“This was probably the most stressful flight of my life. Honestly, I don’t even think flight attendants are trained for situations like this before their first flight.”
That was how Liana later described what happened on the plane.
She had boarded the flight expecting the usual discomforts: a tight seat, a crying baby somewhere in the back, and the low hum of strangers trying to settle into a shared space for a few hours.
She had a book in her tote bag, earbuds in her pocket, and a windowless seat across the aisle from a family that caught her attention before the plane even left the gate.
At the center of that family was an elderly man well into his 80s.
He sat stiffly in his seat, his shoulders raised almost to his ears, as though bracing for something no one else could see.
His thin hands trembled in his lap.