Summary: I remember it as if it were yesterday. A friend and I were heading back to the states after the trip of a lifetime to Eastern Europe. I was in line at the airport in Frankfurt, Germany, getting ready to board the flight to Boston, when my friend called me over. He told me that he had cashed in enough of his frequent flyer miles to get both of us upgraded to first class. First class. I had never flown in first class before. It was, in a word, WONDERFUL! No sooner had I found my seat--my spacious, comfortable, semi-private seat--than the flight attendant handed me a heated moist washcloth to freshen up with, placed a dish of warm roasted nuts on my tray table and asked me if I would like something to drink. When she came back with my beverage, she also presented me with a menu of my dinner choices. And all of this was before the plane even taxied out of the gate! And though it seemed impossible, it only got better when we were up in the air. The dinner came on REAL dishes and flatware! More than that, it was DELICIOUS! After dinner, I was given my very own zippered incidentals bag, with all the necessities for luxury travel: a spare toothbrush and toothpaste, booties should my feet get cold, and a night mask to help me sleep. And I slept. Boy, did I sleep! Now I understood why they pulled the curtain that separated first class from coach: Those of us in first class were having a TOTALLY DIFFERENT EXPERIENCE. If the people in coach knew what was happening up there, they wouldn't like it. They wouldn't like it one bit. The curtain was essential, really; because as long as those in coach couldn't see what flying first class was like, it was possible for them to be content, even happy, with their flight. But the moment they realized what they were missing, it would be all over. One glimpse and this flight and every flight thereafter would be forever ruined.
