Perhaps, years from now, Sophie would remember the captain she met on her first flight.
Perhaps she would become a pilot.
Perhaps she would choose another career entirely.
That was not the point.
The point was that, for a few minutes, a frightened child had seen something that made her believe the world was bigger than the limits someone else had placed around her.
And Elena had been the person who helped her see it.
She returned to her journal and wrote one final sentence.
“I hope I never become so focused on reaching my destination that I forget to notice the people traveling beside me.”
Then she closed the book.
The next morning, Elena woke before her alarm.
For once, she didn’t immediately reach for her phone or begin mentally reviewing the day’s schedule.
She made coffee, opened the curtains, and watched the waves roll toward the shore.
Her next flight would come soon enough.
