Stella finally reached her business class seat on the plane. But a man refused to sit next to her and told the flight attendant that the elderly woman should be in economy class. The flight attendant refused his request, and Stella was able to take her seat. Afterward, Stella recounted the most bittersweet story of her life.
“I don’t want to sit next to that… woman!” Franklin Delaney almost yelled at the flight attendant who had escorted an elderly woman and told her she had to sit next to him.
“Sir, that’s his seat. There’s nothing we can do about it,” the flight attendant said softly, trying to persuade the scowling businessman.
“That can’t be true. These seats are way too expensive, and she couldn’t afford one! Look at her clothes!” Franklin almost screamed as he pointed at the older woman’s clothes. Stella was ashamed. She was wearing her best clothes and hated for others to know how cheap her outfit was.
The other business-class passengers turned to look at them, and the elderly woman, Stella Taylor, looked down at her feet. The altercation continued, and it was delaying the plane’s filling. Several other flight attendants arrived, trying to calm Franklin.
Surprisingly, other passengers agreed with the businessman. They acknowledged that the woman had been unable to pay for her seat and told her to get out. It was the most humiliating experience of Stella’s life, and she finally relented.
“Miss, it’s okay. If you have another seat in economy class, I’ll stay there. I spent all my savings on this seat, but it’s best not to inconvenience others,” she said, gently placing her hand on the flight attendant’s arm.
This woman had already been so kind to her because Stella had gotten lost at the airport. She was 85 years old and had never traveled in her life, so Seattle-Tacoma International Airport had been quite confusing. But the airline eventually assigned her a flight attendant who escorted her through the process, and they finally reached her flight to New York.
The man helped her pick up her things, proving he wasn’t being unreasonable. | Source: Pexels
The flight attendant didn’t want to fight with the businessman, who refused to believe that Stella should sit next to him, even though they had even shown him her boarding pass. The woman turned to Stella with a stern grimace, although the anger wasn’t directed at Stella.
“No, ma’am. You paid for this seat and you deserve to sit here, no matter what anyone says,” the flight attendant insisted.
She turned to the man again and threatened to call airport security to escort him home. That’s when the man sighed in defeat and let Stella sit next to him. The plane took off, and Stella was so scared that she dropped her purse.
Fortunately, the man wasn’t completely unreasonable and helped her retrieve her belongings. But her ruby locket fell out, and the man hissed at the object. “Wow, that’s something,” he commented.
“What do you mean?” Stella asks.
“I’m an antique jeweler, and this locket is incredibly valuable. They’re definitely real rubies. Am I mistaken?” the man said, handing the locket back to her. Stella grabbed it and stared at it.
“Honestly, I have no idea. My dad gave it to my mom so many years ago, and she gave it to me when my dad didn’t come home,” Stella said.
Stella’s father was a fighter pilot who died during the war. | Source: Pexels
“What happened?” the man asked. “I’m sorry. My name is Franklin Delaney. I want to apologize for my previous behavior. There are some complicated things going on in my life, and I shouldn’t have acted like that. May I ask what happened to your father?”
“My father was a fighter pilot during World War II. When America joined the war, he left home but gave this locket to my mother as a promise to return. They loved each other dearly. I was only four years old at the time, but I remember that day very well. He never came back,” Stella explained.
“It’s terrible.”
“It’s true. War is senseless. Nothing comes of it. And my mother never got over that loss. She was a shell of herself, and we barely survived. But even when things were bad at home, she never thought of selling it. She gave it to me when I was 10 and told me to keep it. But I never thought of selling it either, even though I’ve struggled financially myself. Honestly, its true value is inside,” Stella revealed, smiling at Franklin as she opened it.
There was a picture of a baby inside the locket. | Source: Pexels
Inside the locket were two photographs. One was sepia-toned and depicted a couple, and the other showed a baby. “Those are my parents. Look how in love they were,” Stella said wistfully.
Franklin nodded, saying nothing, but looked at the other photo. “Is this your grandson?” he suddenly wondered.
“No, he’s my son, and in fact, he’s the reason I’m on this flight,” the elderly woman replied.
“Are you going to see him?”
“No, it’s here. Remember I said I was having financial problems? Well, I got pregnant several years ago. I was in my thirties, and my boyfriend disappeared. I had my son for several months, but it was clear I wouldn’t be able to give him a good life. I had no support. My mother had already passed away years before after suffering from dementia, so I gave him up for adoption,” Stella revealed.
“Did you get back in touch later?”
Stella found it and was on the plane for a special reason. | Source: Pexels
“I tried. I found him through these DNA tests. I asked a kid in the neighborhood to help me email him. But Josh—that’s his name—replied that he was fine and didn’t need me. I tried several times to contact him and apologize, but he never responded to my emails again.”
Franklin scratched his head in confusion. “I don’t understand what you’re doing on this flight then. You said you were here for him.”
“He’s the pilot on this flight. I’m here because it’s his birthday. He was born on January 22, 1973, and I might not have much time left on this earth, so I wanted to spend at least one of his birthdays with him. It’s the only way to do it,” Stella explains, smiling at Franklin before turning her gaze back to the medallion.
She didn’t notice Franklin wiping a tear from his face or the fact that some flight attendants and several passengers had heard the story. After a few minutes, a flight attendant entered the cockpit.
“Anyway, this is one of his longest trips, so I get to spend five hours with my son,” Stella said, finally closing the locket and placing it in her bag.
The whole plane applauded them. | Source: Pexels
According to her, those five hours passed quickly, and when the pilot’s intercom came on, he announced that they would soon be arriving at JFK. But instead of turning off the communication, he continued his message.
“Also, I want everyone to welcome my birth mother, who’s flying on my route for the first time. Hey, Mom. Wait for me once the plane lands,” Josh said through the intercom. Stella’s eyes began to water, and Franklin smiled, ashamed of having behaved so rudely earlier. But at least he’d already apologized.
When Josh landed the plane, he stepped out of the cockpit, breaking protocol, and walked straight to Stella, arms wide open, hugging her fiercely. All the passengers and flight attendants cheered and applauded.
No one heard him, but Josh whispered in Stella’s ear, thanking her for doing what was best for him all these years. After replying to her first email, Josh realized he wasn’t really angry at his mother for abandoning him, but that he didn’t know what to say to her. So he apologized for not replying to her other emails and for not listening to her before. She told him he had nothing to apologize for because she understood why.
What can we learn from this story?
- Never be rude to strangers, no matter what . Franklin was rude to this woman for no good reason and was ashamed of his actions afterward.
- Forgiveness is divine . Stella quickly forgave Franklin for his actions and held no grudges toward the man sitting next to her.
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