Passengers needing additional time or assistance were invited to board first.
I helped Dad stand, gathered our belongings, and guided him toward the counter.
We were almost there when somebody rushed past us.
The businessman.
His rolling suitcase struck Dad’s hip, forcing him to grab my arm.
Without apologizing, the man approached the gate agent.
“Sir, we’re currently preboarding passengers who need assistance,” she explained.
“I’m in first class.”
“First class boarding begins afterward.”
“I have an important connection.”
He scanned his boarding pass and continued down the jet bridge
