The college kid in the hoodie chuckled. “I can’t wait to see that video online.”
Lorraine bent down to Amani’s level. “It’s over, sweetheart. You did it.”
Amani shook her head softly. “No. He did it to himself.”
Her words struck Lorraine in the chest, almost making her tear up. This was not just a child parroting what she had heard at home. This was Amani processing, standing taller than anyone expected.
Kimberly cleared her throat, trying to regain control of the cabin. “Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for your patience. We’ll be departing shortly.”
But she did not sound convinced.
Derek walked back up the aisle, muttering to her quietly. “Ops just called. They’re grounding us until they review the situation.”
Kimberly’s face fell. “You’re serious?”
He nodded. “Policy. They don’t want to risk taking off until they file a report.”
The announcement had not been made yet, but the words spread quickly.
A man in a suit groaned loudly. “You mean after all that, we’re not even leaving?”
Another passenger muttered, “Figures. Always the innocent ones who pay the price.”
Amani overheard and tugged on Lorraine’s sleeve. “Are people mad at me now?” she said quietly.
Lorraine tilted her chin so their eyes met. “No, honey. They’re mad because they got inconvenienced. But you didn’t cause this. Gerald did. Don’t you carry his mistake.”
Still, the murmur of frustration continued around them. A man in row 5 leaned into the aisle, his voice sharp. “She should have just sat somewhere else. We’d be in the air by now.”
Another passenger shot back instantly. “Oh, so it’s her job to move when a grown man steals her seat? That’s what you’re saying?”
The 1st man shrugged. “I’m saying I care more about getting home than teaching a kid a life lesson.”
Amani turned in her seat, her voice soft but piercing. “So you think it’s okay for him to steal because it’s easier for everyone else?”
The man’s lips parted, but no words came out.
Other passengers looked at him with disapproval until he shifted uncomfortably and faced forward.
“That’s when a woman sitting near the front spoke up, her tone thoughtful. “Do you all even know who she is?”
Heads turned.
Lorraine stiffened. She did not want attention drawn to Amani’s family, but the woman continued.
“That’s Amani Barrett. Her dad is Darnell Barrett, the billionaire who built Barrett Tech. He’s donated millions to schools and hospitals across Texas. That’s his daughter.”
The reaction was instant. Whispers raced through the cabin.
“Wait, really?”
“Barrett Tech?”
“I saw him on Forbes.”
Gerald’s earlier words, that she did not belong there, sounded even more absurd now.
Amani shifted in her seat, uncomfortable with the sudden recognition. She whispered to Lorraine, “I didn’t want them to know.”
