“I don’t care if you’re sick—my child comes first. He deserves your seat!” she screamed. What followed left the entire gate speechless.

Chapter 1: The Glass Aquarium

They say the airport is the great equalizer, a place where kings and paupers alike must submit to the tyranny of the clock and the indignity of the security line. I used to believe that. I used to believe a lot of things before my cells decided to stage a mutiny against my own body. Now, standing in the sterile, fluorescent-drenched purgatory of Gate B17, I knew better. The airport isn’t an equalizer; it is a magnifying glass. It takes the cracks in your spirit and pulls them wide open.