The Piano Man

XXIV. California Here We Come

"If you want to play piano, but you're bad at playing piano, you practice and you get better. Don't be the kind of white person who doesn't post out of fear of f***ing up. If you want to support black people, but you're bad at supporting black people, practice and get better." Akilah Hughes

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XXIV. California Here We Come

To the other passengers sitting in first class, Sophie was sure that she looked like a terrified flyer. They were sipping their two hundred quid a glass champagne and looking upon her like she was a maniac.

The lovely flight attendant had brought Maddie some apple juice in a champagne glass and has asked her how she was feeling.

Maddie had replied, "Good, thank you. How are you?"

And that was when Sophie had burst into hysterical sobs. Maddie had been working on reciprocal conversation with Elaine, and she had just engaged in a two-way conversation with a stranger that did not hold an interest for her. Sophie had never seen Maddie do that before.

"Ma'am, can I get you anything at all?" the flight attendant asked, her voice concerned.

Sophie grabbed the linen napkin that had been put before her along with her champagne and dabbed her eyes. "Oh, please don't mind me," she excused. "We'll be alright."

The flight attendant smiled and left to check in with the couple travelling in the seat behind them.

"Mummy, this is such a big chair!" Maddie exclaimed, wriggling her little bottom into the seat.

"I know," remarked Sophie, dabbing her eyes again. No one could have been more surprised than her when she and Maddie had arrived at the desk for their flight to receive their boarding passes, only to learn that they were travelling first class. Sophie and Maddie were promptly escorted to a lounge that was posher than anything she'd seen before.

Maddie had helped herself to the masses of gourmet fruit arrangements, cut and placed to look like bunches of flowers. No sooner had they been touched, an attendant quickly replenished them so that they looked just as perfect.

They had waited in the lounge on two of the comfiest leather armchairs for several hours, watching the planes come and go, from the best window in Heathrow. They were never without anything, as waiters roamed with tea and coffee and trays of delicious canapés and vol-au-vents.

When it came time to board, Sophie felt really awkward at being escorted onto the plane, and given priority boarding over the other passengers. But she couldn't deny that sitting with Maddie in their own little cocoon would make the journey that much easier.

They sat in two wide, comfortable chairs with a wide armrest in between them. In front of them was a table filled with complimentary snacks and lotions, as well as sets of pyjamas and blankets.

The television came stocked with more films than she could count, and Maddie had already discovered the remote, though nothing would play just yet, as there was a message on screen about the upcoming safety demonstration.

Sophie hated to think how much these tickets were costing Noah. She could not afford to fly to Ireland in economy, let alone Los Angeles in first class. She had texted Noah, admonishing him for the expense, but he had merely told her to have a safe flight and that he would see them both when they landed.

It had been a long three weeks, and Sophie was so excited to see Noah. Sophie had never experienced missing someone before.

Aside from, of course, Maddie's fateful trip with her grandparents to Fuerteventura which ended very prematurely due to Keith and Maureen not knowing how to communicate properly with Maddie when she was having a meltdown.