An Angelic Travel Companion

The last thing she wanted to do on her plane trip was talk. But she was very glad she did.

By DJ Blackmon, Boise, Idaho

As appeared in

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Travel was a big part of my job as an office trainer. As I maneuvered down the aisle of the crowded airplane, my mind drifted to other trips I’d taken: New York, Washington, overseas...

It was in Holland—at a tulip festival—that my husband, Craig, proposed. Even now, 12 years after his death, tulips always made me think of him.

I reached my row, where a middle-aged lady was already seated on the aisle. “I’ve got the window,” I said. She moved aside to let me climb in, apologizing for her bag. “No problem,” I said.

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I hope she’s not chatty, I thought as I pushed my own bag under the seat in front of me. The one thing I hated while traveling was a seatmate who talked too much. Our flight from Boise to Portland was only an hour, and I planned to spend most of it sleeping. “Are you heading home today?” the woman asked.

“No,” I said. “I live in Boise, but I’m flying on business.”

“I’m on my way back to Alaska,” she said. “I just attended my high school reunion. Forty years. I can hardly believe it!”

That made me think of my own anniversary. It was still months away, but this year would have been our twentieth. A milestone. I tried to distract myself from feeling sad by listening to my seatmate. She was going on and on about her reunion.

“The city’s changed a lot since I lived here,” she said. “I guess I’ve changed a lot too. I got divorced a few years ago, and I felt like I had to start my whole life over.”

“I felt that way after my husband died,” I said. “I’m DJ, by the way.”

“I’m Karen.”

We talked all the way to Portland. I never would have imagined myself sharing details of my life with a stranger, but Karen just made me feel comfortable. When the captain announced our arrival I was almost disappointed! Karen put up her tray table to get ready for landing.

“What a cute bracelet you’re wearing,” I said.

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“Isn’t it fun? I got it at the Saturday market downtown. It’s made of spoons!” She slipped it off to show it to me. I turned it over in my hand, running a finger over the floral pattern along the edges, and the little butterfly charm that dangled from the place where the two spoon handles joined.

Craig loved craft fairs. This bracelet was just the type of thing he might have picked up for me. Of course, he probably would have looked for a tulip pattern. “It’s really nice,” I said, handing the bracelet back to Karen.

“I wish I would have gotten a couple more for my daughters,” she said wistfully. “I wonder if the seller has a web site.”

“I could find out for you,” I surprised myself by saying. What am I doing? I didn’t even like talking to people I met on planes. Now I was offering to track down craft jewelry for one? It was completely out of character for me. But now that I’d offered, I couldn’t back down.

“I’ll stop by the booth when I get back to Boise,” I said. “Give me your e-mail and I’ll let you know what I find out.”

“Thank you so much!” said Karen. She was so happy, I knew I’d done the right thing, strange as it was.

She jotted down her e-mail, and I warned her I probably wouldn’t get to the fair for a few weeks. “That would be fine,” she said. “This is just wonderful! I’m so thankful to have met you. If you’re ever in Alaska, you’ve got a place to stay!”

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“I just might take you up on that,” I said. She really had been a delightful companion.