One Brief Moment

Riding down the road. Around the curve. Just a quick thought. Would it be so bad? The pain would end. The horrible feelings of what I had done would be over. My failure. And now the self-doubt. The anger. All of that. Over so fast.

One brief moment.

Three months ago I was flying high, literally. The jet I was on soared above the clouds and I was on my way to speak at another conference. My book sales were pushing toward the top of the list and calls were coming in from all over for me to speak. I couldn’t turn any of them down. Couldn’t? Didn’t want to. This is what I had worked for the past twenty years. I had to ride it on and on and on. The dream had finally come true. I had arrived.

Then on that jet, a young woman stood in the aisle and asked if the seat by me was 6-B. I said yes, B for beautiful, and then I blushed. She smiled as I nodded for her to sit by me. As she put her bag in the overhead compartment I couldn’t miss seeing her. She looked down at me and smiled and then slid into the middle seat beside me. I noticed then that her ticket was for the aisle seat but I didn’t say a word as I sat securely in my window seat.

She reached out her hand to shake mine and said she looked forward to the flight with me. I introduced myself and she said oh I know who you are. I saw you get on the plane and realized that you are the author of the book I’m reading. I’m only partway through but your picture on the back cover is such a good one that I recognized you right away.

I told her thanks and that I hoped that my book would be helpful to her and she said it already was. Then she said maybe I could explain it more to her as we flew, if it wasn’t a bother, and then she could learn even more from it and from me. I said of course that there were a lot of thoughts that I had that weren’t even in the book. A lot of good ideas but the editor cut some things out to keep it running smoothly and not too long.

Soon we were up in the air and talking and I was explaining my book more and she was taking it all in and asking question after question, so drawn in by my ideas. I was surprised when the announcement came on that said we would be landing soon and I told her that the flight had passed quickly with such good company. She smiled and said it had all gone too fast for her too and that I was the best seatmate that she ever had. 

I told her that if she wanted to learn more that I was doing a talk and book signing at the Applegate Hotel tomorrow morning at 10. She took her book out of her bag and asked me to sign it for her now in case there were too many people around tomorrow and I didn’t have time for her. I laughed and said I don’t think that could ever be the case.

I opened the cover of the book and wrote, “To the perfect seatmate. Charming, inquisitive, and beautiful. Thanks for the conversation. Even if it was only for one brief moment.”

I closed the book and handed it back to her. She opened it and read what I had written and thanked me. She said that when she had read my story of being on that road and felt like ending it all that she could relate.  The self-doubt. The anger. And my book was really helping her. She was sure that many were being helped. She said she was really glad that she had gotten that seat by me today. I replied that the aisle seat might have been more comfortable. She bit her lip and said that she was in the seat that she wanted to be in.

I told her it was great to meet her and perhaps we would meet again. She kissed me lightly on the cheek and said she hoped so. As we got off the plane into the airport she waved at me and walked away. I could see the book cover as she turned. One Brief Moment.