She was not the woman who had propped a bare foot against the wall and informed me that the world did not owe mothers a sacrifice.

She looked, instead, like a person who had just caught an unexpected and terrible glimpse of herself in a mirror, and had not liked at all what was looking back.

Chapter 14 — Now She Does

A few minutes later the flight attendant came back down the aisle to me, and crouched by my seat.

“Ma’am,” she said gently.

“The passenger in Row 11 would like to trade seats with you.