Darla’s tray table without an unnecessary word.
The elegant, silent snub stung. Heat climbed Darla’s neck, reddening her cheeks beneath her foundation.
Just thirty minutes earlier, she had commanded this entire space with an effortless sneer. She had treated the young crew member like furniture, as if her husband owned the sky.
Now she was a disgraced passenger facing strangers’ disgust. A row-three businessman caught her eye, then deliberately looked away.
Across the aisle, the woman who recorded the confrontation tapped rapidly on her phone. Darla saw the video replay looping on her screen.
Her heart sank as she realized the recording would soon spread online. Her face, harsh words, and collapse would remain online for public amusement.
Darla leaned against the headrest and closed her eyes against the glare. She retraced the events that had led to this disaster.
It began with an assumption common in her insulated social
