Chapter 3 - Landing and the Letter
I tried to read during the flight. The same paragraph waited on the page for nearly an hour. Every time someone walked down the aisle, I remembered Rachel standing beside me. Denise noticed. She brought tea. Inside my handbag was a small envelope I had carried from home. His father had written his name on the front. Samuel had been gone for four years.
An hour before landing, Rachel came through the cabin with a tray. When she reached my row, Denise said, “I can take care of Ms. Carter.” Rachel moved on. The plane descended. We parked at the gate. Denise asked whether I wanted to leave with the first passengers or wait. “I’ll wait for Marcus.”
Marcus came out of the cockpit carrying his flight bag. “I’m sorry,” he said. “You didn’t do it.” “I brought you on this flight because I wanted you to enjoy it.” “I saw Chicago from your plane. I did enjoy that part.” He sat across from me. “Denise told me the booking was correct. There wasn’t another passenger assigned to your seat.” “I know.” “I filed an operational report before we took off. I’ll add my account now.”
A woman in a navy suit introduced herself as Lila Brooks from customer care. She asked whether I would meet with her in a private room near the gate. I agreed. In the small room, Lila listened while I described Rachel’s words. She asked to see my boarding pass and whether anyone else had witnessed the exchange. “Several people,” I said. “One recorded it.” She gave me a case number.
Marcus walked me through the airport afterward. Zoe was waiting beyond security with her mother, Dana. “Grandma!” Zoe ran toward me. At their house, I told them about the flight. Zoe sat beside me with her hands curled into fists. “She said that in front of everybody?” “Yes.” “Because she thought you couldn’t pay?” “That was what she said.” “What do you want them to do?” Nobody had asked me that yet. “I want them to tell the truth,” I said. “And I want the next passenger to be shown the same respect you’d show anyone whose ticket you need to check.”
May you like
Later, alone in the guest room, I watched David’s video. Rachel’s voice was clear. So was mine. At the end of the recording, Marcus stepped out and said, “Mom?” My phone buzzed with a message from an unknown number. I THINK YOUR FLIGHT ATTENDANT DID THIS BEFORE.
