The one-finger 'just a second'

“You and your partner are at a farmers market on a Saturday morning — coffee in hand, no real agenda, the kind of outing that used to feel like the best part of the week. You're at a stall together looking at something, and you turn to say something to them, and they're looking down at their phone, typing a reply to something. They hold up one finger without looking up: just a second.”