I glanced at his uniform.
“You were afraid?”
“Very.”
He smiled without humor.
“I hid it well. Or I thought I did.”
“Daniel noticed.”
“He always noticed.”
The captain looked at Benjamin.
“Your grandfather didn’t embarrass me. He didn’t report me as incapable. He made sure I was safe to fly, and then he worked with me.”
He pointed at Benjamin’s toy.
“That little thing used to sit where I could see it.”
I looked down.
“This?”
“That exact airplane.”
He nodded.
“Daniel would put it in front of me and say, ‘Tell me what the aircraft is actually doing, not what your fear says it’s doing.'”
Benjamin had gone completely still.
He stared at the captain.
The captain smiled at him.
“Your grandpa was stubborn.”
Benjamin nodded solemnly.
“He looks stubborn in pictures.”
I laughed before I could stop myself.
So did the captain.
Then something occurred to me.
