“Sounds important.”
He shrugged.
“It can be.”
She smiled.
“My husband used to repair elevators. He said the most dangerous people were the ones who signed off on repairs they never checked.”
The CEO nodded.
“Your husband was right.”
The older woman's smile became sad.
“He passed away five years ago.”
“I'm sorry.”
“Thank you.”
She looked toward the window.
“He used to say a machine doesn't care how important you think you are.”
The CEO laughed softly.
“I like that.”
The teacher returned her attention to him.
“And I suspect food doesn't care either.”
He smiled.
“No, ma'am. It doesn't.”
She nodded toward the empty tray table.
“Then don't let that woman convince you this was a small matter.”
His expression became serious.
“I won't.”
The teacher smiled.
“I didn't think you would.”
For a while, they sat quietly.
The cabin lights softened as passengers prepared to rest.
Beyond the windows, the Pacific stretched beneath the aircraft.
The CEO closed his eyes.
But he could not stop thinking about the senior attendant's words.
You're not special.
She had intended the remark as an insult.
Yet in one important sense, she was correct.
He should not have needed to be special.
He should not have needed billions of dollars.
He should not have needed ownership of a global catering company.
He should not have needed the ability to contact senior executives after landing.
Any passenger who received that tray should have been treated with respect.
Any junior employee who noticed the danger should have felt safe reporting it.
And any flight attendant, regardless of seniority, should have understood that passenger safety mattered more than personal pride.
He opened his eyes.
Then he looked toward the galley curtain.
He had a feeling the unsafe meal was only the beginning.
The senior attendant did not return to Seat 2A for almost an hour.
Instead, she remained near the forward galley, speaking in short, irritated sentences to other crew members and repeatedly checking the cabin manager's incident log.
The younger attendant watched her from the opposite counter.
She wanted to believe the matter was finished.
The unsafe meal had been removed.
The passenger had received clean refreshments.
The cabin manager had documented what happened.
Surely the senior woman would stop making the situation worse.
But the young attendant had worked with her long enough to recognize the expression on her face.
The older woman was not embarrassed.
She was furious that someone had challenged her.
Eventually, the senior attendant approached the junior woman near the beverage storage area.
“You've caused a serious problem.”