At last, Stella arrived at her business class seat on the aircraft. However, one man told the flight attendant that the older woman belonged in economy class and that he didn’t want to seat next to her. Stella was allowed to take her seat when the hostess turned down his request. Stella then related the most heartbreaking tale of her life.
“That woman is not someone I want to sit next to!” When the flight attendant came with an elderly woman and told Franklin Delaney that she was sitting next to him, he nearly lost his temper.
This is her seat, sir. With a scowl on his face, the stewardess attempted to comfort the businessman, saying, “We can’t do anything about it.”
That is not possible. The cost of these seats is prohibitive, and she was unable to purchase one! Take a look at her attire! Franklin pointed at the older woman’s clothing and nearly screamed. Stella felt embarrassed. She detested it when people saw her cheaply dressed even though she was wearing her finest attire.
As other business class passengers turned to face them, Stella Taylor, the older woman, cast a downward glance at her feet. The fight went on, and it was taking longer to board the aircraft. When more flight attendants arrived, they made an effort to soothe Franklin.
Remarkably, the businessman’s viewpoint was shared by other travelers. They told the woman to go after agreeing that she couldn’t have paid for the seat. Stella eventually gave in after experiencing the most humiliating thing in her life.
“It’s okay, Miss. I would remain in economy if you had another seat available. She put a kind touch on the hostess’ arm and said, “I spent all my savings on this seat, but it’s better not to inconvenience others.”
Stella had already received such kindness from the woman after getting lost at the airport. At the age of 85, she had never taken a trip before. It had therefore been somewhat confusing to navigate the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. Ultimately, though, the airline put her in charge of an attendant who helped her every step of the way until they boarded her aircraft, which was headed for New York.
The businessman wouldn’t believe Stella was sitting next to him, even after they showed him her boarding pass, but the flight attendant didn’t want to get into a physical altercation with him. The woman turned and scowled at Stella, but it wasn’t a personal jab at her.
“No, ma’am. The flight attendant insisted, “You paid for this seat, and you deserve to sit here, regardless of what anyone says.”
She turned around to face the man, threatening to get airport security involved to help him out. The man then conceded defeat and let Stella to take a seat beside him. Stella became so frightened when the plane took off that she dropped her pocketbook.
Fortunately, the man assisted her in getting her belongings back and wasn’t totally unreasonable. But the man whistled at her ruby locket when it dropped out. He said, “Wow, this is really something else.”
“Explain what you mean.” Stella inquired.
This locket is quite precious; I work as an antique jeweler. Indeed, those are genuine rubies. Am I mistaken? As he returned the locket to her, the man spoke. Stella took it back and gave it a long look.
To be honest, I’m clueless. Stella stated, “My father gave it to my mother a long time ago, and she handed it to me when he didn’t come home.
The man enquired, “What happened?” “I apologize. Franklin Delaney is my moniker. I wish to express my regret for my previous actions. My life is full of tricky situations, and I shouldn’t have behaved that way. What happened to your father, may I ask?
“In World War II, my father flew fighter aircraft. He promised to come back to my mother with this locket, but he departed when America entered the war. They were devoted to one another. Even though I was only four years old, I can still vividly recall that day. He never came back,” Stella said.
“It’s awful.”
Yes, it is. There is no sense to war. Nothing is produced by it. Furthermore, my mother never fully got over the loss. We barely made ends meet, and she was a shell of her former self. But she never considered selling it, not even in the worst of circumstances at home. When I was ten years old, she gave it to me and instructed me to keep it. However, even though I have also experienced financial troubles, I never considered selling it. When Stella opened it, she grinned at Franklin and said, “To be honest, its true value is inside.”
The locket included two images. One had a couple in sepia tones, and the other one had a baby. “These are my parents.” “Look how much in love they were,” Stella reminisced.
Franklin glanced at the second photo while nodding silently. “Is that your granddaughter?” he asked abruptly.
The elder woman answered, “No, that’s my son, and in fact, he’s the reason I’m on this flight.”
“Are you planning to meet him?”
No, this is the last one. Recall how I mentioned that I was having financial difficulties. Well, I became pregnant a long time ago. When my boyfriend vanished, I was thirty years old. After a few months of giving birth to my kid, it became evident that I would not be able to provide a good life for him. I lacked a network of support. I put him up for adoption because my mother had already passed away from dementia years prior,” Stella said.
“You two got back in touch later?”
“I made an attempt. It was those DNA test items that helped me find him. I had a neighbor youngster assist me send him an email. However, Josh, as his name is, responded that he was alright and didn’t require my help. I made multiple attempts to get in touch with him and begged for forgiveness, but he never returned my emails.
Franklin rubbed his bewildered head. “Then, I’m not sure what you’re doing on this airplane. You claimed to be here to support him.
On this flight, he is the pilot. It’s his birthday today, which is why I’m here. Since I might not be around for very long, I wanted to spend at least one of his birthdays with him. He was born on January 22, 1973. Stella grinned at Franklin and said, “This is the only way,” before refocusing her gaze on the locket.
She was blind to the fact that a few passengers and flight attendants had heard the story, nor that Franklin had been wiping an errant tear from his cheeks. A few minutes later, one of the stewardesses entered the cockpit.
Stella finally closed the locket and put it in her bag, saying, “Anyway, this is one of his longest routes, so I get to spend five hours near my son.”
Those five hours went by quickly, in her opinion, and when the pilot stated they would soon be at JFK over the intercom. However, he carried on with his message rather than cutting off the exchange.
Furthermore, I would want to extend a warm greeting to my biological mother, who is traveling on my path for the first time. Hello, mother. Through the intercom, John stated, “Wait for me once the plane lands.” Franklin grinned, embarrassed at his earlier impolite behavior, as Stella’s eyes welled up with tears. At least he’s already apologized.
John broke etiquette as he landed the plane by going straight to Stella and giving her a strong hug with his arms wide spread. Everyone on board, including the flight attendants, gave them a round of applause.
John thanked Stella in a quiet voice for years ago for standing by him when no one else could hear. John recognized after answering her first email that he wasn’t really upset with his mother for letting him go, but he was at a loss for words. He then expressed regret for not returning her other emails and for not paying attention to her earlier. She explained to him that she understood why, thus there was nothing to apologize for.
