People act on planes as though no one else is there. They have the most intimate of conversations. Often the find love, or at least a few minutes of it anyway. They argue. And they discuss the most private parts of their lives. And they do this right there out in the open!
Planes are strange places. To create personal space amongst crowds, we all act as though the density of people means that we’re alone. That’s true in the most crowded cities, too. Walk around New York and people act as though nobody can see them even though everyone can see them. They create their own zones of privacy, like a child covering their eyes to make themselves hidden.
The corollary is that we can hear what’s happening around us, but we’re supposed to pretend like we don’t, to create that zone of privacy. I think that’s the only thing that can explain this man deciding to divorce his wife while their Delta Air Lines flight prepares to take off.
Shortly after boarding, this guy behind me decides to review his credit card statement with his captive, silent wife.
She spent $394 at Publix and $240 at Chevron over 4 days according to him. For a solid 20 minutes and using more F-bombs than Boondock Saints, he chastises her for buying more food than a human can eat and more gas than a car can drink. She has zero words to say.
After re-calculating, re-chastising, and racking up the F-bomb tally for 20 minutes he says it’s worth losing half his assets if it means his “lazy wife” (his words) will have to get a job and that he’s through with her. No more words are exchanged for the flight.
Plot twist: spending $240 at a gas station in four days, surely she’s getting cash back or buying things to re-sell? She’s probably already cleaned the man out and using the proceeds to fund her own divorce lawyer.
Besides, this surely isn’t the first time they’ve argued about money. And if he’s doing it in public, he’s past the point of caring in the relationship and isn’t easy to live with to begin with. This couple wasn’t going to stay together even if he didn’t decide to bring printed copies of joint credit card transactions for activity since the last statement close onto a trip they were taking together.
Maybe he should have waited until the end of the trip? If you’re going to have an argument with someone you’re traveling with, maybe wait until you reach the hotel or make it home? And if this is on the outbound portion of the journey, maybe you don’t want to spoil the vacation itself where you may be stuck with them in an unfamiliar place?
Reminds me of the Spin City episode where James decides to break up with his girlfriend at the start of a 14 hour bus trip they are taking back home.
I had a boyfriend of 3 years do this to me. It was back before I knew what a narcissist was (it was the 90s, Google hadn’t even been born yet). So… I’ll just leave this here.
$394 at Publix barely buys a half week’s worth of food.
My friend did that. Stopped at the grocery store every day after work to pickup groceries. Also got $20- or $30- cash back each time. Same with gas 2x weekly. She did this for 2 years before serving papers to her husband, who was having an affair. She was trying to protect herself and their child; she knew that she would never get any assets, as all his money was locked up in an irrevocable trust that ‘he had no control’ over (his siblings were the trustees).
Maybe he felt more comfortable doing it in public where she couldn’t accuse him of assault or domestic violence
You see couples asking to switch seats all the time so that they can sit together. This time so that they can sit apart.
Premium family law attorneys fly Delta.
@KimmieA so your friend was a gold-digger. Got it.
Definitely a premium on-board marital spat.
She’s buying scratchers tickets
@Mitch, and you would leave your wife & kids high-n-dry, w/o food or shelter, just so you could run off & bang another woman. Probably one half your age. And likely after initially bullying your wife to quit her job if she wants to be a Mom, “b/c that’s what GOOD Moms do.”
Got it. You’re why women now choose cats & bears.
More men ought to wake up and evaluate their partners in this manner. Too many “stay at homes” are clueless leeches draining hope and vitality.
Yeah, a Delta flight can do that…
“Premium family law attorneys fly Delta.”
Premium family law attorneys fly private. 😉
@Tim Dunn – The physical abuse comes later. A jerk of that magnitude is not going to turn into a decent human in private.
In flight entertainment. I wonder if it was a skit. The original post has been scrubbed.
How appropriate. Flying signifies FREEDOM. But they shouldn’t be sitting together.
My ex used to do this just as we were getting ready to go on a trip. It became so predictable. He would instigate an argument and then use it as an excuse to sit away from the kids and I.
No way do you stick around for the flight much less the trip.
Every woman on board is gonna think you’re the most evil nasty human alive without needing or caring about relationship background, context or whether the one line you bothered to whisper was. ” I know you were going to see ‘him Again”. There will be a few outliers within ear short but statistically moot. I’m old enough to know that if he cheats he’s a bar-steward in your female peer group. And if you cheat it’s coz he’s a bar-steward and didn’t do XYZ enough. Cry stereotype if you feel you need to but imho it’s a reasonable and common scenario outcome.
Any guy with a romantically involved gal will likely agree with any slant opined about Mr Had Enough. Dumb as us blokes can be at times in social situations. We also generally spot the “quiet way out”.
Come what may. You’re the most hated person on the plane. Would be insane to risk accepting any meal. Likely be refused drinks for ‘reasons’ and you’ve just sat through 1,2, 5 hours of that next to someone you clearly can no longer stand when you didn’t have to.
Preferably say your piece at home before setting off for the airport but if you find yourself in that situation. Remove yourself as soon as possible.
NOTE: He could be a POS. She could be the same. There’s little context in play & certainly not enough to pass judgement on either but your lying to yourself if you believe for a moment at least half that plane isn’t already judging him harshly.
Popcorn is available for those who want it. Whilst no offense was intended I stand by life experience rationale & point out that your choice to be offended, if so, is of your choice and therefore concern. If I’d made some outlandish and intentionally offensive comment then I’d have stopped before posting.
hehehe. If you must make me listen to your argument, you have given me the right to chime in. In fact the entire cabin now has a voice about your lack of self-control.
Crass on his part!!
People sort of get what they give, don’t they? So a financially abusive/controlling spouse sort of invites their target’s “secret”, “self-insuring” “cash out” “smurfing” practice because the target of the abuse/control knows their financial abuser/controller?
Healthy cohabitating personal relationships are ones where mutual trust levels are high and the desire to control and disrespect the other’s autonomy in the relationship is non-existent. But since you can’t teach an old dog new tricks and kick old habits easily, you can pretty much count on that guy in this story to keep on being who he is regardless of the circumstances. He wants to lord over others with money and other means, and he will be that kind of person with or without a “lazy wife” in his life.
So, very recently I upgraded to first class for a trip home, looking forward to a nice dinner and reading a book after two intense days of work. A couple boarded with their 3 kids – one an infant. One parent sat next to me with the baby, the other across the aisle with the two other kids. They proceeded to have the biggest argument in front of everyone. I couldn’t believe it! I’m not talking about a brief exchange of words. The baby, of course, cried for the whole flight. Per someone’s idea that openly arguing allows us to chime in, I asked the person next to me what the problem was. They were flying coast to coast to a family wedding. I suggested spending the night halfway to give the kids (and passengers) a break. That long of a trip, with plane changes and layovers, is hard on an adult. The real issues were lack of respect for each other and people around them, working together to take care of their children, giving each other the benefit of the doubt, and just plain common sense – which is growing shorter in supply daily.
There is insufficient information to conclude that the divorce was decided on the Delta flight. It could be the same conversation every month.
A similar situation happened to me. On vacation with our two children the wife and I had an imbroglio concerning a credit card. Silently , I said to myself, “I’m going to divorce this woman.”. We arrived back home. I proceeded to divorce this woman.
@ First last. “Imbroglio”. You are a wise man, and in the words of Sheldon “how do I know it’s a wise man who knows . . . I am that wise man.”
Two words . . . Irrevocable Trust.