Chapter 2 - We Were Never Going to Make That Flight
The first thing I did was not call the airport.
It was take Ione upstairs.
That mattered.
She was soaked.
Cold.
Crying.
And confused.
“Am I going on airplane?”
“No.”
“Grandma said yes.”
“You are not going anywhere tonight.”
“Promise?”
“Yes.”
I could make that promise.
I put her in the bathtub.
Warm water.
No scrubbing.
She stared at her hands.
“They look bad.”
“They’re irritated.”
“Did I ruin them?”
“No.”
I called her pediatrician.
Sent photographs through the secure portal.
The nurse recommended moisturizer, no harsh soap, and evaluation the next morning if redness persisted.
No emergency injury.
Good.
Then I checked her knees.
Mild redness.
No bruises.
No cuts.
No signs of prolonged kneeling severe enough to require urgent care.
Again:
Good.
The harm did not need exaggeration.
Ione looked toward the bedroom door.
“Is Grandma mad?”
“Probably.”
“Because I told?”
“No.”
“Daddy.”
“What?”
“She said not to.”
There.
“Not to tell me?”
She nodded.
I sat on the edge of the tub.
“Any adult who tells you to hide punishment from me is breaking a rule.”
“Even Grandma?”
“Especially family.”
She processed that.
Then:
“Grandpa knew chores.”
“We’re figuring out what Grandpa knew.”
“Is he trouble?”
Adults had turned safety into a courtroom in her mind.
“We’re not deciding that right now.”
Downstairs, Vaughn had already called the airline.
The reservation existed.
Philadelphia to Montréal.
Departing at 8:05 p.m.
Two passengers.
Marjorie Duvall.
Ione Duvall.
The flight was scheduled to leave in forty minutes when Vaughn found the itinerary.
But no one was getting to the airport in time.
We lived thirty minutes away in ordinary traffic.
Boarding would close before that.
Marjorie knew.
Her plan had been to leave our house at 6:45.
Why had she not?
Because Vaughn found the passport.
At 6:31.
He confronted her.
She delayed.
Then I came home unexpectedly at 7:21 after a client dinner canceled.
The flight was effectively already lost.
Still:
The booking proved intent.
Ione’s passport proved access.
And the bigger question remained.
May you like
Why Canada?
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