American Airlines Flight 1240, DFW to DCA (Dallas to National Airport) - you were sitting behind me. A few minutes after takeoff, I noticed that you kept clearing your throat. While it was annoying (kind of like the person in your exam room who refuses to use a tissue and instead sniffs every 30 seconds), I was not terribly put off by your gargles and managed to focus on my extremely compelling "In Style" magazine. Soon, you became much more annoying and repulsive by insisting on coughing, choking, and gagging on whatever was coming up out of your lungs. Now, I too have had an upper respiratory infection during a flight. But in that unfortunate instance, I plied myself with nasal spray, decongestant, and antihistamine to the point where I was no longer an annoyance, let alone a DANGER to everyone around me. After two and a half hours of your spewing filthy germs at the back of my head, even my manic hand-washing after deplaning was apparently not enough to counteract your attack. By dinnertime, I was sick. And what are the chances that I would suddenly be stricken with a cough, stuffy nose, and a fever? Pretty good, after sitting in front of you.
Next time, obnoxious woman in 23-A, visit Walgreens before you go. Thank goodness you didn't have ebola.
