The Black woman looked out the window.
Ramp workers loaded baggage below.
The elderly passenger continued.
“There must be another seat.”
The attendant checked the cabin.
“We’re full in first class.”
“Business?”
“This aircraft does not have a separate business cabin.”
The woman sighed dramatically.
“Fine.”
She sat.
For the next fifteen minutes she arranged her belongings as though establishing an international border.
Handbag to one side.
Coat adjusted.
Seat wiped with a cloth from her purse.
Another wipe across the shared armrest.
The Black woman continued reading messages on her phone.
Finally the older passenger spoke.
“Are you traveling for work?”
The Black woman looked over.
“Yes.”
“What kind?”
“Transportation.”
The answer was deliberately vague.
The older woman smiled.
“Driver?”
The Black woman stared at her for a moment.
Then returned to her phone.
“Something like that.”
The woman nodded as if satisfied.
“My husband used to employ a lot of drivers.”
The Black woman said nothing.
“He had a construction company.”
Nothing.
“We did very well.”
The Black woman scrolled through a message from her chief financial officer.
The woman looked at the hoodie again.
“You know they have lounges for staff at some airports.”
The Black woman raised her eyes.
“Do they?”
“I’m just saying, if your employer upgraded you, that’s very generous.”
The Black woman closed the message.
“Are you trying to ask how I paid for the seat?”
The elderly passenger smiled.
“No.”
“You are.”
The woman looked offended.
“You’re very sensitive.”
The Black woman’s expression remained calm.
“No.”
“I’m very tired.”
“That’s different.”
She put in one earbud.
Conversation over.
At least she thought so.
During boarding, the older woman spoke loudly enough to another passenger across the aisle.
“Air travel used to have standards.”
The businessman glanced at her newspaper.
“Did it?”
“Oh, absolutely.”
“People dressed.”
“People behaved.”
“First class meant something.”
The businessman gave a noncommittal sound.
The older woman continued.
“Now airlines let just anyone up here.”
The Black woman heard every word through the earbud.
No music was playing.
She simply did not want to respond.
Across the aisle, the businessman looked from the older woman to the Black woman.
He understood.
He returned to his newspaper.
The aircraft pushed back.
The Black woman closed her eyes before takeoff.
She woke forty minutes later when breakfast arrived.
The older passenger ordered sparkling water and coffee.
The Black woman asked for tea.
The elderly woman glanced at the tray.