or are you preparing for another performance?” “My home is in Cincinnati,” said Jack. “We just finished a two-week-long tour. I am very Cred! I also miss my wife.”
“Do you have any children, Jack?” Terry asked.
Jack shook his head. “Not yet. Maybe someday.”
“Having children is the best thing a person can do in life,” said Terry. “Welcoming a new child into the world is like medicine. It makes all of the bad things in the world disappear for a moment.”
Jack looked down at the magazine in his lap. He folded it in half and stuffed it into the pouch in front of him.
“Terry, tell me more about your family,” he said.
Well, there you have it. Did you like the story? Why do you think the author chose to end it where she did? If you have any questions or comments send me a message through Anchor, on Twitter, or find me on italki and I’ll try to respond as quickly as possible. If you’d like to read along with the audio of this episode, you can find a link to the transcript in the episode description or on my Twitter page. Until next time. Have a wonderful day.
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