The Red Baron Flys In

There was a time not many of us remember. It was before cell phones when communication was not instant and constant. Don't misunderstand me. Cell phones can be fantastic. I'm no longer scrambling for change to use a pay phone that I have to try to first fine. I can get directions instantly on my phone. (Yet, somehow the phone GPS seems to lead me to places that are not always my destination.) I can look up anything, anywhere any time. I immediately have entertainment if I'm bored.

The pace of life was a bit different before cell phones. You had to actually make plans to meet people somewhere at a certain time. You had to do this in advance because there was no way to intercept someone en route. That said, sometimes even the best-laid plans went awry with no way to contact the other party. This is what we called "adventure."

I was in college and had a friend flying to Chicago from another part of the country. I was meeting him at the airport. I knew what time he was coming in and left about two hours before because I had to take the subway (known as the El) to the airport. This required going into the city, changing trains and then going back outside the city. I made it to the gate (this was when you could still go to the gate without a ticket) and waited.

The flight came in. The plane emptied. Still no friend. I watched everyone else be greeted by loved ones or leave to get luggage. Hmm...maybe he missed the flight? The only way to tell was to take a two-hour subway ride back to my dorm and see if there was a message. So, back on the El I got.

I got to my room two hours later and, indeed, the light on my answering machine was blinking. I listened to the message and it was my friend: "I'm at the airport. Where are you?"

Now, this was suspicious. I was at the airport. Was I at the wrong airport? Chicago had two airports. I checked the flight information. I had gone to the correct airport at the correct day and time. I still had no way to contact my friend.

Then the phone rang. It was my friend. I asked him where he was. He said the airport. I told him I had been at the gate and didn't see him get off the plane. He then told me he was wearing an old-fashioned pilot's leather cap and goggles when he got off the plane. Ummm...I was supposed to recognize him in that get-up? I clearly had not. So I asked him why would he choose to wear that? He told me he thought it would be funny since it was almost Halloween and he was flying. It was funny, for all the wrong reasons. The more disturbing aspect of this incident was I was not wearing a costume and he didn't recognize me.

I told him it would be another two hours before I could get back to the airport to get him. He said, never mind, he'd take a cab.

My friend became known as the Red Baron after that adventure.

Sure, if we had cell phones at the time, none of this would have happened. Yet, there also would have been no adventure. Life can be a bit boring when you can track loved ones on your cell, call them instantly, make immediate plans and quickly redirect people. Simple errands no longer turn into silly stories.