"That car had better be waiting"

Katy Grimes: It’s always interesting traveling and observing how people treat one another. Some are exceedingly polite while other travelers seem to be clueless that they are traveling along with half of the world — peons, plebes and all — and must share the space.

This past weekend as I returned from a trip, I found myself on the same plane as Sen. Alan Lowenthal, D-Long Beach. I was already on board the plane from another flight as Lowenthal and entourage boarded… in the “A” group of a Southwest Airlines flight.

While the few people ahead of the Senator hustled to get their carry-on bags into the overhead bins and get to their seats, Lowenthal appeared to be in no hurry, holding up the line of people behind him. While I chose not point out the identity of the Senator to my husband, within seconds husband made a comment under his breath about the guy holding up the line of passengers. The passengers behind Lowenthal didn’t appear to be very happy about his relaxed attitude either.

The flight was fairly short and concluded with Lowenthal announcing loudly after we had landed, “That car had better be waiting.” I was thinking the same thing, but then remembered that we had parked three days earlier in long-term economy parking.

As other passengers’ eyes rolled, my husband looked at me and whispered something unflattering. It wasn’t until we were well on our way home that I revealed the Senator’s identity to my husband. It was just too easy.