The Backpack

Chapter 15

Sofia stationed herself in the front galley by the boarding door. With Cecelia still pouting from the rebuke and Collin still dazed by the encounter, Sofia chose to be the first crew member to greet the boarding passengers. In spite of her introverted nature, she knew she would bring energy and enthusiasm to the role. Beyond that, she enjoyed the opportunity to welcome each and every person as they boarded the plane. This included offering a reassuring smile to the obviously nervous flyers, providing excited children a chance to stick their heads in the cockpit and meet the captain, and helping those who struggled to make the 90‐degree turn into the narrow aisle because they were dragging their baggage, which seemed to grow larger by the trip. And she had learned to be careful not to get sideswiped by people's backpacks as they made the turn.

About halfway into the boarding process, Sofia's smile grew even larger. Buddy! As an introvert, Sofia loved seeing familiar faces, which was not unusual if you flew the same routes from the same home base often enough. To be honest, what she really loved was seeing those specific frequent flyers who, no matter what, were wearing smiles and choosing to “enjoy the ride.” That was one of Buddy's many adages about the journey of life. Folks like Buddy, who understood and embraced the ups and downs of air travel, were always a bonus to have on board.

Sofia remembered one particular trip where their plane was late because of weather ...