The third sentence is the one that matters

The third sentence of any conversation is where the actual person shows up. First is the weather, second is the logistics — but that third one, that's where you find out if someone's lying about being fine, or if they've got a story they're burning to tell you. It's how I knew my copilots would be okay on a red-eye, before we ever pushed back. I've been paying attention to it for thirty years now, and it never misses.