Justin and Justina, two fictional similarly-named and unusual friends, have featured in many New Leaf Journal dialogues. You can see the full list in their category archive. All of their previous dialogues have taken place in Brooklyn, New York. Today, we capture their text message conversation as Justin waits for his delayed flight at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. Justin’s predicament is based on a true story, albeit unlike Justin, I was not going to Florida.
Dialogue
Justina sends a text message to Justin, not knowing that he is in the midst of traveling. Justin receives the text message with his XMPP app thanks to JMP Chat, which I reviewed here.
Justina: I’m bored. What are you doing?
Justin: Doing laps around the airport in Atlanta.
Justina: You’re traveling!?
Justin: Yeah. Tampa.
Justina: You never told me.
Justin: You never asked.
Justina: Who is taking care of Pumtake!?
(Note: Pumtake is “Justina’s” guinea pig. She bought herself a guinea pig for Justin’s birthday and then entrusted it to Justin’s care while granting herself unlimited visitation rights. You can read the original Pumtake dialogue here.)
Justin: I knew I couldn’t ask you to take care of your own guinea pig, so I left him with Proton Von.
Justina: Does he know anything about guinea pigs? I thought he only knew baseball.
Justin: I left him instructions.
Justina: I see. Maybe I’ll go visit.
Justin: You should visit your guinea pig more often.
Justina: You should go visit my guinea pig more often.
Justin: That’s a terrible comeback in light of the circumstances.
Justina: You’re a terrible comeback in light of the circumstances.
Justin: Just completed by sixth lap up and down Atlanta.
Justina: Why are you doing laps?
Justin: My plane is delayed.
Justina: What happened?
Justin: Rain, lighting, mysterious lack of positive benefits from billions of dollars of rescue and stimulus funds to the airline industry. The usual. Didn’t know that it would rain, however.
Justina: Are you going to be stuck there?
Justin: No way. A Florida lady approached me and she told me the rain was going to pass.
Justina: Ok.
Justin: She said she’s from Florida and she knows her storms. I trust her. I wonder why she thought I was going to Florida.
Justina: You are going to Florida.
Justin: Maybe it’s the polo and visor.
Justina: Probably the visor.
Justin: The line at Chick-fil-A is crazy.
Justina: There’s a Chick-fil-A.
Justin: Middle of the airport. 40-50 people in line. Other places are empty.
Justina: Why are they all there?
Justin: I mean I’ve had it before. Not bad. But that line is crazy. There’s no food I’d wait in a 10-person line for.
Justina: What if the place was hip!?
Justin: Especially if the place was hip.
Justina: Why don’t you sit down?
Justin: That goes against my principles. So does the price of water here.
Justina: Water?
Justin: $3. $4. I’ll sooner die of thirst than buy that.
Justina: I see.
Justin: Haven’t had anything to drink in 9 hours.
Justina: Aren’t you thirsty?
Justin: Don’t begin questions with “aren’t” – it’s not nice.
Justina: …
Justin: Probably should have taken the free drink on the first flight.
Justina: Just buy the water!
Justin: No. I’d rather go out in the rain and be struck by lighting than give in to this airport hostage-taking. If only I had a golf club…
Justina: They already identified you as Floridian without the club.
Justin: I hope Pumtake doesn’t miss me too much.
Justina: I forgot that I should never ask you to relieve my boredom.
Justin: Do you want me to tell a joke?
Justina: No!
Justin: Play your Switch?
Justina: Oh right, I forgot about that.