Sophie listened intently.
“But if I really want to fly,” she asked, “I can?”
“If you work hard, study, learn from good teachers, and meet the requirements, you can absolutely work toward becoming a pilot. There will be difficult days. There will be things you have to practice over and over. But being a girl is not what will stop you.”
Sophie stared at her for a moment.
Then she smiled.
It was not the polite smile adults offered one another in passing. It was a huge, unguarded smile that seemed to fill her entire face.
“Can I ask you one more question?”
“Of course.”
“Do you ever get scared?”
Elena paused.
“Yes,” she answered. “But being brave doesn’t mean you never feel scared. It means you learn what to do, prepare carefully, and keep going when it’s safe and right to do so.”
Sophie nodded as though she were storing every word somewhere important.
