Evelyn would laugh.
"Same thing everybody eats, baby. Food."
"But isn't it fancy?"
"Sometimes."
"How fancy?"
Her mother smiled.
"Fancy enough that somebody once complained because the strawberries weren't all the same size."
Naomi would stare.
"Seriously?"
"Seriously."
Then Evelyn would laugh.
"Meanwhile, your father thinks a perfect dinner is grilled cheese and tomato soup."
Naomi loved those conversations.
She loved imagining the aircraft.
The beautiful interiors.
The places they traveled.
And the extraordinary lives of the people who could afford them.
But her mother always reminded her of something.
"Don't think the plane makes the person important."
Naomi would look confused.
"What do you mean?"
Evelyn would set down her bag.
"Some of the kindest people I've met traveled in little airplanes and thanked every person who helped them."
She paused.
"And some of the meanest people I've met had enough money to buy the whole airport."
Naomi laughed.
Her mother continued.
"Money can buy a beautiful seat. It can't teach somebody how to behave in it."
Those words became part of Naomi's understanding of the world.
Though she wouldn't fully appreciate them until decades later.
When she was eleven, Evelyn brought her to the catering facility during a supervised family open house.
Naomi watched workers prepare trays, check temperature controls, organize delivery carts, and coordinate with ground staff.
She was fascinated by the timing.
Meals had to be prepared.
Packed.
Inspected.
Transported.
And delivered according to flight schedules that could change at any moment.
If a flight was delayed, the catering schedule shifted.
If an aircraft changed, the equipment had to be reassigned.
If a passenger had a special dietary request, the correct meal needed to arrive at the correct aircraft before departure.
It was like watching an enormous mechanical system made of people.
Naomi loved it.
She spent most of the afternoon asking questions.
One supervisor finally laughed.
"Does this little girl ever stop?"
Evelyn smiled proudly.
"Not when something interests her."
Near the end of the tour, Naomi saw a magnificent private aircraft parked beyond the facility.
Its white fuselage gleamed beneath the sunlight.
A polished staircase led toward an open cabin door.