“Good.”
Evelyn smiled.
“Then call your supervisor.”
Melissa looked uncomfortable.
Nia noticed.
Not ordinary discomfort.
Fear.
The gate agent knew this passenger.
And the passenger knew the gate agent knew her.
That meant history.
Nia quietly asked:
“Have you flown with this crew before?”
Evelyn looked at her.
“That is none of your business.”
Melissa answered before she could stop herself.
“Mrs. Whitmore is one of our highest-tier customers.”
Evelyn’s chin lifted.
There it was.
Status.
A card everyone apparently understood.
Nia glanced toward the digital sign.
CROWN PREMIER
The airline’s invitation-only lifetime elite program.
Nia knew it intimately.
She had read the liability reports the previous week.
Approximately 1,900 active members worldwide.
High annual spend.
Priority rebooking.
Private support line.
Guaranteed inventory on selected routes.
Transfer services.
Special event access.
And, according to some internal complaints, a cultural expectation that employees avoid saying no.
Nia looked back at Melissa.
“Does her status change whether my ticket is valid?”
Melissa immediately said:
“No.”
Evelyn snapped:
“She’s not talking to you.”
Nia turned slowly.
The temperature of the moment dropped.
Melissa looked down.
Nia said:
“Don't speak to her like that.”
Evelyn’s laugh was incredulous.
“Excuse me?”
“She answered a question.”
“She works for the airline.”
“Yes.”
“Then she can handle an unhappy customer.”
Nia stared.
“Being an employee doesn't make someone furniture you can shout at.”
Evelyn folded her arms.
“This is unbelievable.”
Nia looked at her suitcase again.
“So far, we agree.”
Evelyn moved toward the counter.
“I want security.”
Melissa looked alarmed.
“Mrs. Whitmore.”
“Call them.”
“There is no security issue.”
“There is an unauthorized passenger in priority seating.”
Melissa’s frustration finally appeared.
“I verified her ticket.”
“I want identification checked.”
Nia said:
“No.”
Evelyn turned.
“There.”
She pointed.
“She refuses.”
Nia held up her boarding pass.
“My identity was verified when the airline issued my ticket and again when airport security admitted me airside.”
“That is not good enough.”
“For you?”
“Yes.”
Nia smiled faintly.
“Luckily, you don't run the airport.”
Evelyn stared at her.
“Security.”
Melissa looked toward another agent.
The second employee whispered something into a radio.
Nia did not stop them.
At this point, security was appropriate.
Just not for the reason Evelyn imagined.
The crowd had grown.
Some passengers stood.
Others pretended to browse nearby shops.
Phones remained raised.
Nia disliked all of it.
She walked over to her suitcase.
Picked it up.
Examined one corner.
Scuffed.
Nothing broken.
She returned to her seat.
Evelyn watched.
“You’re really going to sit back down?”
“Yes.”
“You have nerve.”