Will I sleep? Probably not. I will likely watch a bad movie and eat a warm cookie on a real plate.

I have a confession to make.

I don’t belong here.

I realize I am not paying for the legroom. I am paying for the silence. The permission to pause. In a world that demands you keep your elbows in and your voice down and your carry-on under 10 kilos, first class gives you three feet of air that belongs only to you.

I watch the other cabins board through the gap in the curtain. The economy passengers shuffle past, eyes flicking toward the flat-bed seats with a mixture of curiosity and mild resentment. I feel a flush of guilt. I was them last Tuesday. I will be them next Tuesday.