"Can I have your boarding pass please, sir?"
Alex looked down at the pretty flight attendant. She gave him a sweet and professional smile, one that nearly floored him. The last thing he was on the lookout for here was dating prospects, but this woman had taken him completely by surprise.
"Sir?" She repeated. "May I have your boarding pass please?"
"Oh yes, of course, uh..." Alex read her name tag, "Melanie." He handed over his documents.
"Thank you Mr. Murray. Enjoy your flight." She smiled at him again and then looked to the next passenger as she handed his ticket stub back to him. He didn't move. Something was wrong. Melanie's mascara appeared slightly smudged at the corner of her eye.
"Come on buddy, keep it moving." The gruff business passenger behind him said.
"Yes, of course." He moved along but slowly, not in his usual Drummond Corporation hurry.
She's been crying. He thought. Now why would I even notice that?
It wasn't like him at all to notice or even less to care about other people's emotions. It was something he had even taken training in to meet his responsibilities as a CEO. Sensitivity had never been his strong point even if altruism was something ingrained in his nature. They didn't always go hand-in-hand.
When Alex reached his seat, he struggled to get in. He was a tall man with long legs and rarely flew economy. In fact, he rarely flew commercial at all, preferring the freedom of private jets. The Drummond family had a fleet of three in order to meet all of their conflicting needs. He was an accomplished pilot and often flew himself.
Thank God it's only a four-hour flight.
He looked up and saw Melanie board the plane. He checked his watch.
Okay, it's a three hour and forty-eight minute estimated flight time with a cruising time of approximately three hours. That's got to be enough time to find out why she was crying.
As soon as they reached cruising altitude, Alex left his seat and headed towards the galley. There was a single male flight attendant on duty but no sign of Melanie anywhere.
"Can I help you, sir?"
"No. It's okay. Just looking for the restrooms."
"They're right over there."
"Actually, maybe you can help me. Who's head of the cabin crew today?"
"That would be me, sir. My name is Richard. Is there something I can help you with?"
"Yes Richard, is Melanie working economy or business class today?"
"Uh, I'm not sure I need to give you that information sir."
Alex took out his wallet and produced a 100-dollar bill.