Here One Moment
by Liane Moriarty
Contents
Chapter 115
Overview
Cherry reconstructs her mental state on the flight, attributing her death predictions to delirium or a grief-induced psychotic break. She reveals that the flight attendant was the same one present when Ned died, that she was carrying Ned's ashes, and that multiple coincidences—Leo Vodnik's shoes, an empty seat, a couple resembling Jill and Bert—triggered her episode. After recovering at Ned's brother's home in Sydney, she scattered Ned's ashes and reflected on their thirty-four years together, still angry he skipped a medical appointment that might have prevented his death.
Summary
Cherry reflects on what happened to her during the Hobart-to-Sydney flight, theorizing that she likely suffered from delirium caused by severe dehydration, or possibly a psychotic break triggered by grief. She notes that in earlier times it would have been called a "nervous breakdown" and her grandmother would have called it "a funny turn."
Cherry recalls the lucid moments before her episode. She was shocked to recognize the fair-haired flight attendant as the same young man who had been present when Ned died on a previous flight, pressing fingers to Ned's neck and attempting CPR. The attendant showed no recognition of Cherry, which deepened her sense of unreality. She was carrying Ned's ashes in her carry-on bag in the overhead bin, and the empty seat beside her felt as though it were waiting for Ned. The man across the aisle—Leo Vodnik—wore the same stylish shoes as Ned and tapped his feet the same way. A couple nearby reminded her of Jill and Bert. These accumulated triggers destabilized her.
After arriving in Sydney at Hazel and Tony's house (Ned's brother and sister-in-law), Cherry nearly collapsed, "toppling sideways like a tree" on the couch. She was put to bed and remained there for a week. The family postponed the scattering of Ned's ashes until she recovered. Cherry found comfort in Tony's voice, which was eerily similar to Ned's. She reflects warmly on her in-laws' kindness, acknowledging that they may have privately found her and Ned's globe-trotting lifestyle excessive, but noting that they treated her as a beloved family member.
Once recovered, Cherry joined the family to scatter Ned's ashes at a scenic lookout. Tony shared boyhood stories about Ned involving bikes, surfboards, and sand dunes, saying Ned made any activity ten times more fun. Cherry privately thought the multiplier was far higher. She reminds herself that her thirty-four years with Ned were longer than her father's entire lifetime, longer than Jack Murphy's or Kayla Halfpenny's lifetimes, and she returns to this thought whenever she feels angry at Ned for walking out of the medical appointment that might have saved him.
Who Appears
- Cherry LockwoodNarrator reflecting on her flight episode, grief over Ned, recovery at in-laws' home, and scattering Ned's ashes.
- NedCherry's deceased husband whose ashes she carried; died on a previous flight. They shared thirty-four years together.
- TonyNed's brother who hosted Cherry during recovery and shared boyhood stories at the ash-scattering.
- HazelTony's wife and Ned's sister-in-law who cared for Cherry during her week-long recovery.
- Leo VodnikPassenger across the aisle whose shoes and foot-tapping reminded Cherry of Ned, contributing to her destabilization.