I had seen all of it and dismissed it because it never dawned on me that he would cheat.
Because trust makes a fool of you gently, one excuse at a time.
When we landed, my hands were steady.
That frightened me more than the crying.
Something inside me had gone very still.
I stayed seated until most of the passengers had stood. Then I rose with the crowd and watched 15C from the corner of my eye.
She moved slowly, one hand on her bump as she stepped into the aisle.
I followed at a distance through the jet bridge and into the terminal.
She didn’t head toward baggage claim.
She went toward the crew corridor.
Of course she did.
I kept walking.
A pilot and two flight attendants were gathered near the crew entrance, talking and laughing in that relieved, post-flight way crews do when the hard part is over.
