I just had to read his WhatsApp messages. I guess “couldn’t help” is a bit of an excuse. When you’re stuck in a small window seat on a long-haul flight across the country and the guy next to you is almost shouting his texts, you can’t help but be interested.
His name was James.
He looked tired and middle-aged, like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders. He looked at his phone a lot and typed and erased texts as if he couldn’t decide what to do.
It went back and forth for about an hour. During a short break in the flight, he finally let out a sigh of defeat and leaned back. That’s when he saw me looking at him. He gave me a half-smile like he knew I was listening in because I must have looked like I was guilty.
I said, “Sorry,” and I felt like the biggest snoop in the world. “Couldn’t help but notice…”
It was strangely calm of him to say, “It’s okay.” “It looks like I’ve been pretty clear.”
Right away, he starts to pour out his heart to me. He’s been married for a long time—more than 20 years—but he’s about to leave his wife for a younger woman at work. He says he loves his wife Sarah, but this other woman is drawing him in like a magnet.
As I listen, I try to figure out why he’s telling this to a stranger at 30,000 feet.
You can tell she’s his whole world by the way he talks about Sarah. You know, he’s torn. Between what is safe and what makes you want to do it.
I think he should write a letter to Sarah. Tell her everything he’s going through and promise to fight for their marriage. “What if she thinks it’s just words?” he asks himself at first.
I tell him, “You have to get her to believe you.” “Show her that you want to make things right.”
He nods, and he starts writing very quickly on a notepad for the rest of the flight. He has this touching letter all ready to go by the time we land. He looks relieved and thankful as he hands it to me.
His voice is shaking as he says, “Thanks.” “For hearing me out and helping me figure out what I need to do.”
I nod at him and feel like I just walked into someone’s stressful situation and helped them. I say, “Thanks.” “Go back to Sarah now.” Show her how much you still care.
It’s like that, James is gone into the crowd at the airport, leaving me with hope and curiosity about whether he’ll follow through. It’s likely that I’ll never know what happened next, but I like to think that he found Sarah and made things right.
But hold on, let me explain. How did I get into this mess in the first place?
It all began with a normal Tuesday afternoon. I had a plane ticket to Seattle to see my sister. It’s just a quick trip to catch up and maybe do some shopping. I didn’t bring much with me, so I grabbed a book and sat down to read until we landed.
James comes in. He looks tired as he gets on the plane—maybe even after a long week. His eyes look through the overhead bins to see if there is any room. Then he sees that the middle seat next to me is empty. As he moves past me, I smile politely and give him a nod to let him know I see him.
He seemed friendly, but a little shy. I guessed he was one of those people who likes to be alone on flights and either work or listen to music instead of talking. I had no idea that he was in the middle of another drama in his life, and I was about to be a part of it.
Things start off fine on the flight. As we taxi down the runway and take off, the cabin crew starts their normal work. I open my book and try to get into the story, but James keeps drawing my attention away. He moves around a lot and is always looking at or typing on his phone, almost to the point of being frantic.
What happened next is not something I’m proud of, but it’s hard not to pay attention when someone is talking about their personal life. I can see what he’s saying on his phone when it lights up. In the chat, the name at the top is “Sarah,” and the texts are… well, they’re not the kind of texts you’d want your spouse to see.
I should have looked away to give him space, but I couldn’t help but be interested.
I also couldn’t help but wonder what was going on because his texts were so intense. Was he seeing someone else? Having a hard time with his marriage? As I tried to sneak a peek at his screen without drawing attention to myself, all the possibilities ran through my head.
That’s when James saw me looking at him. He didn’t get mad or defend himself, though. But he just looked at me with a defeated look on his face, as if he knew he was wrong and didn’t know how to explain it.
I mumbled, “Sorry,” because I felt like I had broken into his space. “I meant not to…”
He surprised me with how calm he was when he said, “It’s okay.” “Well, it looks like I’m not hiding it very well, so…”
He then began to talk right away. He might have been under a lot of stress from keeping his secret to himself, or he might just have needed to talk to someone. For some reason, James told me everything right then and there, in the middle of a crowded airplane cabin.
His marriage to Sarah was talked about. They had been together for over twenty years, through good times and bad. He talked about their kids, their house, and all the times they had spent together. Then he told her the big secret: there was someone else. He was interested in a younger woman at work, and she made him question everything he thought he knew about faith and love.
“It’s not just physical attraction,” he said in a voice that was almost a whisper. “She makes me feel like I’m twenty years younger and alive again.” But Sarah… Sarah is my rock. I don’t want to hurt her, but I can’t stay away from this urge.
Hearing him talk made me try to understand how complicated his situation was. On the one hand, it was clear that this man loved his wife very much. He was about to make a choice, though, that could destroy everything they had built together.
There was a long pause, and then James looked at me with desperate eyes. “What should I do?” he asked, and his voice broke with worry. “How can I keep from making everything worse?”
I didn’t know everything, but one thing was clear: James had to find a way to get back in touch with Sarah and remember why he loved her in the first place.
I had the thought to write Sarah a letter at that moment. He told her how he felt and all of his doubts and fears. He also promised her that he would do everything he could to protect their marriage.
I worry that she might not believe me. James asked with a doubtful look on his face.
I told her, “You make her believe you.” “Show her that you won’t give up when things get hard and are ready to fight for what you have.”
It looked like James wasn’t sure at first if a letter would be enough to fix the problem he caused. Still, I could see that he was getting stronger as we talked. Right now might be his chance to show himself and Sarah that their love was strong enough to fight for.
As the flight went on, James was a man with a plan. He got out a notepad and pen and started writing his heart out as fast as he could. Here and there, he would stop and read what he had written. Then he would start again with even more passion.
When the pilot said we were going to land, James had already written a lot about his feelings and thoughts. He held out the stack of papers and looked up at me. His hands were shaking a little.
He asked in a voice that was barely above a whisper, “Will you do me a favor?” “Would you please give this letter to Sarah?”
I said yes, and I could feel the weight of his request falling off my shoulders. “Of course,” I said in a soft voice. “I’ll make sure she gets it.”
When we got off the plane and watched it taxi to the gate, James and I talked some more. He appreciated that I had listened and given him a new way to look at things.
I told him he was making the right choice and that sometimes the hardest decisions have the best results.
Then, all of a sudden, James was lost in the crowd of tired travelers at the airport. I was interested in what would happen next as I watched him leave. Could Sarah forgive him? Would their relationship last through this? Even though I didn’t know for sure, I really hoped that James would find his way back to the woman he loved and that their love would grow stronger than ever.
As I walked to my next flight, I couldn’t get rid of the feeling that I had just seen something important. A chance meeting on a plane and the simple act of listening led to a moment of clarity and change.
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