“Can I get you anything else, ma’am?”
She offered me a fresh napkin.
I looked at it.
Then I looked at the man behind me, who was now angrily pulling on his shoes.
“No, thank you,” I said. “I think we’re finished with the laundry.”
The attendant’s mouth twitched.
“Very good.”
She continued down the aisle.
The teenage girl gave me a discreet thumbs-up.
I smiled and restarted my movie.
Captain Compost kept his shoes on for the rest of the flight.
Nobody complained about the air-conditioning again.
When we landed, I stood to retrieve my carry-on.
Captain Compost was waiting behind me in the aisle.
He gave me a long, furious look.
I smiled politely.
“Have a nice evening.”
He didn’t answer.
His shoes were on.
His socks were nowhere in sight.
That was good enough for me.
At the aircraft door, the teenage girl and her mother were waiting for the line to move.
