The Case of the Missing Laptop

By DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills

After boarding a night flight from Houston to South Carolina, I removed my laptop from its sleeve and went to work, immediately losing track of everything around me except the story unfolding in my mind and on the screen.

The time came for me to stow my laptop. I slipped it into its sleeve and placed it beneath the seat in front of me. I dived into reading a novel on my iPad until the announcement giave the okay to use electronic devices. I reached for it, but it had disappeared. Vanished.

Had I lost my mind?

Three times I unbuckled my seatbelt and searched through my computer bag in the overhead compartment. Three times I confirmed my computer wasn’t there. All I could think about was my husband would kill me. 😊

The plane experienced turbulence, matching my overwhelmed mood. When it ended, I was finally able to chat with the flight attendant and explain my problem. “Don’t worry,” she said. “Once I’m finished with the beverage cart, I’ll use a flashlight to look for your laptop.”

Time ticked by. I looked behind me, hoping to see her bringing my computer sleeve with my device in tow. But she was busy serving others.

I moaned.

A faint light from the beverage cart lit the aisle. Eight rows back on the opposite side of my row, my computer lay anchored beneath a seat. I’d not noticed it sliding away during takeoff. I released my seatbelt and rushed back to retrieve it. Relief, praise God, and my husband won’t kill me burst from my drama-laden mind.

Minutes later, the flight attendant returned to help me, and I told her I’d found my laptop.

“I saw your laptop slide back,” a female passenger said behind me. “I thought you knew.”

Couldn’t the woman see how frantic my attempts to find it? Why hadn’t she spoken sooner? But now I had my device. Case solved!

A giggle escaped me. Then another. Soon, I was laughing, and I’m sure those around me thought I’d lost my mind. Maybe I did! I must have been a real show for those seated around me.

Dear friends, don’t let the busyness of life stop you from observing, studying . . . and laughing.

When was the last time you laughed at yourself?