Saturday Morning short story: Passengers

                                                    Passengers

Emmajean eased her way down the aisle, trying unsuccessfully to keep her body from bumping those she passed. Sweat trickled down her back, not only from exertion, but from the stress of the moment. The horror of anticipating it had kept her from acting on what she knew was best for years.
The airline had made her buy two seats. It was fair, she knew, but not less humiliating to be given two seat assignments.  She kept her eyes down, navigating the shoulders and knees of those sitting on the aisle. She glanced up to see the ‘G’ above the seat she passed and pushed forward, trying to ignore the murmuring that followed her like the wake of a boat.
The plane was very full.  Emmajean passed the ‘N’ seats, and surveyed her seat assignment on the ‘P’ row.  Her stomach squeezed tightly around her throat. Her seat assignments were both on the ‘P’ row, but on opposite sides of the aisle.  She had not noticed until that moment that there were no adjoining seats left in the aircraft.
“Oh no!” she cried. A few neighboring passengers raised their languid eyes to her. She pushed the call button with a trembling finger. The flight attendant strode briskly from the front.
“What seems to be the problem?”
Emmajean handed her the stubs and said as softly as she could, “I bought two seats to accommodate my size, but they’re not adjoining. They’re across the aisle from each other.”
“The flight’s very full. No extra seats.”
“I can see that. But I paid for two. It doesn’t do me any good if they aren’t next to each other.”
The attendant blew out a long sigh and then cried. “Is anyone who’s sitting next to an empty aisle seat willing to move to a new seat?”
“I don’t think so!” One of the three possible passengers mumbled. “We’re not going to sit in separate seats on our honeymoon.”  Another woman had a child with her and shook her head.
Emmajean caught the eyes of the few passengers waiting to be seated behind the attendant. The flight was overbooked. The ticket agent must have failed to count her twice. She wondered if her hot face matched the red upholstery yet.
“Here! Sit here by me. This man says he’ll move to another aisle seat and we’ll make room for you.” It was a woman on row ‘N’. There was a small child next to her. The man on the aisle stood up and backed up the other passengers so that Emmajean could get to the seat. 
The thin woman pushed the armrest to the back and scooted half way into the window seat where the child pressed himself against the wall. “There’s plenty of room here,” she said.
Emmajean lowered herself into the seat and took the seatbelt that the woman held out to her, already lengthened to its maximum. Her arm and body and thigh overlapped the skinny lady. The other passengers forced their way to the scattered seats behind them.
“Tell the flight attendant to mark your stub so that you can be refunded for your second ticket. They sold that spot to a standby passenger.” The skinny woman gestured with her left arm, since her right arm was pinned by Emmajean’s shoulder. She told the attendant about it and the attendant soon returned with a document indicating a refund due.
“Thank you.” Emmajean said. “I feel like I’m crushing you.”
“No. This little man beside me is going to see his grandma and he wanted to sit by the window anyway. You didn’t mind scooting over a little did you?”
The child shook his head and turned back to the window.
“Oh, he’s not yours?”
“No. He’s traveling alone, but he’s a very sweet boy.”
The plane taxied and lifted into the sky.
“I’m afraid you’re very uncomfortable,” Emmajean said.
“No, I’ll be honest. I like to sit next to heavy people on planes because I’m always freezing and large bodies give off lots of heat.”
“You’re so lucky. I can only imagine how wonderful it would be to freeze instead of bake.”
“Well, no.” The skinny lady lowered her voice so much that if Emmajean had not been very near, she would not have heard. “Being thin isn’t always pleasant.”
“I’ll take your word for it,” she also lowered her voice so that only her seatmate could hear. “I’m on my way to New York for a fat camp.”
“Really? So am I! Not a fat camp, but a diet camp.” She lowered her voice to a whisper. “I’m anorexic. I’m trying to get over it.  They’re starting a camp session for all eating disorders. My boss told me I could have my job back when I get home. Are you going to the Perennial Bloom Camp? ”
“Yes! My boss told me he’d pay for half and he gave me three extra weeks of vacation.”
The thin woman laughed. “Do you have cabin mate? I’ve been worried about getting someone I liked to live with for the next six weeks.”
“I don’t have a cabin mate. I wasn’t sure I was going to follow through until you told me to sit down next to you. I would have run away if the aisle hadn’t been blocked.
“I’m Emmajane. You have no idea what a relief it is to me to go into camp already having a friend.”
 “I think maybe I do know. It’s a strange coincidence. I’m Emmajean.”
Emmajane laughed again. “We must be twins. Separated at birth like the “Parent Trap.”  By the end of camp, nobody will be able to tell us apart.”
Emmajean smiled. “Well, I believe in miracles.”
“So do I.” Emmajane nudged her companionably in the shoulder the overlapped hers. ‘We never really know where our blessings will come from, do we?”