Chapter 5 - THE FLIGHT THAT DID NOT TAKE OFF
The aircraft remained at the gate.
Passengers became restless.
Captain Hale stepped into the galley with the lead flight attendant, station supervisor and another operations manager.
Samuel stayed seated.
He had no desire to join the discussion.
He had come to carry his wife home.
Not reopen Kandahar.
Nora leaned toward him.
“Did that man know you?”
“I don’t know.”
“You know his company.”
“Yes.”
“Was he in the Army?”
“No.”
She thought about that.
Then asked the question children ask when adults are trying to avoid one.
“Is he bad?”
Samuel looked at her.
“I don’t know that either.”
Nora accepted the answer.
She had learned that her father disliked pretending certainty.
Ten minutes later, a different customer-service representative boarded.
She apologized to Samuel.
Formally.
The supervisor who had removed his bag was no longer in the cabin.
Charles Whitmore had been reassigned to another available seat in business class on a later flight.
Samuel was offered compensation.
He declined to discuss it until after travel.
Then Captain Hale returned.
He crouched slightly beside Samuel so he did not have to loom over Nora.
“Can we talk privately after landing?”
Samuel studied him.
“About Whitmore?”
“Yes.”
“Is this going to interfere with my trip?”
“No.”
“Then after landing.”
Hale nodded.
As he stood, Samuel asked:
“Why did he know my name?”
Hale paused.
“I don’t know yet.”
That was not comforting.
But it was honest.
The flight eventually pushed back forty-three minutes late.
Nora gripped Samuel’s hand during takeoff.
Then, once Washington disappeared beneath clouds, she looked at the memorial container.
“Do you think Mom would be mad?”
“At what?”
“That people fought about her seat.”
Samuel looked toward the window.
“No.”
“What would she say?”
He smiled.
“She’d say we should’ve flown coach.”
May you like
Nora laughed.
For the first time that day, Samuel did too.
