Sometimes You Need to Talk

I am normally ecstatic when I get to sit

Alone,

Or at least with as little contact as necessary.

So when the woman next to me asked about my morning,

And then volunteered that she had dropped off her son,

I set aside my agenda for that flight,

And realized she needed to talk.

Traumatic brain injury on vacation.

Miraculous recovery.

Now off to Liberty and a degree in finance.

And then on to additional talks about life:

Fifteen moves, following airplane mechanic jobs.

Therapeutic boarding school.

How the two youngers have been affected.

Wiping her eyes the whole time.