I folded my napkin. “That makes sense.”
Carl leaned in. “What did you do?”
“I told the truth,” I said. “That the account wasn’t authorized by me.”
“It was for convenience,” he protested.
“For whom?” I asked, evenly.
Dana’s whisper frayed. “You’re really going to do this—here?”
“You did this,” I said, still gentle. “I simply chose a different seat.”
A flight attendant approached with a steady smile. “Ma’am, we’ll need the aisle clear.” Dana and Carl retreated, carrying their urgency back up the cabin.
Altitude Has a Way of Clarifying Things
A while later, the attendant returned, crouching respectfully. “Ms. Merritt,” she murmured, “our billing team has suspended the other reservation pending verification. They’ll be asked for new payment on landing. I thought you’d want to know.”
“Thank you,” I said. She added, almost conspiratorially, “Good for you.”
I looked out at the thin blue horizon line, the curve of the world. For once, the altitude matched my perspective.
The Boardwalk and a Boundary
We reached California under a soft gold sky that made strangers kinder. On the boardwalk, Dana tried one more time: “Mom, you’re overreacting. We meant to pay it back. We just—”
“Spent what you didn’t ask for,” I finished. “On seats you didn’t earn. With miles you didn’t own.”
Tears brightened her eyes. “We invited you.”
“You placed me,” I said. “There’s a difference.”
She swallowed. “So what happens now?”
“I make a report,” I said. “You make restitution. And until trust is restored, we take a pause.”
She looked at the ocean, wind tangling her hair the way childhood used to. “You’re really doing this.”
“I’m really choosing me,” I answered.
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