A poor old lady decided to fly in business class to be closer to her son. However, she faced rejection from the passengers until they learnt about her real identity.
Rhea felt insecure. The old lady boarded the first flight that left the airport this morning and settled for a seat in business class, where wealthy people usually sat.
When she entered the cabin, no one paid any attention to her, but as soon as she found her seat and sat down, the eyes of the passengers were on her. The reason was simple: she stood out from the rest.
While all the other men and women were dressed in fancy and expensive outfits, Rhea was in her old, worn out clothes – they were her best clothes, but they seemed drab compared to what the others were wearing.
The man next to her was engrossed in a newspaper when she sat down, so he didn’t notice her right away. When he put the newspaper away, he glanced at her and wrinkled his nose at her appearance, then called out to the stewardess.
What’s this? – He asked, pointing to Rhea.
The stewardess was a little confused by the man’s tone, but after checking the seat number, she replied:
This passenger is seated according to his ticket.
The man looked like he was about to vomit at Rhea’s presence, and before he could speak, he unfolded a clean handkerchief and covered his nose with it. Then he said:
I don’t know what her ticket says, but I bought a business class seat to avoid people like her. Now it feels like I’m in a cheap back alley with homeless people.
The quarrel attracted the attention of many in the parlour, and some seemed to support the man. One full-figured woman, all decked out in jewellery, also spoke out:
If I wanted to fly with such a rabble, I would have bought an economy class ticket,’ she said, and the passengers began to agree.
The rumbling became outrageous and turned into a real altercation, which the stewardess tried to quieten, but the rich passengers didn’t want to hear – the woman had to leave.
Can’t you see she doesn’t belong here? – said one of the men.
To what extent has this airline degenerated? How could it afford such a ticket? – asked another.
‘We want her gone and we want an official apology for having to come in contact with such rubbish,’ said the man next to Rhea.
He and a few other passengers stood up and refused to sit down until they got their way. Rhea sat, listening to their argument and their disrespect that stomped on her dignity.
‘I’m fine, this too shall pass,’ she repeated to herself like a mantra.
Still, she heard them talking about her and it hurt her deeply, for people could be so cruel. At one point her eyes filled with tears.
‘Maybe I’ll just leave,’ Rhea thought and began to gather her things with trembling hands.
As she got up to leave, she stumbled, and instead of helping her like any other person would, the man next to her pulled away as if he wanted to avoid getting dirty.
Rhea fell to her knees and accidentally scattered the contents of her bag. She started to pick things up with trembling hands, realising that all eyes were now on her.
An older rich passenger, who had been sleeping peacefully until then, stood up and knelt down to help Rhea.
At this there was silence in the cabin and the passengers stared in amazement as one of them treated Rhea like a human being. The first thing the woman picked up was the passport with the boy’s picture on it.
Thank you so much,’ Rhea whispered, picking it up.
‘This is my son,’ she said with tears in her eyes and a tearful smile. – He is the pilot of this aeroplane.
He must have become a handsome young man,’ said the rich girl.
How could I have known? I had to put him in an orphanage when he was only five because I didn’t have the means to raise him. – Her words broke through her tears and there was silence in the salon.
I looked for him for years, but I could never find him. Recently I found out that he had become a pilot, and I started driving around airports looking for him. Today I found him, but the only way to be with him was to get on this flight.
Rhea looked at the passengers, most of whom averted their eyes with guilty looks, and then continued:
I’m sorry to make you feel uncomfortable, but I just wanted to be as close to my son as possible, so I saved up to get this chance. Business class is closer to him and I’ve never flown before, so I thought it would be a great birthday present.
The passengers listened to her story, and when she stopped talking, many of them cried. Eventually, Rhea got up and walked with the staff who were determined to bring her to her son.
What if he doesn’t want to see me? – She asked, resisting their insistence. – What if he hates me for leaving him?
Before the stewardess could answer anything, the man who was against her sitting next to him interrupted her:
‘You had no choice, I believe he will realise that,’ he said, hiding behind the newspaper again. He felt shame too. Rhea left with the stewardess to finally meet her son.
After a while, a man’s voice came over the loudspeaker, ‘This is the captain on call… there is a special person on board this flight – my mum, and today is her birthday.’
Everyone started applauding the old lady, and those who had mocked her earlier apologised for their mistake. When the plane landed, a pilot named Joseph met his mother, and finally, after years of separation, Rhea hugged her son again.
What did we learn from this story?
Choose kindness. When the man next to Rhea began demanding that she leave the salon, others joined in, and even though the woman did nothing, they could have gotten her to leave. The only person who didn’t act like them was another old lady. She stood up for Rhea, even though she could have just joined the arrogant passengers, and her decision changed everything.
Never give up. Rhea had been looking for her son for years, but couldn’t find him. However, that didn’t stop her. She kept looking and was willing to do anything to meet him, including saving up her money for an expensive business class ticket. Her perseverance and sacrifices were rewarded and she was able to meet him.
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