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.”
David placed one hand on his shoulder.
“Good.”
Malik shook his head.
“It didn’t feel good.”
“No.”
David’s voice softened.
“Doing the right thing does not always feel good while you’re doing it.”
Richard listened.
Malik looked toward the boarding door.
“Is she getting fired?”
David paused.
“That isn’t my decision.”
“You could make them.”
Richard shifted uncomfortably.
David noticed.
“I could apply pressure.”
Malik waited.
“But that would be using power before knowing everything.”
Malik looked at him.
“Like she did?”
David became quiet.
“Yes.”
Richard looked toward David.
The answer had cost him something.
David continued.
“We know what happened to you.”
“We still need to understand why.”
“Then Mesa decides what accountability looks like.”
Malik nodded.
“I don’t want her fired.”
Richard seemed surprised.
“Why not?”
Malik shrugged.
“I don’t know her.”
David smiled faintly.
“That’s a better answer than pretending you do.”
Robert’s radio sounded again.
“Boarding needs a decision.”
David looked at Malik.
“You ready?”
Malik stood.
“Yes.”
They returned toward the aircraft.
Catherine saw them entering.
Her shoulders stiffened.
David stopped several feet away.
Catherine spoke first.
“Mr. Johnson, I owe your son an apology.”
David looked at Malik.
“That’s his decision.”
Catherine turned toward the boy.
“Malik.”
He waited.
“I should have verified your seat before saying anything.”
Malik remained quiet.
Catherine continued.
“I should not have touched your bag.”
“I should not have spoken to you that way.”
Malik looked at her.
“Why did you?”
Catherine froze.
David did not rescue her.
Neither did Richard.
Catherine looked around.
“I thought there had been a mistake.”
Malik asked, “Why?”
She swallowed.
“I made an assumption.”
“About my ticket?”
Catherine looked at him.
“About you.”
Malik understood enough.
He looked toward his father.
David’s expression remained calm.
Malik turned back.
“You could have asked.”
Catherine nodded.
“Yes.”
“You could have checked.”
“Yes.”
“You didn’t.”
“No.”
Malik looked toward Seat 2A.
Then he said, “Okay.”
Catherine seemed uncertain.
“Do you accept my apology?”
Malik thought.
“I heard it.”
Catherine blinked.
David almost smiled.
Malik continued.
“I don’t know yet.”
Catherine nodded.
“That’s fair.”
Malik walked toward 2A.
He placed his backpack underneath.
Then he sat.