The flight attendant gave a quick presentation about safety, and then we took off. My stomach flipped as we rose higher. I leaned forward and dug through the seat back pocket for a bag. I opened it just in time. Sage, who had a pair of earbuds in, passed me her bag with a look of sympathy. I retched for a few minutes, but had recovered by the time the flight attendant came by offering pretzels and peanuts. I declined, but Sage pulled out her earbuds and took a pack of each.

"So you get airsick, huh?" she said, popping open her peanuts.

"What would make you think that?" I replied innocently.

She laughed in reply, and put her earbuds back in, the peanuts crunching in her mouth. The flight attendant had taken the used bags from me, and brought new ones. I opened my treasured collection of Agatha Christie mysteries and settled in for the final one and half hours of our flight.

I hadn't had anything to eat on the plane, so when my airsickness returned during a few minutes of turbulence, I had nothing to throw up. When my stomach calmed again, Sage was asleep. I looked across the aisle. Julia waved and smiled, doing her best to not bother the man next to her, who was on the phone.

I called my little brother, and we chatted for a few minutes. When I hung up, Sage was awake.

"Who were you talking to?" she asked, yawning.

"My little brother, Shawn," I said with a smile.

"I didn't know you had a brother," she said, sounding surprised.

"He's in third grade, and he's really funny. I try to either see him or call him every day."

I told her a little more about Shawn, then stopped. I had talked way longer than I meant to. I turned toward the window. I didn't intend to have such a silly urge to chat again.