I was giddy from the spicy ice cream I just consumed. The spice tickling the back of my throat and the sudden sugar in the morning is beckoning drowsiness. I overheard the girl next to me try to ask a man about the time in Spanish. He responded in English. My breath caught in my throat as I heard the communication channels gasp and sigh.

She spoke as if he would understand Spanish and he spoke as if she would understand English.

A moment passed until she said something to me. My trained Spanish tongue spurted out a few words: cuando, boleto, avion, porque.

“This is my first time on a plane.” Then she said, “I haven’t seen my mother for 16 years.”

My heart was caught in my throat. “Your mother?” I asked.

“Yes,” she said and smiled. She put her wrists together and continued, “I got asylum.”