Rose’s seatbelt was clipped firmly into place as the thrum of the engines began and the plane slid slowly forward. Shelly was sitting two rows in front with Harry. Marian and Fin were somewhere behind. Rose popped a gum in her mouth; she had read in a magazine that the ascent could affect your ears, and she wanted to be prepared. From the row adjacent, a baby wailed, and Rose gripped tightly onto her armrests. The air steward was strolling down the aisle, closing the overhead bag compartments.
“Have you done this flight before?” Rose asked, her teeth chattering.
“Oh, hundreds of times.” The air stewardess asked Tom to put his tray rest up. He moved his k****e and did as he was asked. Rose took a swig of water before ferreting in her bag at her feet. She extracted a paperback boo
