I wanted to make sure I got this written down before it leaves my short-term memory (I’m 46, what can I say?)…
Jayme, Caroline, and I were flying back to the United States after having spent about 8 days in Prague and Budapest (visiting Brian) in early July. We normally fly Delta, but this particular flight was KLM (partnering with Delta). It didn’t have the Delta touches that were used to. (Yes, we’re privileged assholes. I understand that.) Wi-Fi was difficult to get because we didn’t have an account via whatever provider KLM had. Technically, the Wi-Fi was iffy at best anyway. There were no air flow vents above each seat. Dogs and cats, living together. Mass hysteria.
Despite all of that, we persisted.
What made that flight time interesting was that Argentina was playing their World Cup round-of-16 game against Egypt. Ironically, it was being played in Atlanta (yep, you can’t make this stuff up). Without that Wi-Fi, however, we weren’t able to see it. So, we followed the score by random spurts of connectivity from Caroline’s phone. We found out it was 0-2 to Egypt about halfway through the second half. Not looking good for Argentina! Would this be how Messi bows out at the World Cup?
A little bit after the check-in from Caroline, we noticed across the aisle that a gentleman had a larger iPad and was watching the game. Not having any shame, Caroline and I started to watch the game with (and unbeknownst to) him. Because, you know, it was the game and it was on somewhere. Even from a weird angle. About 5 minutes passed and the gentleman happened to turn his head and noticed we were watching. He smiled and did one of the nicest things he could have done. He actually turned the iPad to allow us to watch it from a nicer angle. We thanked him profusely and ended up watching the rest of the game.
And what a game it was to watch to the end! Arengtina ended up scoring two goals in the 79th and 83rd minutes to tie it up. From what Jayme and Caroline tell me, I “screamed” when Messi scored the second. I don’t know that I believe them, but they swear there were multiple passengers around me that whipped their heads around to see what I was screaming about. (I’m still convinced.)
Anyway, Argentina completed the comeback in the 93rd minute, winning 3-2. By the end, everyone was (quietly) cheering them on and there was a collective sigh of relief when the final whistle blew. Even if it was quiet (I promise you, I was quiet), it was a heart-pounding 25 minutes. And such a unique experience to have on a trans-Atlantic flight.
I’ve been to several sports comeback outings. The most famous, probably, Jayme and I were not at (technically). We happened to be at an Auburn bar for the Kick 6 Auburn win over Alabama when Chris Davis ran it back 109 yards during the Iron Bowl. That was loud. And exuberant. Yet, this felt just as exuberant. But much quieter. A truly awesome experience.
P.S. A funny thing happened when we landed. We looked over to the (black) gentleman who shared his iPad with us and was going to verbally thank him again for his generosity. But, he was not sitting there. Instead, there was an older Indian gentleman sitting in his place. All three of us looked at each other in bewilderment. Did we imagine him?
