A person could be surrounded by people and still feel unseen.
And a person could be thousands of miles from someone and still make them feel less alone.
Her phone rang.
It was her mother.
“Happy birthday, sweetheart!”
Elena smiled.
“Thank you, Mom.”
“I’m sorry I couldn’t call earlier. Your father and I were trying to get the video call working, and then he pressed something that made the whole screen disappear.”
From somewhere in the background, her father shouted, “I did not! The phone did that by itself!”
Elena burst out laughing.
“Of course it did, Dad.”
Her mother laughed, too.
Then her voice softened.
“How was your day?”
Elena glanced toward the window, where the last light of the sun was fading into the water.
“Honestly? It started a little sad.”
“Oh, sweetheart.”
“But something happened on the flight. I met a little girl who wants to become a pilot. She gave me a drawing, and I gave her my wings pin.”
