Announcements echoed overhead.
And for the first time, I realized what that terrible day had actually given Grandma.
It hadn’t taken away her family.
It had shown her which parts of her family were real.
When we reached the gate, she sat beside the window.
She looked peaceful.
I asked where she wanted to go first.
She thought for a moment.
“Paris.”
I smiled.
“Are you sure?”
She touched her pearl earrings.
“Your grandfather always wanted to take me.”
Then she looked at me.
“And this time, I’m buying my own ticket.”
I laughed.
