“Yes. Did I do something wrong?”
“No, honey. You did absolutely nothing wrong. Stay where you are, and keep talking to me.”
As I worked to reassure her, a new message from Lauren appeared in our family group conversation.
Only five discounted first-class upgrades had been offered.
According to Lauren, Emma was the simplest person to leave behind because Rachel could arrange another flight for her.
I stared at the message, reading it again in disbelief.
Six family members had been traveling alongside Emma. Instead of keeping one adult in economy with her, my parents, Scott, Lauren, and their daughters had accepted the available upgrades.
Another message arrived from my father.
He insisted Emma was safe inside the terminal, claimed airport employees regularly assisted children, and told me to stop making such a big issue of the situation.
My hands were shaking as I reached airport police and the airline’s customer-service representatives. I shared Emma’s location, her reservation information, and the identities of the adults who had agreed to supervise her.
