“I’m checking.”
“I have my suitcase.”
“Medication?”
“Yes.”
“Phone charger?”
“Yes.”
“Boarding pass?”
“I’m literally at the gate.”
She laughed.
“Fine.”
Then her voice softened.
“We can’t wait to see you.”
That was the only thing I cared about.
Seeing her.
Meeting Rose.
Holding that little baby Steven would have adored.
My pleasant flight lasted approximately twenty minutes.
That was when Josh’s knee pressed against mine.
At first, I assumed it was accidental.
I shifted toward the window.
His leg followed.
A few minutes later, I said quietly:
“Excuse me. Could you move your knee a little?”
Josh glanced down.
Then laughed.
“Lady, look at you.”
I blinked.
“What?”
“You’re tiny. You don’t need all that space.”
I thought he was joking.
He wasn’t.
“Well,” I said, “I paid for the whole seat.”
He moved his knee back maybe an inch.
Thirty seconds later, it was against mine again.
