Chapter 12
You eating a cookie or drinking a juice does not make the lights go out. Do you understand me? She looked doubtful. But mommy said, ‘Mommy is wrong.’ I cut her off. And right now, mommy is not here. I am here. And let me tell you something about this plane ride. See this seat? See this glass of juice? I paid for it. It is done.
If you drink it, it is paid for. If you pour it on the floor, it is paid for. You cannot waste my money because I have already spent it on you and I spent it happily. I have plenty of money, Mia. I have enough money to buy this whole plane full of cookies if I wanted to. A tiny ghost of a smile touched the corner of her lips. The whole plane.
The whole plane, I said. So, here is the new rule. For the next two weeks, while we are on this mission, you do not look at price tags. You do not worry about bills. Your only job is to be an 8-year-old girl. Your job is to eat when you are hungry, sleep when you are tired, and play when you are bored. I will handle the rest.
I will handle the money. I will handle the lights. And I will handle your parents. I reached over and picked up the glass of apple juice. I held it out to her. ‘Drink it,’ I commanded gently. She hesitated for one second more than her thirst won out. She took the glass with both hands and drank.
She drank the whole thing without stopping wiping her mouth with the back of her hand when she was done. ‘Good,’ I said. ‘Now press that blue button on your armrest.’ ‘What does it do?’ she asked. ‘Press it.’ She pushed the button. A moment later, the silver-haired flight attendant appeared. ‘Yes, sir.
Can I get you something else?’ My granddaughter would like a warm chocolate chip cookie. I said, ‘Actually, make it too, and another juice. And do you have any ice cream? We have vanilla bean sundaes with hot fudge. We will take one of those, too.’ I looked at Mia. Is that okay with you? Mia looked at the flight attendant, then at me.
She saw the fierce determination in my eyes. She saw that I was not angry at her. I was fighting for her. Yes, please,’ she whispered. When the food came, Mia ate. She ate with a focus that broke my heart. She ate the cookies. She ate the ice cream. She ate the nuts. And with every bite, I saw her shoulders relax a little more.