Victoria smiled.
“Exactly. Do something.”
Marcus walked toward Naomi.
“Ma’am, I'm going to need you to move.”
Naomi finally looked up.
“Move where?”
“We'll find you another seat.”
Naomi glanced toward the crowded cabin.
“There aren't any other first-class seats.”
Marcus hesitated.
“That isn't your concern.”
Naomi looked at him for several seconds.
Then she quietly asked:
“Are you certain you want me to leave this seat?”
Victoria laughed.
“Of course she should leave.”
But Marcus didn't laugh.
Something about Naomi's calmness made him pause.
She wasn't arguing.
She wasn't raising her voice.
She wasn't begging.
She simply looked at him with an expression that was almost impossible to read.
Then Naomi reached into her leather folder.
She pulled out a small Christmas card.
On the front was a handwritten message:
Come home. I'll be waiting.
Naomi looked at it for a moment.
Her eyes softened.
That card was worth more to her than any first-class seat.
It was from the woman who had raised her after Naomi lost almost everything as a child.
The woman who had encouraged her to study.
The woman who had told her that being underestimated could sometimes become a source of strength.
And the woman Naomi feared she might not see again.
Naomi closed the card.
Then she looked at Captain Marcus.
“I don't want a different seat,” she said quietly.