My mother stepped slightly closer to me.
A staff member asked him to stop obstructing the walkway, and we continued toward a private area where the airline could take our statements without drawing more attention.
For the first time all morning, I felt able to breathe.
The room was small.
There was a table, several chairs, a water dispenser, and a window overlooking the terminal.
I sat down.
My mother placed her briefing folder on the table.
Then she looked at me.
"Before we talk about anything else, are you sure you're physically okay?"
I nodded.
"I think so."
She studied me.
"Would you like me to call your dad?"
I hesitated.
Then I nodded.
"Yeah."
She took out her phone.
My father answered almost immediately.
"Everything all right?"
My mother looked toward me.
"Amara had a difficult experience on the plane."
His voice changed.
"What kind of experience?"
I reached for the phone.
"Dad?"
"Baby?"
I closed my eyes.
"I'm okay."
He was silent.
Then he said, "Tell me what happened."
I tried.
But halfway through explaining the perfume and the spit, my voice broke.
My father didn't interrupt.
He listened while I cried.
Then he said something I will never forget.
"You did nothing to deserve that."
I wiped my eyes.
"I know."
He paused.
"Knowing it doesn't always stop it from hurting."
I started crying harder.
My father waited.
Then he asked whether I wanted him to come to the airport.
I almost said yes.
But my mother was there, and I knew he had a classroom full of students waiting for him that afternoon.
So I told him we would call again once we had made arrangements.
He agreed.
Then he said, "Amara?"
"Yeah?"
"Don't let somebody else's ugliness make you question who you are."
I looked down at my sweatshirt.
"I won't."
But after the call ended, I realized I was already struggling with that exact thing.
The airline investigator who interviewed me that afternoon introduced herself as Denise Parker.
She was in her early forties, wore glasses, and carried a notebook filled with carefully numbered pages. She explained that she was part of the company's internal incident-response team and that the airline would preserve relevant records while it investigated the events.