At the time, I had assumed it was something ordinary.
Maybe something from the woman’s own belongings had slipped beneath her.
Maybe Emma had noticed part of her coat or something from the seat area.
About ten minutes after takeoff, the seatbelt sign switched off.
The cabin changed almost immediately as people relaxed, shifted in their seats, and began reaching for whatever they had been waiting to use once they were allowed to move again.
The woman in row eleven stretched both legs into the extra space Emma and I had paid
for.
From where I sat, I could see enough to recognize the unfairness of it all over again.
Emma was squeezed beside a stranger while the woman took full advantage of the space I had specifically reserved so my daughter and I could sit comfortably together.