I was glad I never got on my feet, because I was certainly not the woman he was talking about.
My ears rang. The woman he mentioned was in seat 15C.
It was not me.
This was not my anniversary surprise. He definitely didn’t know that I was on board.
My husband was not speaking to his wife because why would we hide anything?
I don’t know what expression I had on my face, but the woman beside me glanced over with a smile that faded immediately when she saw me.
“You okay?” she whispered.
I nodded because I couldn’t do anything else.
The flight attendant began the safety demonstration. Passengers settled, the plane turned toward the runway, and life continued with astonishing cruelty.
I sat there staring straight ahead, trying to breathe without making a sound.
Maybe, I told myself wildly, stupidly, maybe this wasn’t what it sounded like.
