Mathieu jumps.
This is a first. And it is not for him.
When the captain grabs the microphone
The captain’s voice came out over the loudspeakers just as the young woman disappeared into the cockpit.
He excitedly stated that they would be joined by a guest of honor, the world-renowned soprano Émilie Caron.
Then a shiver raced through the plane.
She sung a few notes of an opera aria, and the quiet gave way to thunderous ovation. Mathieu becomes pallid. He simply understands.
The woman he’s been denigrating during the journey is an internationally recognized artist performing at a charity performance.
Around him, passengers applaud and request signatures.
And he no longer dares to face her eyes.
A focus that hits the mark
When Emilie returns to her seat, beaming, Mathieu attempts an awkward approach. “I didn’t know who you were…” he begins, no doubt hoping to make up for it.
But Emilie is not fooled.
She responds quietly, with quiet strength: “It doesn’t matter who I am. “You should never treat people that way.” And her sentence resonates as a universal truth: “I can’t control my weight, but you can change your attitude.”
Because we don’t always get to pick our bodies, but we can always decide how we treat others.
