Now Emma was standing in an airplane aisle holding something that raised an obvious question the woman
could no longer dismiss with a complaint about children, babies, or seat assignments.
The flight attendant reached row eleven.
She looked first at Emma.
Then she looked at the object in my daughter’s hand.
Her expression becameserious.
I shifted Oliver carefully against my chest and leaned into the aisle as far as I could without disturbing the people beside me.
I wanted to get to Emma, but I also sensed that something important was happening and that the flight attendant needed room to handle it.
The woman remained seated.
For the first time since we had met her, she wasn’t arguing.
She wasn’t telling anyone that she was already settled.
She wasn’t complaining about mothers traveling with babies.