Margarite Vance walked eight rows with her handbag against her chest and her cardigan over her arm past 40 faces and not one person looked away and not one person said a word. And she would describe that walk to her attorney six weeks later as the moment she understood how much trouble she was in. Row seven, a man in his 30s who watched her the entire way with an expression of open uncomplicated contempt. Row nine, two teenagers who had absolutely filmed some of it and would be told to delete it and would not. Row six, Byron Ferris, who looked up as she passed and then at the last second looked down.
She sat in 11D between a sleeping man and a woman who immediately turned her whole body toward the window. Behind her in row three, Dileia crouched in the aisle. Hey, both of you look at me for a second. Zuri looked. Immani didn't.
You're not in trouble, neither of you. Not even a little bit. Dileia kept her voice low and level. That was not your fault. And you did not do anything wrong.
And you're not going to be in trouble at the other end. I need you to hear all three of those things. She took the cake, Zuri said. Her voice had gone thick. Mom bought it.
Mom bought it and she took it and she stuck a fork in it. I know that was Mom's. I know it was. Zuri put her hands over her face, which was the closest she'd come to crying in public since she was seven. Immani hadn't moved.
Dileia looked at her, really looked the way she'd looked at a 12-year-old three years earlier across 11 passes down an aisle and understood immediately what was happening because she'd seen it before in kids and once in her own sister. Immani, nothing. Immani, can you look at me? Immani looked at her. Her eyes were completely dry.
That was the part. There's a second slice, Dileia said. Something flickered. Your mom ordered two, one for each of you. It's been in the chiller this whole time, and that woman doesn't know it exists, and I'm going to go get it right now.
Dilia held her gaze. But I'm going to ask you something first, and I want you to actually think about it instead of just being polite at me. Do you want it now, or do you want me to keep it in the box, and you take it with you, and you eat it later somewhere that isn't this? Imani thought about it. It took her about 11 seconds, which is a long time.
Later she said okay with Zuri not here. Okay. Dileia stood up. It's yours. Nobody touches it.