Richard shook his head.
“We’ll hold the flight.”
“I don’t want special treatment.”
Richard looked surprised.
David continued.
“I want the problem documented.”
“I want Malik treated according to his ticket.”
“Then I want this flight to leave.”
Richard nodded.
“We can do that.”
Malik looked toward his father.
“Are you coming?”
David hesitated.
“No.”
Malik’s disappointment appeared immediately.
David crouched again.
“I have meetings here.”
“You knew I was flying alone.”
Malik nodded.
“I’m still flying alone.”
“Yes.”
“But now everybody knows who you are.”
David understood.
That changed things.
Malik did not want the cabin watching him because of his father.
David thought carefully.
“What do you want?”
Malik looked toward the aircraft.
“I want them to forget.”
David smiled sadly.
“That might take a few minutes.”
Malik looked down.
Then he said, “I still want to go.”
David nodded.
“Then you go.”
Rising Tension
Inside the aircraft, Catherine remained near the forward galley.
Another flight attendant, Olivia Grant, approached quietly.
“What happened?”
Catherine looked toward her.
“You were in the back?”
“Yes.”
Olivia glanced toward the boarding door.
“People are talking.”
Catherine lowered her voice.
“The kid’s father is David Johnson.”
Olivia frowned.
“Who?”
Catherine stared.
“Johnson Aerotech.”
Olivia’s expression changed.
“Oh.”
Catherine nodded.
“They supply half the avionics modernization package Mesa is rolling out.”
Olivia looked toward Seat 2A.
Then back at Catherine.
“So?”
Catherine blinked.
“What?”
Olivia lowered her voice.
“What does that change?”
Catherine stared.
“He’s David Johnson’s son.”
“Yes.”
“And?”
Catherine looked irritated.
“Do you understand how serious this is?”
Olivia nodded.
“I understand it was serious before his father arrived.”
Catherine became quiet.
Olivia continued.
“If his boarding pass said 2A, why were you moving him?”
Catherine looked toward the aisle.
“I thought there was an upgrade conflict.”
“Did the manifest show one?”
“I hadn’t checked yet.”
Olivia stared.
“You hadn’t checked?”
“I was handling boarding.”
“Then why tell him to move?”
Catherine folded her arms.
“The cabin was full.”
Olivia shook her head.
“That doesn’t answer the question.”
Catherine looked toward Seat 2A.
The leather remained empty.
Malik’s presence somehow still filled it.
“I assumed something was wrong.”
“With his ticket?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
Catherine opened her mouth.
Nothing came out.
Olivia waited.
Catherine finally said, “He was traveling alone.”
Olivia frowned.
“Children travel alone.”
“I know.”
“In First Class too.”
“I know.”
“Then why?”
Catherine’s irritation returned.
“I made a judgment call.”
Olivia looked at her.
“Without checking the manifest?”
Catherine looked away.
That answer was enough.
Outside, Richard spoke with David near the gate desk.
Malik sat nearby.
He could hear pieces of their conversation.
“Corporate relationship.”
“Formal review.”
“Crew conduct.”
“Passenger statements.”
David stopped Richard.
“Don’t make this about our contract.”
Richard looked at him.
“It affects our relationship.”
“No.”
David’s voice sharpened slightly.
“What happened affects our relationship.”
“Who Malik is does not determine whether it was wrong.”
Richard nodded.
“I understand.”
“Do you?”
David looked toward his son.
“If his father worked at a grocery store, would your response be different?”
Richard did not answer immediately.
David continued.
“That hesitation is the issue.”
Richard looked down.
“You’re right.”
“I’m not asking you to agree with me because my company signs contracts.”
“I’m asking you to investigate your process.”
Robert returned.
“We checked the passenger manifest.”
David turned.
“And?”
“Malik is confirmed in 2A.”
“No duplicate assignment.”
“No upgrade conflict.”
“No operational reassignment.”
Richard’s face hardened.
“So there was no seating problem.”
Robert shook his head.
“None.”
Malik heard that.
He already knew.
Still, hearing an adult confirm it loosened something inside him.
David looked toward Malik.
“You heard?”
Malik nodded.
“You were right.”
“I know.”
David smiled.
“That sounded like your mother.”
Malik smiled too.
Richard looked toward Robert.
“Then why did Catherine attempt to move him?”
“We’re determining that.”
Malik spoke quietly.
“She never checked.”
All three adults turned.
Malik looked uncomfortable.
David nodded.
“Tell them.”
Malik swallowed.
“She didn’t scan anything.”
“She didn’t ask another attendant.”
“She didn’t look at a list.”
“She just told me to move.”
Robert wrote something down.
Richard looked troubled.
Malik continued.
“She looked at my ticket.”
“That was it.”
David sat beside him.
“What did you think was happening?”
Malik considered the question.
“I thought maybe she knew something I didn’t.”
“Why?”
“Because she sounded sure.”
David nodded slowly.
“That makes sense.”
Malik looked at his boarding pass.
“Then I kept reading 2A.”